Smithsonian Stories

Stories that spark curiosity from the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex.

black bomber style jacket
Smithsonian Snapshot

César Chávez's Jacket

Remembering an American Labor Rights Leader.
Woman holding an image of a tapeworm.
Smithsonian Story

Odd New Tapeworm Discovered

Learn how tapeworms can be a useful gauge for an ecosystem’s health.
magenta orchid spray
Smithsonian Story

Five Things to Know about Orchids

Why do we love orchids so much? Learn a few facts about orchids that may surprise you.
Robert E. Peary and Matthew Henson
Smithsonian Snapshot

Matthew Henson, Arctic Explorer

Matthew Henson participated as a navigator and translator in six expeditions to the North Pole; he reached the Pole with Matthew E. Peary in 1909.
tick from above
Smithsonian Story

How Do Ticks…Tick?

With illnesses from ticks on the rise, learn about this blood-sucking parasite.
fungus spike on dead ant
Smithsonian Story

Zombies Already Walk among Us

Meet the "zombie" parasite that takes over the brains of insects.
Flamingos in water as snow falls.
Smithsonian Story

Keeping Warm in Winter Is for the Birds

Find out how birds survive the whipping winds of winter.
medicine bottles
Smithsonian Snapshot

Scary Cough? Scarier Cough Medicine

A cough medicine with tar, wild cherry, etc.
Cough cure.
Smithsonian Story

Six Cold and Flu Medicines You’re Not Taking Today

Many medications of the past contained ingredients that would never be allowed today.
diner

The Realism of Richard Estes' "Diner"

A practitioner of photorealism, Estes portrays the urban landscape.
spider

Wolf Spider

This solitary hunter depends on its terrific eyesight to hunt its prey at night. 
tarantula
Smithsonian Story

Eight Strange but True Spider Facts

Spiders may seem spooky, but learn more about them and prepare to be amazed.
swirling spiral galaxy
Smithsonian Story

Five Planets that May Support Life

Learn facts about planets, and the search for planets, that may possibly support life.
altar

Altar for the Dead

Commemorating ancestors for Día de los Muertos.
bat face
Smithsonian Story

Bats: Icons of Cool

Bats are highly complex and the often-misunderstood rock stars of the animal kingdom.
woman with fossil at field site
Smithsonian Story

Five Amazing Fossil Finds

Check out these five amazing finds in celebration of National Fossil Day in October.
bat in flight
Smithsonian Story

Bats and Heavy Metal Music

How do you train a wild animal to come back to you after you have set it free?
view of lava field
Smithsonian Story

When Will a Volcano Explode?

Volcanoes are a source of fascination for many, attracting a steady stream of visitors worldwide. 

Celebrating Central American Ceramics

State of the Birds: ʻIʻiwi
Smithsonian Gets “Yarnbombed”

Smithsonian Gets “Yarnbombed”

Gnat

Gnats Always Keep an Eye Out for a Good Place to Eat
poison ivy vine
Smithsonian Story

A Poison Ivy Primer

Learn a few interesting facts about this woody vine offered up by botanists.
cone-headed green katydid

Cone-Headed Katydid

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