Science

Agnesi was an Italian mathematician, philosopher, theologian, and humanitarian.

Women Who Shaped History

The 18th-Century Lady Mathematician Who Loved Calculus and God

After writing a groundbreaking math textbook, Maria Agnesi quit math for good

Henrietta Lacks (HeLa): The Mother of Modern Medicine by Kadir Nelson (detail, above) is on view at the National Portrait Gallery through November 4, 2018.

Women Who Shaped History

Famed for “Immortal” Cells, Henrietta Lacks is Immortalized in Portraiture

Lacks's cells gave rise to medical miracles, but ethical questions of propriety and ownership continue to swirl

The woman behind the gun

Keeping Feathers Off Hats–and On Birds

A new exhibit examines the fashion that led to the passage, 100 years ago, of the Migratory Bird Act Treaty

An artist’s illustration of a black hole “eating” a star.

Big Data is Transforming How Astronomers Make Discoveries

The next game-changer is likely lurking in the data we already have—but it will take scientists years to uncover it

This Science Experiment Could Help Us Live on Another Planet

In 1991, eight people spent two years living in giant, sealed-off glass domes, deep in the Arizona desert

Can Bringing Back Mammoths Help Stop Climate Change?

Scientists say creating hybrids of the extinct beasts could fix the Arctic tundra and stop greenhouse gas emissions

One of the Most Dangerous Mountain Passes in the World

The Sani Pass, which cuts through the mountain peaks between South Africa and Lesotho, is known for being a death-defying experience

Stephen Hawking's Stark Warning for Humans to Leave Earth

In one of his final on-camera appearances, iconic physicist Stephen Hawking issued a warning to humanity about the existential threats we face

A Hangover Pill Is Working on Drunk Mice

The new antidote may lower blood alcohol levels, helping a hangover and preventing alcohol overdose deaths

Nisarg Desai observes wild chimps known as Sandi, Ferdinand and Siri in Tanzania.

What Can Chimpanzee Calls Tell Us About the Origins of Human Language?

Scientists follow and record chimps in the wild to find out if they talk to each other—and to fill in details about how and why language evolved in humans

The Most Beautiful View of South Africa's Tswaing Crater

About 220,000 years ago, a meteor slammed into a corner of South Africa creating the Tswaing Crater. Today, it's a hotbed of wildlife and exotic vegetation

Though the differences between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens may seem pronounced, scientists didn't always embrace the idea that humans evolved from other species.

How Do Scientists Identify New Species? For Neanderthals, It Was All About Timing and Luck

Even the most remarkable fossil find means nothing if scientists aren’t ready to see it for what it is

What Created These Strange Geoglyphs in South Africa?

In the Karoo region of South Africa, mysterious spiral shapes carved into the ground have attracted conspiracy theorists

Guzmán and his team were only able to pinpoint the whale shark's whereabouts when it rose to the surface to feed.

What the Longest Known Whale Shark Migration Ever Tells Us About Conservation

Researchers in Panama tracked a specimen via satellite over an unprecedented 12,516 miles

Why Las Vegas's Landscape Is So Lush and Green

One of the most important byproducts of the Hoover Dam is an artificial body of water known as Lake Mead

Charles Darwin was an avid fossil collector and during his expedition on the HMS Beagle, he was one of the first to collect remains of extinct South American mammals.

How Darwin’s Theory of Evolution Evolved

A new Smithsonian Book highlights firsthand accounts, diaries, letters and notebooks from aboard the <i>HMS Beagle</i>

When the director of DARPA heard about the blasts and their purpose, he had an immediate reaction: “Holy shit. This is dangerous.”

How Soviet Bomb Tests Paved the Way For U.S. Climate Science

The untold story of a failed Russian geoengineering scheme, panic in the Pentagon, and a Nixon-era effort to study global cooling

How Was Red Rock Canyon Formed?

One of the most important byproducts of the Hoover Dam is an artificial body of water known as Lake Mead

Scientists Have a New Way of Knowing How Many Sharks Are in the Sea

The predators are elusive, but marine ecologists are finding more of them by analyzing the "environmental DNA" in ocean water samples

The science of DNA facial reconstruction is advancing rapidly.

How Accurately Can Scientists Reconstruct A Person's Face From DNA?

Predicting physical features from genetic data certainly has its limitations, but it is advancing. What does this mean for our privacy?

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