Articles

Smog glows in the sunset in Shanghai, China.

Age of Humans

Air Pollution Kills More Than 3 Million People Every Year

Fine particulates and ozone have been linked to deaths from heart disease, stroke and lung cancer around the globe

A Lima street vendor dishes up anticucho, grilled skewers that are traditionally prepared with marinated beef heart or tongue. It is a culinary tradition probably started by enslaved Africans here during the Spanish colonization.

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Inca Road

How Food Became Religion in Peru's Capital City

Great cooking is what defines Lima today, but the culinary boom started decades ago, during a time of conflict

Can Cypress Trees Help Suppress Wildfires?

Researchers in Italy and Spain suspect that cypress tree barriers could diffuse forest fires

While most of the 51 square mile nature preserve is off-limits, tourists can visit and observe the Red Beaches from a wooden boardwalk.

Soak In the Color at China's Crimson Beaches

Panjin Red Beach turns an eye-popping hue every autumn

It's OK, buddy. We're here to help.

New Research

Domestication Seems to Have Made Dogs a Bit Dim

Thanks to their relationship with us, dogs are less adept at solving tricky puzzles than their wolf relatives

Keepers weighed the panda cub Sept. 14, when Mei Xiang left her den. He weighed 1.9 pounds.

The National Zoo Wants Your Cutest Panda Cam Photos

Can't get enough of the panda cam? You're not alone.

Kirigami-cut solar cells

Future of Energy

Using Kirigami, the Japanese Art of Paper Cutting, to Build Better Solar Panels

Researchers have used the art technique to make light panels that twist to follow the sun

A chance thunderstorm was the inspiration for Gordon Hempton's career as the Sound Tracker.

Age of Humans

Are There Any Places on Earth Left Untouched by Noise Pollution?

In this Generation Anthropocene podcast, an acoustic ecologist tours the planet in search of pristine soundscapes

That Time When Ansel Adams Posed for a Baseball Trading Card

In the 1970s, photographer Mike Mandel asked his famous colleagues to pose for a pack of baseball cards. The results are as amazing as you’d imagine

A diver holds a granite head, meant to be the head of a priest, from the Ptolemaic period. The now-hollow eyes were probably inlaid when it was first made in ancient Egypt.

Sunken Treasures From Ancient Egypt Are Now on Display in France

The Arab World Institute in Paris shows off 250 artifacts once lost underwater

Innovative Spirit Health Care

How Is Brain Surgery Like Flying? Put On a Headset to Find Out

A device made for gaming helps brain surgeons plan and execute delicate surgeries with extreme precision

The Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company premiers its newest work, "We choose to go to the moon," at the Kennedy Center on September 19 and 20, 2015.

A Dancer and a Scientist Deliver a New Take on the Moon Walk

When modern dance collides with science and space history, the result can be a great leap forward

The Innovative Spirit

This Exoskeleton Is Actually Controlled by the Wearer's Thoughts

Engineer Jose Contreras-Vidal's "brain-machine interface" uses electrical activity in a person's brain to move a robotic exoskeleton

Milk is udderly fascinating.

Seven of the Most Extreme Milks in the Animal Kingdom

A lactation expert breaks down why rhinos, rabbits and even pigeons produce their own special blends for babies

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Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Inca Road

Handicraft Heaven: Nine Unique Gifts to Buy Along the Inca Road

Leave room in your suitcase for these irresistible items

Meet Homo naledi, the newest member of the human family tree.

What Makes a Fossil a Member of the Human Family Tree?

The surprising new species Homo naledi raises more questions than answers—for now

Fireworks go off over the Moskva River.

Dazzling Photos of Russia's First Annual Pyrotechnic Festival

At an international fireworks competition in Moscow, leading companies stretched far beyond pyrotechnics' ancient origins

The Aquaporin filter is simple and light.

The Innovative Spirit

A New Efficient Filter Helps Astronauts Drink Their Own Urine

Recycling water is key to getting humans to Mars

Priscilla of Boston, 1973

From Sublime to Wacky, Nothing Says Fashion Forward Like a Collection of Historic Bridal Gowns

An unforgettable—but not timeless—walk down the aisle from the archives of the now defunct Priscilla of Boston's Bridal Shop

Women Were Some of the Fiercest Samurai Warriors Ever

In ancient Japan, battle was typically reserved for male samurai. That all changed when Takeko Nakano and her sister, Yuko, decided to fight for their clan

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