Smithsonian
937 subscribers
5 photos
4 files
11.1K links
Smithsonian lens on the world
Download Telegram
Thank One of America's Most Prolific Inventors for the Hinged Plastic Easter Egg
Donald Weder holds some 1,400 U.S. patents for inventions, including the ubiquitous egg and a process for making plastic Easter grass
Source
How Scientists Are Recapturing the Magic of a Beloved, Long-Lost Tomato
Wiped out by disease and market demands, the Rutgers tomato may be making a comeback
Source
At the Edge of the Ice
Deep inside the Arctic Circle, Inuit hunters embrace modern technology but preserve a traditional way of life
Source
A Brief History of Cooties
Why a 100-year-old game is still spreading across our playgrounds
Source
This Library in Anchorage Lends Out Taxidermy Specimens
All you need to check out a snowy owl or a mounted rockfish is a library card
Source
NASA Prepares to Build Spacecraft Bound for a Metal Asteroid
The Psyche spacecraft, headed to an asteroid with the same name, will explore a metal world thought to be the leftover core of a destroyed planet
Source
What Was the World's First Currency and More Questions From Our Readers
You've got questions, we've got experts
Source
The Motorized Scooter Boom That Hit a Century Before Dockless Scooters
Launched in 1915, the Autoped had wide appeal, with everyone from suffragettes to postmen giving it a try
Source
The Debate Over Rebuilding That Ensued When a Beloved French Cathedral Was Shelled During WWI
After the Notre-Dame de Reims sustained heavy damage, it took years for the country to decide how to repair the destruction
Source
The 19th-Century Lesbian Landowner Who Set Out to Find a Wife
A new HBO series explores the remarkable life of Anne Lister, based on her voluminous and intimate diaries
Source
Twelve Epic Migratory Journeys Animals Take Every Spring
As temperatures rise and foliage blooms in the north, creatures from insects to whales set out for long treks across the planet
Source
This Transparent Wood Could Be an Energy-Saver in Green Buildings
Researchers in Sweden have developed a material, able to store and release heat, that could potentially be used in windows
Source
A Brief History of Solar Panels
Inventors have been advancing solar technology for more than a century and a half, and improvements in efficiency and aesthetics keep on coming
Source
How an Oil Spill 50 Years Ago Inspired the First Earth Day
Before Earth Day made a name for the environmental movement, a massive oil spill put a spotlight on the dangers of pollution
Source
If Thanos Actually Wiped Out Half of All Life, How Would Earth Fare in the Aftermath?
The aftereffects of such a mass extinction don’t require a supervillain’s intelligence to understand
Source
Could Machine Learning Be the Key to Earthquake Prediction?
Predicting earthquakes might be impossible, but some experts wonder if tools that can analyze enormous amounts of data could crack the seismic code
Source
Fishes Were Julie Packard’s Wishes for Her New Smithsonian Portrait
National Portrait Gallery unveils a painting honoring the renowned ocean conservationist and director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Source
Why We Need a New Civil War Documentary
The success and brilliance of the new PBS series on Reconstruction is a reminder of the missed opportunity facing the nation
Source
There's an Origami Revolution in Industrial Design
Scientists and engineers are finding practical applications for the Japanese art form in space, medicine, robotics, architecture and more
Source
These Drones Can Perch and Dangle Like Birds and Bats
Scientists have designed adaptable landing gear that enables UAVs to "rest" and save power
Source