Smithsonian Magazine

Smithsonian is a magazine that focuses on science and nature, produced by the Smithsonian Institution based in Washington, D.C. While it is linked to this prestigious organization, it operates independently in terms of editorial content. The magazine launched its first issue in 1970. The Smithsonian also hosts various events, including the American Ingenuity Awards, Future Con, and Museum Day.

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The Resilience Spacecraft Likely Crashed on the Moon

1 day ago | smithsonianmag.com | Sara Hashemi

Early reports suggest that an issue with the Japanese lander’s sensors prevented it from sufficiently slowing down Ispace’s Resilience lander’s months-long journey to the moon ended in a crash yesterday, dashing the Japanese firm’s hopes of becoming the first non-American commercial lander to touch down on the lunar surface. The lander was supposed to settle on Mare Frigoris, a narrow lunar plain on the moon’s northern region, around 3:17 p.m. Eastern.
Ispace's Resilience Spacecraft Is Set to Land on the Moon Today-Here's How To Follow Along

2 days ago | smithsonianmag.com | Sara Hashemi

The Japanese company’s second attempt at a lunar landing can be streamed live this afternoon After a five month journey to the moon, Ispace’s Resilience lander is on track to touchdown on the lunar surface this afternoon. The Japanese company’s lunar lander took off alongside Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost in January. Blue Ghost took a faster trajectory and made its landing in March, becoming the first commercial spacecraft to land upright on the moon.
These Australian Cockatoos Learned to Operate Drinking Fountains With Their Feet to Quench Their Thirst

3 days ago | smithsonianmag.com | Sara Hashemi

Birds in Sydney’s western suburbs have figured out how to get a sip from the fountains, even though they have access to nearby streams Australia’s suburban-dwelling cockatoos are adept at picking up new skills. The clever birds had already figured out how to open trash cans to access scraps in neighborhoods outside Sydney—and now, scientists have observed others using their claws to turn on drinking fountains.
Meet the Defiant Loyalists Who Paid Dearly for Choosing the Wrong Side in the American Revolution

3 days ago | smithsonianmag.com | Greg Daugherty

America's 250th Anniversary A Smithsonian magazine special report American colonists who aligned with the British lost their lands, their reputations and sometimes even their lives The popular image of the American Revolution may be of fired-up colonists united in the fight to overthrow their British rulers. But the reality was far more complicated.
A Giant Cloud of Saharan Dust Is Heading to the Southeastern U.S. Here's What That Means

3 days ago | smithsonianmag.com | Sara Hashemi

The plume of dust has already blown over the Caribbean and is expected to reach Florida later this week A giant plume of dust from the Sahara Desert is making its way over the Atlantic Ocean and into the United States. The cloud blanketed much of the Caribbean on Monday, extending 2,000 miles from Jamaica past Barbados. It’s expected to reach some of the southeastern United States in the coming days, but it will have lost some of its concentration by then.
This Renowned Artist Brings Plants, Shea Butter and Black Soap Into His Groundbreaking Work

4 days ago | smithsonianmag.com | Jacoba Urist

In Rashid Johnson’s largest show of art yet, the power of mixed media is on full display A constellation of oversize plants suspended in the atrium of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum creates a luscious urban terrarium. Natural light shines from the oculus of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic spiral building.
How the “King of Diamonds” Gave the National Museum of Natural History its Crown Jewel

4 days ago | smithsonianmag.com | Emma Saaty

From the legendary Hope Diamond to a rainbow of colorful gemstones, a multigenerational bond between the Winston family and the Smithsonian transformed the museum’s world-renowned gem collection On November 10, 1958, a small brown parcel arrived by registered mail at the National Museum of Natural History. Plastered with postage stamps and marked with bright red letters reading FRAGILE, the unassuming package concealed a glittering treasure.
14 Million Honeybees Escaped From an Overturned Truck in Washington State. Local Beekeepers Helped Corral Them

5 days ago | smithsonianmag.com | Sara Hashemi

Most of the bees have now been recovered, and the road is open to the public again A group of unusual fugitives was buzzing through the air in northwestern Washington state early Friday morning: honeybees. The bees made their escape as a truck carrying 70,000 pounds of hives rolled over, releasing them into the wild.
Cats Can Recognize Their Owner's Scent Compared to a Stranger's, New Research Suggests

5 days ago | smithsonianmag.com | Sara Hashemi

In an experiment, domestic cats spent longer sniffing cotton swabs with the scents of unfamiliar people than swabs with the scent of their owner Your cats may act aloof, but they likely know more about you than they let on. Research has shown that cats can tell when you’re speaking to them and that they recognize the voice of their owner—they just might choose to ignore it.
Scientists Find the First Evidence of Birds Nesting in the Arctic Alongside Dinosaurs

5 days ago | smithsonianmag.com | Sara Hashemi

The researchers analyzed rare fossils of hatchling birds found in northern Alaska, which offered the earliest evidence of the creatures reproducing in a polar region Early birds were nesting in the cold landscape of the Arctic during the age of the dinosaurs, according to a new study published in Science last week.