Stories from this author
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
The Secrets of How Life Began May Be Hidden Inside the World’s Oldest Rocks
Smithsonian researchers trekked to a remote site in northern Canada to collect four-billion-year-old rock samples that could unlock mysteries about Earth’s earliest history
The Long, Strange History of Nitrous Oxide, a Popular Drug Users Have Been Inhaling for Hundreds of Years
Galaxy Gas has brought the drug back into the spotlight, and scientists are raising alarms about its health risks
The Nation’s First Black Female Doctor Blazed a Path for Women in Medicine. But She Was Left Out of the Story for Decades
After earning a medical degree in 1864, Rebecca Lee Crumpler died in obscurity and was buried without a headstone
This 17-Year-Old Scientist Is Making an Acetaminophen Alternative That Is Less Damaging to the Liver
Chloe Yehwon Lee’s research could change the painkiller, known by the brand name Tylenol, for the better, ultimately reducing emergency room visits and cases of liver failure
Can Parrot Brains Teach Us About Human Speech? Study Finds Budgies Have Language-Producing Regions That Resemble Our Own
The parakeets commonly kept as pets could offer fresh clues about vocal learning and potential treatments for speech disorders
Historic Frank Lloyd Wright Home Added to List of Endangered Architecture in Chicago
The J.J. Walser Jr. House, one of five Wright-designed homes in the city, has fallen into disrepair, prompting calls for preservation
These Everyday Artifacts Tell the Story of Harriet Tubman’s Father’s Home as Climate Change Threatens the Historic Site
The Maryland Department of Transportation launched an interactive virtual museum, showcasing finds from where Ben Ross lived after emancipation
Why NASA and SpaceX’s Mission to Relieve Starliner Astronauts Is Delayed Again
After an unexpected nine months in orbit, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are waiting for the arrival of Crew-10 before they head home. That launch is now expected for Friday
See 60 Remarkable Finalists From the 22nd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest
From stunning landscapes to captivating portraits, the photographs showcase the diverse beauty of the world around us. Vote for your favorite, too, for the Readers’ Choice competition
Nearly Half of the Colorful and Charismatic Heliconia Tropical Plant Species Are Threatened With Extinction, New Study Reveals
Using data from over 10,000 herbarium specimens, Smithsonian scientists uncover the urgent conservation needs of the plants, which are critical to tropical ecosystems
Eagle-Eyed Experts Say They’ve Solved the Mystery of a Missing Masterpiece—Half a Century After It Was Stolen
Brueghel’s famous 17th-century painting “Woman Carrying the Embers” vanished from a Polish museum in 1974. Fifty years later, it’s been rediscovered at a museum in the Netherlands
Athena Spacecraft Launches to the Moon, as Intuitive Machines Aims for Historic Second Lunar Landing
The American company achieved the first successful moon landing by a private spacecraft last year. Now, it has sent a new mission to the south pole, carrying science instruments for NASA
The Met Returns Stolen Seventh-Century B.C.E. Bronze Griffin Head to Greece
At a ceremony this week, Greece’s culture minister officially accepted the artifact, which was likely stolen from a museum in Olympia in the 1930s
Can Electro-Agriculture Revolutionize the Way We Grow Food?
A new technology is pushing the boundaries of farming by using electricity to grow crops without photosynthesis
Bletchley Park Exhibition Shows How World War II-Era Research Shaped Artificial Intelligence
Titled “The Age of A.I.,” the show examines the technology’s 20th-century roots and spotlights its role in contemporary healthcare, environmental conservation and the creative industries
James Webb Telescope Reveals a Dazzling Light Show From the Milky Way’s Black Hole
Unpredictable bursts of light are pulsing from the debris surrounding Sagittarius A*, offering new insights into the mysterious behavior of the most massive object in our galaxy
Tiny Quakes Discovered Deep Within Greenland’s Ice Sheet Could Change Sea-Level Rise Predictions, Study Suggests
While scientists once thought Greenland’s ice streams flowed slowly and uniformly, new research reveals a quake-driven “stick-slip” motion that’s linked to volcanic activity thousands of years ago
See the Hidden Portrait of a Mysterious Woman Discovered Beneath a Picasso Painting
X-ray and infrared imaging has revealed a long-hidden painting beneath “Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto,” providing researchers with new insights into the artist’s blue period
Ancient DNA Sheds Light on the Origins of Indo-European Languages
New research suggests that the first Indo-European speakers lived in southern Russia 6,500 years ago, challenging long-standing debates about the language family’s origins
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