Smithsonian Stories

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

imagining of the creation of the universe
Smithsonian Story

Probing the Beginning of the Universe

Learn how observations we make today can give clues to the universe’s origin.
handheld electronic game
Smithsonian Story

How Toys Follow Tech Evolution

Kids have been clamoring for the latest and greatest tech toys long before “high-tech” became a buzzword in 1972.
illustration of tattoo placement.
Smithsonian Story

Ancient Ink: Iceman Otzi Has World's Oldest Tattoos

The debate about the world’s oldest tattoos is over.
Assassin Fly
Smithsonian Story

Killer Insect Profile: The Assassin Fly

Stealthy. Aggressive. Lethal. Assassin flies are predators that hunt and feed on other insects.
elephant with pumpkin
Smithsonian Story

Thanksgiving Fun Fact

What's the ancient link between mammoth dung and pumpkin pie?
portrait of James Smithson dressed in a black jacket.
Smithsonian Story

James Smithson, the Scientist Who Started the Smithsonian

It is in his knowledge that man has found his greatness and his happiness.—James Smithson
man in red soil holding a picture of a swamp
Smithsonian Story

Fossils Help Scientists Build a Picture of the Past—and Present

What lessons does the response of prehistoric plants to rapid climate change hold for today?
Two women with tattoos.
Smithsonian Story

Tattoos: Telling Stories in the Flesh

Tattoos are not just skin deep; they tell us about individuals and their cultures.
Briana Pobiner holding a skull.
Smithsonian Story

Why Did Neanderthals Go Extinct?

To find out, we asked Briana Pobiner, paleoanthropologist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
a variety of shells
Smithsonian Story

Agriculture and Fishing Cause Coral Reef Decline

Fossils reveal the state of coral reefs before large-scale human disturbance.
four unearthed skeletons
Smithsonian Story

Jamestown Colony Skeletons Identified

Forensic anthropologists and archaeologists piece together just who the four men were.
butterwort
Smithsonian Story

How Carnivorous Plants Avoid Eating Their Pollinating Insect Friends

Learn how carnivorous plants attract insects and what we know about those relationships.
pink bunny beating a drum labeled Energizer
Smithsonian Story

Five Batteries That Gave the World a Jolt

The development of these power-storing cells in the early 1800s energized American life and culture.
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.
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.
Cough cure.
Smithsonian Story

Six Cold and Flu Medicines You’re Not Taking Today

Many medications of the past contained ingredients that you definitely won’t find in cold and flu medicine today.
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.
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?

Pages