Smithsonian Magazine

Archaeologists Analyze How Diseases Impacted Indigenous Populations in the Americas During Colonial Times

A new study examines the history of smallpox epidemics brought to America by European colonists, the absence of ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Big Waves Meet Biodiversity: Why Surfing Paradises Could Offer a Key Opportunity for Marine Conservation

A recent mapping study examines places in northwestern Africa where coastal ecosystems overlap with surf breaks, highlighting ...
Smithsonian Magazine

This Marine-Life Mosaic Discovered Near the Colosseum Offers a Surprising Clue—Its Building May Have Housed Firefighters in Ancient Rome

At the time of the structure's construction in the second century C.E., firefighting in ancient Rome was a formalized ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Sperm Whales Seem to Change Their Calls When Ships Are Near, Highlighting the Implications of Underwater Noise Pollution

Several of the huge cetaceans living in the eastern Caribbean Sea shortened the intervals between their clicks and used one ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Metal Detectorists Thought They’d Hit the Jackpot When They Discovered a Gold Bracelet Dating to the Bronze Age. Then They Dug Up Two More

At first, Andy Crammond thought the object was a bull's nose ring. Other artifacts unearthed nearby include a Viking brooch, ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Notorious Feral Cat That Feasted on Rare New Zealand Ducks Captured After Three-Year Hunt

The gray tabby, known as Nine Lives because it eluded capture so many times, had devastated efforts by conservationists to ...
Smithsonian Magazine

This World War II Submarine Noted for Sinking Enemy Ships Just Journeyed Across Lake Michigan for a Multimillion-Dollar Makeover

The USS 'Silversides' earned a dozen battle stars for its work patrolling the Pacific Ocean. The Gato-class sub is now the ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Why Does Antarctica’s Blood Falls Spew Ruby Red Water? Microbes Offer New Clues About the Geologic Feature’s Ancient Origins

The falls contain saltwater rich with iron, which oxidizes and turns red when exposed to air. A new study provides further ...
Smithsonian Magazine

11 Fascinating Facts About the Hellbender, North America’s Largest Amphibian

Smithsonian/Brian Gratwicke Dive into fun facts about this curious critter before encountering it on your next trip to the ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Charles Darwin Theorized That These Plants Were Carnivorous 150 Years Ago. A New Study Proves Him Right

More than 150 years ago, the famed naturalist Charles Darwin hypothesized that two plant species in the genus Saxifraga were carnivorous. He couldn’t prove his hunch before his death, but now, a new ...
Smithsonian Magazine

This High Schooler Invented a Plant-Based Plastic That Removes Microplastics From the Environment as It Biodegrades

Eighteen-year-old Arya Satheesh created her award-winning Eco Purge to help address the global problem of plastic pollution ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Fires and Financial Trouble Leave the Fate of Two Arts Institutions Uncertain in This Scottish City—Including a Century-Old Masterpiece

The historic Glasgow School of Art and the more modern Glasgow Centre for Contemporary Arts were both affected by a significant blaze in 2018 ...