Smart News

Archaeologists are unsure of the long-forgotten passageway's purpose.

Cool Finds

Forgotten Tunnel Found Beneath Danish Train Station

Wood used to build the secret passageway came from a tree felled in 1874, according to a new analysis

Researchers examine a seven-and-a-half-ton limestone sarcophagus in a mummification workshop that dates back to ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egyptian Funeral Home Reveals Embalmers Had a Knack for Business

Funeral parlors' enterprising staff offered burial packages to suit every social strata and budget

Male pug-nosed tree frogs confuse predators by overlapping their mating calls with those their neighbors.

New Research

Illusionist Frog Attracts Mates Without Unwanted Attention From Predators

The simultaneous mating calls of the male pug-nosed tree frog confuses bats but not female frogs

Given the quality of grave goods found, the researchers suspect that the girl hailed from a privileged background.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Teenage Mummy Buried With Trove of Ornate Jewelry

The ancient Egyptian girl was only 15 or 16 years old when she died

Short-eared dogs are the only canines that live in the Amazon rainforest.

New Research

The Amazon’s 'Ghost Dogs' Face 30 Percent Habitat Loss

The solitary species is hard to spot on camera, and they're the only canine that lives in the Amazon rainforest

Choctaw and Irish dancers at a 2017 dedication ceremony of a sculpture commemorating the 1847 donation

Covid-19

Irish Return Historic Favor by Donating to Native Americans During Pandemic

In 1847, the Choctaw Nation sent $170—more than $5,000 today—to victims of the Irish potato famine

The presumed site of Wallace's House, where William Wallace once reportedly hunkered down to plot with his men

Cool Finds

Aerial Surveys Reveal Possible Fort of Scottish Patriot William Wallace

The freedom fighter may have once used the structure to conspire against English forces

Nearly all of this northern curly tail’s digestion was halted by an impassable fecal mass.

Super-Constipated Florida Lizard Breaks Records With Gargantuan Poop

An unfortunate diet of pizza grease and sand clogged her innards, amassing a giant and unpassable lump of feces in her gut

Enroll in Hogwarts classes, find out which house you belong in, and listen to the audiobook version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Education During Coronavirus

Hear Daniel Radcliffe Read the First Chapter of 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'

The actor is one of 17 celebrities slated to participate in newly announced read-alongs of the series' first book

Some U.K. crafters are dedicating their spare time to making masks and drawstring bags for medical professionals.

Covid-19

Arts and Crafts Are Experiencing Surge in Popularity Amid COVID-19

Stay-at-home orders have inspired those with ample free time to pick up hands-on projects

The Asian giant hornet, the world's largest hornet, was sighted in North America for the first time.

No, Americans Do Not Need to Panic About 'Murder Hornets'

The Asian giant hornet, seen for the first time in North America in 2019, is unlikely to murder you or U.S. bees, according to a Smithsonian entomologist

Two skeletons unearthed in Lechlade, England, date back to around 2200 B.C.

Cool Finds

Bronze Age Chieftain's Remains Found Beneath U.K. Skate Park

The Beaker man was buried alongside four cowhide "rugs," an eight-inch copper dagger and a wrist guard made of rare green stone

A Labrador retriever, but you probably knew that already, given that this pooch is America's most popular breed

Labrador Tops Most Popular Dog Breed List for 29th Year in a Row

The rankings stay much the same from year to year, but in 2019, Pembroke Welsh corgis broke the top ten for the first time

A meteorite found in the Sahara Desert, valued at more than $2.5 million.

Christie's Auction House Offers 29-Pound Hunk of Moon for $2.5 Million

The rock crash-landed in the Sahara Desert after a presumed collision chipped it off the lunar surface

New research from the Vatican Archives sheds light on Pope Pius XII's decisions during World War II.

Newly Unsealed Vatican Archives Lay Out Evidence of Pope Pius XII's Knowledge of the Holocaust

The Catholic Church's actions during World War II have long been a matter of historical debate

The men's remains, found in a 16th-century mass grave in Mexico City, bear signs of trauma and disease.

New Analysis Suggests These Three Men Were Among the First Africans Enslaved in the Americas

Buried in a mass grave in Mexico City, the trio may have been part of the first generation abducted from their homeland and brought to the New World

Emily Simpson's character in "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" shows off a diving beetle in front of the virtual museum.

Education During Coronavirus

Join a Smithsonian Entomologist and the Monterey Bay Aquarium for This Beetle-Centric 'Animal Crossing' Livestream

Airing on the aquarium's Twitch channel at 4 p.m. EST today, the two-hour session will focus on the video game's diverse insect population

Naked mole-rats pile on top of each other in large groups to sleep inside their nest. This behavior may help keep carbon dioxide levels high, lowering the animals' risk of seizure.

Naked Mole-Rats Bathe Their Bodies in Carbon Dioxide to Prevent Seizures

Expelled by animals as a waste product, the gas appears to play a crucial role in keeping these bizarre, burrowing rodents safe

A mule deer walks down the road in Yosemite Valley

With Humans Away, Animals in National Parks Are Having a Ball

Coyotes, bears and more are enjoying areas usually reserved for crowds of human visitors

Hoa Hakananai’a, a Rapa Nui sculpture from Easter Island

Education During Coronavirus

You Can Now Download 1.9 Million Free Images From the British Museum

The London institution's online offerings include 280,000 newly added Creative Commons images

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