CURRENT ISSUE
December 2020
Features
Beyond Aloha
A determined couple in Hawaii sparks the revival of an ancient language that was long suppressed and nearly forgotten
Evolution of a Friendship
Hoping to illuminate our strangely powerful bond, scientists are studying dog behavior as never before. They’ve discovered that dogs have been studying us for thousands of years
Prairies of the Sea
A vast, mostly invisible ecosystem shapes life on Earth, from the food we eat to the air we breathe. And the more scientists learn, the more they say it’s in trouble
The Case of the Autographed Corpse
Long before today's initiatives to free the wrongly imprisoned, the author of the Perry Mason novels rose to the defense of an Apache shaman who was convicted of killing his wife
Departments
Strong Suit
From deep cleaning to painstaking repairs, caring for Smithsonian’s 155 million objects requires serious TLC—and steady hands
From Bambi to Bethlehem
The unlikely Hollywood visionary who created some of the most popular Christmas cards in history
Game On
The first console reached homes 11 years before Nintendo, launching an odyssey for gamers
An Electric Presence
An exotic vest conjures the dazzling performance that introduced America to Jimi Hendrix
Ask Smithsonian
You've got questions. We've got experts