At This Year’s Folklife Festival, the Kids Are All Right
Cultural traditions such as mariachi and hula are being shepherded by a new generation
Smithsonian Voices
National Museum of Natural History
To Recreate a 17th-Century Masterwork, an Entomologist at the National Museum of Natural History Got Creative with Butterflies, Bees and a Bit of Rosemary
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This Surprising Ancient Reptile Had a Colorful, Corrugated Sail on Its Back. New Research Suggests It Was Used to Communicate
A 247-million-year-old fossil from a German natural history museum reveals the secrets of Mirasaura
How Do You Wear a Gown Made of Glass? Marvel at the Eye-Catching History of This Unlikely Fashion Trend
In the 20th century, actresses and royals alike donned delicate dresses woven with spun-glass threads. More recently, celebrities have sported impractically fragile handbags on the red carpet
Christa McAuliffe’s Life Ended in Tragedy on the ‘Challenger’ Shuttle. Here’s How the High School Teacher Was Chosen for the Ill-Fated Flight
NASA’s “Teacher in Space” added joy to many Americans’ lives and increased excitement for the future of spaceflight, though she never reached her destination
Scientists Recover Ancient Proteins From Animal Teeth Up to 24 Million Years Old, Opening Doors to Learning About the Past
Two new papers analyze fossils found in Canada and Kenya, respectively—vastly different environments for the preservation of genetic material
To Combat Summer Reading Slumps, This Timeless Children’s Television Show Tried to Bridge the Literacy Gap With the Magic of Stories
With a charismatic host and charming book readings and reviews, the hit series “Reading Rainbow” stands as a beacon of children’s literature
A Bone Bed From the Dawn of the Dinosaurs Has Revealed the Oldest Known Pterosaur Found in North America
Fossil surprises abound in new research that unearths the history of the Triassic Period
At This Year’s Folklife Festival, the Kids Are All Right
Cultural traditions such as mariachi and hula are being shepherded by a new generation
Bricks From a Historic Atlantic City Church Are Getting a Second Life at the Smithsonian Castle
The First Presbyterian Church’s rare sandstone bricks will be transported to Washington, D.C., where they’ll be used to restore a 170-year-old Smithsonian building on the National Mall
When ‘The Wiz’ Debuted on Broadway 50 Years Ago, It Sparked a Brand New Day for Audiences
How the remarkable musical transformed a beloved folk tale into a celebratory vision for the future of Black America
How the Charismatic King of Zydeco Introduced the Music of the Bayou to the Nation
The lively songs and performances of Clifton Chenier, who would have turned 100 today, brought fans—including the Rolling Stones—to their feet
How Do I Research Ancestors Who Sailed to America in the 1600s? And More Questions From Our Readers
You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts
Take a Look at the ‘Extraordinary’ 19th-Century Portraits Made With Some of the Earliest Methods of Photography
A new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery traces three different 1800s forms of photo-making: daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and tintypes
See the Birthplace of Juneteenth in These Atmospheric Photos of Galveston, Texas
A photographer’s journey to the Gulf Coast city yields 16 images that reveal how its natural beauty melds with its momentous role in Black history
Nesting Birds Eavesdrop on Prairie Dog Alarm Calls to Keep Their Eggs Safe From Grassland Predators
New research suggests long-billed curlews keep an ear out for warnings from prairie dogs in order to hide from predators and protect their nests
When Midcentury New York Spoke, This Sound Archivist Listened—and Recorded Every Word
Armed with a tape recorder and open ears, Tony Schwartz turned everyday noise into lasting art. Now, his recordings live on at Smithsonian Folkways, where they continue to inspire new ways of listening to, remembering and understanding the world
Archaeologists Are Recreating the Long-Lost Recipe for Egyptian Blue, the World’s Oldest Known Synthetic Pigment
Created 5,000 years ago, the mysterious color has been found on artworks and artifacts throughout the ancient world. But the pigment’s recipe was eventually lost to history
A Deadly Disease Is Eating Away at Caribbean Corals and Wreaking Havoc on Reefs. Could Probiotics Be the Solution?
New research suggests the probiotic McH1-7 could help stop the spread of stony coral tissue loss disease among wild corals near Fort Lauderdale, Florida
This Renowned Artist Brings Plants, Shea Butter and Black Soap Into His Groundbreaking Work
In Rashid Johnson’s largest show of art yet, the power of mixed media is on full display
These 11 Marble Sculptures of Iconic Artists Once Decorated One of America’s First Art Museums. What Happened to Them?
The Corcoran Gallery of Art was adorned with the statues, commissioned in the late 1800s. But since then, they’ve changed hands many times and finally found their way back to each other in a botanical garden
See the Stunning Archival Photographs That Tell the Stories of Everyday Native Life and Communities
The Archive Center at the National Museum of the American Indian presents a new exhibition that can help “interrupt the romanticized, stereotypical images often shared of Native peoples throughout history”
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