Smithsoniamag

Auroras have long mystified humanity. Now that we know what they are and why they happen, we can better predict how best to experience them

While scientists were able to save and move some creatures in the aftermath, researchers are worried about the prospects for other species

These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest show just why penguins have waddled into our hearts

A variety of new technologies aim to improve wildfire detection and help map the spread of blazes

These fascinating serpents embody acclaimed qualities including cunning and intelligence

Human use of fire has produced an era of uncontrolled burning

Researchers hope the designation of several species of land snails, or kāhuli, will lead to conservation

Roughly 201 million years ago, drastic changes extinguished many forms of life and led to conditions that allowed the terrible lizards to th...

Ivan Kashinsky has traveled the world for Smithsonian magazine, but when disaster struck earlier this month, he rushed home to point his len...

Your body is a collection of cells carrying thousands of genetic mistakes accrued over a lifetime—many harmless, some bad and at least a few...

A team trekked for two weeks and collected the sounds of birds, frogs, a jaguar and whales in order to make the song

Challenge trials help researchers study immune responses. Skeptics still doubt the approach is worth the risks

Geomorphologist and veteran climber Ludovic Ravanel is learning how Mont Blanc is shifting—and sharing his discoveries with the Alpine commu...

On Tetiaroa, a vibrant coral atoll dotted with sandy islets, archaeologists, marine biologists and cultural practitioners are working togeth...

The cute creatures are chatty, family oriented—and facing a shrinking habitat in the remote forests of Ecuador

Short sleepers cruise by on four to six hours a night and don’t seem to suffer ill effects

Aging gracefully comes naturally to these creatures, which can live for hundreds, and sometimes even thousands, of years

The discovery that other vertebrates have healthy microbial brains is fueling questions about our own brains

Geologists are working with local communities to determine how residents can adapt as the area's sea level, in effect, goes down

Trillions of insects move around the globe each year. Scientists are working on new ways to map those long-distance journeys

As many wild populations decline, some city dwellers flourish—and may become a source for reintroductions to rural areas

The insects participate in elaborate courtships, are devoted parents, occasionally eat each other and have a gregarious nature

All over the world, different types of frogs call out in various ways to warn others or attract mates

A worldwide search party is using 21st-century tools to uncover long-unseen species, one of which hadn't been found since the 19th century

Too late to save the ivory-billed woodpecker, Arthur Allen changed science forever with his seemingly simple idea