Smithsonian Magazine

A Metal Detectorist Unearthed This Heart-Shaped Tudor Pendant. Now, the British Museum Has Raised Millions to Put It on Public Display

The only surviving piece of jewelry associated with Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon is now in the museum's ...
Smithsonian Magazine

A White Historian Claimed That Black People ‘Had No History.’ This Trailblazing Scholar Dedicated His Life to Proving Otherwise

Carter G. Woodson, the "father of Black history," founded the celebration now known as Black History Month in 1926. A ...
Smithsonian Magazine

An Elephant’s Trunk Is Covered in Whiskers—and They’re Unlike Those on Any Other Animal, a New Study Suggests

Elephants are famous for their dexterous trunks, which the animals use to eat, drink, trumpet and breathe. If you take a ...
Smithsonian Magazine

The Tragedy of the Alps’ Disappearing Glaciers for Those Who Live, Visit and Ski There

Warming temperatures are wreaking havoc at elevation, upending the Winter Olympics and the tourism industry and imperiling ...
Smithsonian Magazine

This Scientist Brewed and Drank His Own ‘Vaccine Beer’ to Combat a Dangerous Virus. It Seems to Have Worked

Blood tests revealed that the beverage elicited an immune response, according to preliminary research. But far more safety ...
Smithsonian Magazine

An Asteroid Might Slam Into the Moon in 2032—and Create a Fiery Flash That’s Visible to Earthlings, New Research Suggests

Early last year, asteroid 2024 YR4 caught the public’s attention as its chances of hitting Earth in the near future climbed ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Jewel Thieves Dropped This Crushed Crown as They Fled the Louvre. Now, the Historic Headdress Will Be Restored to Its Former Glory

The crown belonging to Empress Eugénie was found on the sidewalk after robbers made away with eight pieces of royal jewelry ...
Smithsonian Magazine

What’s Buried Beneath Antarctica’s Ice? A New Map Unveils the Continent’s Hidden Landscape Like Never Before

A better understanding of the bedrock can help researchers calculate how quickly the continent's melting glaciers might ...
Smithsonian Magazine

This Carved, Painted Zapotec Tomb Is Mexico’s Most Important Archaeological Discovery in a Decade

Archaeologists in Mexico have uncovered an incredibly well-preserved Zapotec tomb dating back to the early seventh century. The tomb boasts intricately carved walls, murals and sculptures—including a ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Physicists Create Homemade Cosmic Dust, Which Could Help Them Figure Out How the Building Blocks of Life First Reached Earth

Cosmic dust normally comes from dying stars. The recipe for a lab-made version includes a few gases, vacuum tubes and ...
Smithsonian Magazine

These Parasitic Beetles Mimic the Smell of Flowers So They Can Trick Bees and Raid Their Nests, New Research Suggests

A beetle species’ larvae seem to bamboozle bees by smelling like flowers. This newly discovered deceptive strategy might be the first known example of an animal imitating floral scents, according to a ...
Smithsonian Magazine

A Gray Wolf Visited Los Angeles County for the First Time in a Century, Marking a Major Milestone in the Species’ Recovery

A gray wolf has graced Los Angeles County with its presence for the first time in about a century. The visit marks a major milestone for the species, which had once been completely pushed out of the ...