Why Lie Detector Tests Can't Be Trusted
Federal agencies embraced the polygraph in the 1950s to reassure the public that they could unmask spies
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A Star Orbiting in the Extreme Gravity of a Black Hole Validates General Relativity
The star S0-2 gets so close to the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy that it can be used to test our fundamental understanding of gravity
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Cate Blanchett Dons 13 Guises in This Daring Art Installation
Julian Rosefeldt’s “Manifesto,” on view at the Hirshhorn, puts a satiric spin on art history’s seminal texts
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Follow Herman Melville's Footsteps Through Nantucket
The writer visited the island off of Cape Cod only after he penned Moby Dick

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Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch Weighs In on Legendary Photo Archive of African-American Life
In historic moment, foundations and museums came together to rescue black history. "This is an optimistic tale," says Bunch
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Thirty Years Ago, Game Boy Changed the Way America Played Video Games
Nintendo's handheld gaming system proved to be a huge success, thanks to its durability and battery life
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Why Spoken Word Artist Regie Cabico Calls Himself an 'Accidental Poet'
The renowned slam poetry artist is performing at Smithsonian’s Asian American Literature Festival in August and is featured in the latest Sidedoor podcast
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See Never-Before-Seen Footage of Armstrong and Aldrin on the Moon
Amazing what you can find in the shadows, 50 years later.
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Why the Radar-Jamming Prowler Was an Attack Aircraft's Best Friend in the Skies
The iconic Northrop Grumman EA-6B flies into history—and the National Air and Space Museum collection
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NASA Scientists and Astronauts Practice for Space Missions on the Seafloor
A female-led crew trained for nine days in an undersea laboratory in the Atlantic to get a sense of what it's like to live and work in microgravity
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Megalodon May Be Extinct, but There’s a Life-size One at the Smithsonian
A 52-foot, life-size model of a Carcharocles megalodon shark is now on display in the National Museum of Natural History
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Florida Man Terrorizes Town, Forcing Federal Government to Step In
As mayor of Cedar Key, Billy Cottrell reigned as a tyrant until U.S. forces chased him away
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Searching for the Key to Life's Beginnings
From exoplanets to chemical reactions, scientists inch closer to solving the great mystery of how life forms from inanimate matter
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Prehistoric Ocean Predator Resembles a Large and Vicious Horseshoe Crab
“Prey would have been sucked into the circular mouth and shredded by the multiple rows of large teeth”
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These Photographs Capture Cuba’s Fading Cinema Culture
In a new book, photographer Carolina Sandretto focuses on a piece of the island’s heritage that is often overlooked
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The Pioneering Female Botanist Who Sweetened a Nation and Saved a Valley
One of India’s finest plant scientists, Janaki Ammal spurred her country to protect its rich tropical diversity
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Will Artificial Intelligence Improve Health Care for Everyone?
A.I.-driven medical tools could democratize health care, but some worry they could also worsen inequalities
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Scientists and Miners Team Up to Preserve Opalized Fossils
An ambitious collaboration between paleontologists and a local mining community seeks to conserve the rare fossilized remains
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The Bootleg King and the Ambitious Prosecutor Who Took Him Down
The clash between George Remus and Mabel Walker Willebrandt present a snapshot of life during the Roaring Twenties
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A Garden Party and 21 Other Things to Do in August at the Smithsonian
Sleepovers, culture and cuisine, calligraphy lessons and more
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Bats Use Leaves as Mirrors to Locate and Catch Their Prey
The latest discovery in the arms race between bats and insects reveals that even silent, motionless dragonflies aren't safe
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