Smithsonian Magazine

Archaeologists Unearthed a 430,000-Year-Old Stick. After Careful Analysis, They Say It Could Be the Oldest Wooden Tool Ever Discovered

Found in southern Greece, the stick was one of two wooden artifacts that appear to have been shaped intentionally, according ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Three Billion Years Ago, Mars May Have Been Half Covered by a Sea the Size of the Arctic Ocean

“The presence of liquid water [on Mars] is a broad topic that includes rains, rivers, lakes, as well as oceans,” says Ezat ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Archaeologists Discovered the ‘Holy Grail’ of Shipwrecks a Decade Ago. Now, They’re Finally Beginning to Unravel the Secrets of the ‘San José’

A new book by author Julian Sancton explores the lengthy quest to find the Spanish galleon—and the political firestorm that ...
Smithsonian Magazine

This Magnificent Mural by Leonardo da Vinci Will Go on Display for a Brief Window During the Winter Olympics in Milan

Guided tours will take visitors onto scaffolding to view the rare artwork inside Sforza Castle, which is currently undergoing ...
Smithsonian Magazine

The American Southwest’s Iconic Joshua Trees Are Blooming Early—and Scientists Want Your Help to Figure Out Why

The spiky desert succulents typically blossom beginning in late February. But this season, many started growing flowers up to ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Anthropologists Recover DNA of Syphilis-Causing Bacterium Relative From 5,500-Year-Old Human Remains, the Earliest Ever Found

The findings represent the oldest complete set of genetic information from this bacterial group and shed light on its ...
Smithsonian Magazine

What Happened to This 1,000-Pound Butter Sculpture After the Crowds Melted Away?

At the end of the 2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show, volunteers and students carefully dismantled the creamy masterpiece so it ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Sonic Booms and Earthquake Sensors Can Help Researchers Track Space Junk as It Plummets to Earth

Now, scientists have devised a clever new way to predict where the pieces may land.
Smithsonian Magazine

The Penguins That Thrive—and the Ones Left Behind—as Antarctica Warms

A new decade-long study tracked 37 penguin colonies and found that the birds are breeding earlier. The shift marks one way ...
Smithsonian Magazine

A Little Boy’s Library Book Was Due in 1989. Thirty-Six Years Later, He Realized His Parents Had Never Returned It

After finding "Harry and the Dirty Dog" at his dad's home in Greece, Dimitris Economou brought it back to the library in ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Tyrannosaurus Rex Was Probably a Late Bloomer—and May Have Taken Around 40 Years to Grow Up

The behemoth dinosaurs grew more slowly and had longer lifespans than previously thought, a new study suggests ...
Smithsonian Magazine

The British Crown Enslaved Thousands at the Height of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. New Research Reveals Their Stories

A leading historian examines how the monarchy not only tolerated slavery but also administered it, profited from it and ...