News

Smithsonian Magazine1h
Why Was a 1940s Car Discovered in the Wreck of an American Naval Ship That Sank During World War II?
The mysterious automobile was found in a hangar on the USS "Yorktown," which has been resting on the bottom of the Pacific ...
Smithsonian Magazine19h
Scientists Say They’ve Discovered a New Color—an ‘Unprecedented’ Hue Only Ever Seen by Five People
The color, dubbed olo, is described as an intensely saturated teal. Researchers say it might have applications in ...
Smithsonian Magazine22h
Was Talos, the Bronze Automaton Who Guarded the Island of Crete in Greek Myth, an Early Example of Artificial Intelligence?
One such ancient story centers on the bronze sentry Talos. Forged by Hephaestus, the Greek god of smiths and artisans, Talos ...
Smithsonian Magazine17h
Biologists Rejoice as Extremely Rare Guam Kingfishers Lay Their First Wild Eggs in Nearly 40 Years
The brightly colored birds are extinct in the wild, having disappeared from their native Guam in 1988 due to the introduction ...
Smithsonian Magazine14h
Conservators Are Puzzling Together Ancient Roman Murals Found in Hundreds of Pieces
Excavated from a nearly 2,000-year-old villa in Valencia, Spain, the broken-up murals once formed fresco decor ...
Smithsonian Magazine22h
Making Ride Hailing, Bike Shares and Other Transportation Options Accessible to All
Shared mobility is good for the environment, but not equal opportunity. What can be done to make travel easier for everyone?
Smithsonian Magazine21h
These Massive Monuments Hosted Community Gatherings Where Prehistoric People Mingled, Feasted and Buried Their Dead
A new study contradicts the long-held assumption that Ireland’s Neolithic passage tombs were reserved for members of an elite ...
Smithsonian Magazine16h
Archaeologists Unearth Rare Traces of the First Ancient Factory Dedicated to Purple Dye Production
Located at Tel Shiqmona in coastal Israel, the facility turned sea snails into purple dye at an industrial scale ...
Smithsonian Magazine19h
Meet the National Museum of Natural History Volunteer Preserving Prehistory One Microfossil at a Time
Carlos Savignano is part of a dedicated group of FossiLab volunteers preparing Smithsonian fossils for display and future ...
Smithsonian Magazine18h
American South
Upon the 60th anniversary of the tragic attack, these stained glass shards recall the day that saw four girls killed in ...
Smithsonian Magazine2d
Five Ways Pope Francis, Religious Leader Who Pushed to Modernize the Catholic Church, Was a Man of Firsts
The pontiff, who died on Easter Monday at age 88, strived to make the church more inclusive. But critics believed his reforms ...
Smithsonian Magazine1d
As Norway Considers Deep-Sea Mining, a Rich History of Ocean Conservation Decisions May Inform How the Country Acts
In 1982, geologist Martin Hovland sat aboard a research ship owned by the Norwegian oil company Statoil (now Equinor) in the ...