Blogs

Shanti the Asian elephant plays with a tire in the National Zoo’s new Elephant Community Center, which opens on Saturday, March 23.

Look Out! Look Out! Elephants Get New Digs

The Elephant Community Center, the newest addition to the National Zoo's "Elephant Trails" habitat, opens on Saturday, March 23

Travelers must be accepting of all tastes and flavors encountered along the way—but it may be difficult to argue that Italian espresso is anything but superior to all other manifestations of coffee.

Coffee Here, and Coffee There: How Different People Serve the World’s Favorite Hot Drink

Coffee is black and bitter—but global travelers find a surprisingly wide range of forms of the world's favorite hot beverage

Ribbon worms come in all shapes and sizes. This one, with white stripes along the body, was found off the coast of Mexico.

14 Fun Facts about Marine Ribbon Worms

Ribbon worms swallow prey whole, grease themselves with their mucus to slide quickly through mud, split into new worms if severed, and much more

Celidh Band from town of Keady, County Armagh

Beyond Riverdance: Enjoy Classic Celtic Music for St. Patrick’s Day

A new release from Smithsonian Folkways showcases the best of Celtic classics

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Surfer Kelly Slater Searches for the Perfect Wave in New 3-D Film

Mixing science and surfing, "The Ultimate Wave Tahiti" joins the world champion in the hunt

A high resolution photo of the Chicago River on St. Patrick’s Day

A New Meaning to Green Urban Design: Dyeing the Chicago River

The story behind how the Windy City gets its yearly watery makeover

“Bunny” Bunny, by Henry Segerman and Craig Kaplan. The pattern on the bunny consists of copies of the word “bunny.” Listen as the artist describes the sculpture in this YouTube video.

Fresh Off the 3D Printer: Henry Segerman’s Mathematical Sculptures

A research fellow at the University of Melbourne has found a sneaky way to convert math haters to math lovers. He turns complex geometries into art

Corned beef and cabbage

Is Corned Beef Really Irish?

The rise and fall and rise of the traditional St. Patrick's Day meal

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Vanishing Marine Algae Can Be Monitored From a Boat With Your Smartphone

An app allows boat travelers to track declining levels of phytoplankton, a microscopic organism at the base of the marine food chain

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Prehistoric Birds May Have Used Four Wings to Fly

A study of fossils of prehistoric birds suggests two sets of wings—one set on the creature's hind legs—helped avians stay aloft

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That Time Indiana Almost Made Pi Equal to 3.2 And Other True Stories About Pi

As you celebrate today's holiday, here's a history of notable moments in the irrational number's past

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Mid-21st Century Modern: That Jetsons Architecture

The artists and animators working on "The Jetsons" were inspired by the futurist architecture popping up around Los Angeles

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Why We Should All Celebrate Save a Spider Day

Insect keeper Dan Babbitt of the Natural History Museum explains what makes spiders so cool

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The Bay Bridge Gets Its Glow On

When an algorithm-driven light show took over the Bay Bridge last week, it was the latest example of how much technology is transforming how cities look.

Chahārshanbe-Sūri, Iran’s Festival of Fire, falls on the Wednesday before the Persian New Year. Join in celebrating Iran’s unique New Year traditions this Saturday at the Freer and Sackler Galleries.

Events March 15-17: Three Movies, the Persian New Year and Native Story Time

This week, see free films, celebrate the Persian New Year by jumping over fire and hear children's stories from different Native communities

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Stressed Corals Dim Then Glow Brightly Before They Die

Measuring how coral fluorescence changes may serve as an early indicator of the declining health of a reef

To boldly go where only a few men (and women) have gone before: “Moving Beyond Earth,” a permanent exhibit at the Air and Space Museum, has a replica of the waste collection system used aboard NASA’s space shuttles. This may be the fanciest toilet you will ever see.

How Do Astronauts Go to the Bathroom in Space?

A look at the space shuttle toilet and "the deepest, darkest secret about space flight"

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Why the Department Store Brought Freedom for the Turn of the Century Woman

Harry Selfridge, a London department store owner, may have opened the doors to more than just his retail store when he gave women a chance to power shop

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Who Really Invented the Smiley Face?

It's supposedly the 50th anniversary of the original design of the iconic image, but its history since then is surprisingly complex with millions of dollars at stake

Since the mid to late 19th century, isinglass, a fish by-product has been used as a clarification agent in Guinness beer.

Hey Vegans! There May Be Fish Bladder in Your Guinness

Isinglass, a gelatine collected from the air-bladders of freshwater fish like the sturgeon, is used in the clarification process of some stouts

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