Smart News

A squash seedling (though not one of the ancient squash)

Cool Finds

An Ancient Squash Dodges Extinction Thanks to the Efforts of Native Americans

Indigenous people carefully tended an ancient squash for thousands of years and now the seeds are seeing a resurgence in popularity

Fossilized teeth from an ancient sperm whale

Cool Finds

Landfill Surprises Scientists With 12-Million-Year-Old Whale Fossils

The fossilized remains of a sperm whale were discovered in a newly cleared area of an Orange County landfill

Self-driving busses, cars that communicate with streetlights, and more will be headed to Columbus.

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Columbus, Ohio Wins $140 Million to Become the Transporation City of Tomorrow

The city beat out 77 others vying for the chance to update its infrastructure with the latest and greatest technology

Screwworm Fly larva

Cool Finds

Researchers Studying "Teen Sex" and Flesh-Eating Maggots Win 2016 Golden Goose Awards

Both quirky and important, these studies went against the grain

The site where the historic Stonewall Inn was located will now be the United States' first National Monument to gay rights.

Trending Today

President Obama Just Created the First National Monument to Gay Rights

The Stonewall National Monument tells the story of LGBTQ struggles in the United States

"Dance at Molenbeek," a painting by Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1564-1638) depicts pilgrims dancing to the church at Molenbeek.

Cool Finds

A Strange Case of Dancing Mania Struck Germany Six Centuries Ago Today

Modern experts still don't agree on what caused plagues of compulsive dancing in the streets

Ask Smithsonian 2017

What's the Difference Between England, Britain and the U.K.?

Listen up, would-be Anglophiles: Here's how never to mess up your realms, kingdoms and empires again

New Research

Some Genes Remain "Alive" for Days After the Body Dies

Studies in animals show that even when a creature has ceased to live, some genes are still busy doing their thing

Two canal workers pose in the cut

Cool Finds

Commemorate the Panama Canal's Expansion With These Photos From Its Construction

The Panama Canal is opening a third lane to accommodate new mega cargo ships, a feat almost—but not quite—as impressive as building the original

By Augustus Koch (1840–?) - Amon Carter Museum Texas Bird's-Eye Views [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9140425

Cool Finds

Solving a Neighborhood Mystery Reveals Forgotten African-American History

An abandoned lot in San Antonio turned out to be an important part of the city's story

New Research

Mammals May Have Dinosaurs to Thank for Their Night Vision

Mammals most likely developed a new pathway to night vision to avoid the jaws of dinos and other daytime predators

The House of Representatives' rostrum has been the site of brawls, debates and sit-ins.

Trending Today

A Brief History of Congressional Carpets

There's more to the House floor than meets the eye

The lighthouse on Loggerhead Key in the Dry Tortugas

Cool Finds

A Lucky Artist Will Be Marooned on a Deserted Island

An artist-in-residence program invites applicants to consider spending a month alone in paradise

Police detain activists who are trying to protect forests from the construction of a Moscow-St. Petersburg highway in April 2011.

Trending Today

Murder of Environmental Activists Reaches All-Time High

At least 185 environmental activists were murdered in 2015, according to a new report

Trending Today

After 52 Years, the "Mississippi Burning" Case Closes

The Department of Justice and State of Mississippi close the investigation of three civil rights workers killed by KKK members in 1964

The Marines Have Confirmed That One of the Men in the Iconic Iwo Jima Photo Has Been Misidentified for 71 Years

Pvt. 1st Class Harold Schultz never publicly spoke about his role during his life

Scientists will attempt to edit T cells in cancer patients in the first-ever human trial of CRISPR in the United States.

Trending Today

Editing of Human Genes May Begin by Year’s End in the U.S.

The first-ever trial of CRISPR in the U.S. will test if it's safe to edit T cells in cancer patients

Trending Today

UN Report Shows Refugee Numbers Have Hit a Historic High

More than 65 million people are now displaced from their homes due to extended wars and a lack of new solutions

A view of twilight on Pluto

New Research

New Evidence Strengthens the Case for Pluto's Underground Ocean

Features on the dwarf planet's smooth surface suggest that not all is frozen on that tiny, distant world

The Sierra Nevadas were created by the fault that defines an entire state.

New Research

Land Around the Infamous San Andreas Fault Is on the Move

Scientists mapped how California rises and falls around its most famous fault

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