News
Scientists Ranked Hundreds of Spider Species by Running Speed. Australia's Huge, Hairy Brown Huntsman Came Out on Top
2+ hour, 13+ min ago (598+ words) Sara Hashemi | Daily Correspondent Arachnophobes, beware: You don’t want the brown huntsman spider coming at you. The creepy-crawly might be the fastest spider species in the world—and its top speed outpaces the average human jogger. Unlike other aspects of…...
An English King's Bones Were Moved Over Centuries and Eventually Lost. One Researcher Claims He Discovered Their Location—Under a Parking Lot
1+ day, 1+ hour ago (490+ words) For more than a century, the whereabouts of Alfred the Great’s remains have been a mystery. Now, a researcher claims to have cracked the case, asserting that the bones of the Anglo-Saxon ruler are located in an unassuming—yet not…...
How Has Roman Concrete Lasted for Millennia? A 1,900-Year-Old Latrine Offers New Clues About the Material's Impressive Durability
1+ day, 6+ hour ago (633+ words) Sara Hashemi | Daily Correspondent Ancient Roman infrastructure has stood the test of time. Today, you can walk through Italy and see concrete buildings, roads and aqueducts that have survived for about two millennia. Modern concrete, on the other hand, usually…...
Meet the Earliest Known 'Right-Handed' Animal, a Worm-Like Creature That Lived About 550 Million Years Ago
2+ day, 2+ hour ago (390+ words) Margherita Bassi | Daily Correspondent A tiny critter that lived around 550 million years ago might represent the first known sign of right-handedness in animals—despite not having any hands. “As soon as you get something that has a left and a…...
Ancient Romans Put Their Faith in Guardian Spirits. Archaeologists Just Found a Rare 1,600-Year-Old Carving of One in Northern England
2+ day, 1+ hour ago (509+ words) Sarah Kuta | Daily Correspondent Archaeologist Andrew Birley was excavating a fourth-century barrack at Vindolanda, a Roman fort in northern England, last month when a flagstone caught his eye. The area he was investigating was littered with similar stones, but this…...
Thomas Jefferson’s Original Rough Draft of the Declaration of Independence Can Now Be Seen at the Library of Congress
2+ day, 1+ hour ago (382+ words) A Smithsonian magazine special report In 1776, the Declaration of Independence proved that words can change the world. But these words themselves, subject to scrutiny and revisions as the Founders pored over early editions of this all-important document, often changed too....
The Largest Operating Steam Locomotive in the World Weighs 1.2 Million Pounds. Now, the Historic Train May Be Coming to Your Town
2+ day, 5+ hour ago (627+ words) Sonja Anderson | Daily Correspondent The world’s largest operating steam locomotive is currently chugging across the United States. It’s known as Big Boy No. 4014, and crowds of Americans are lining railroad tracks to watch it pass through their towns. The locomotive…...
This T. Rex Fossil Could Fetch the Largest Sum of Any Dinosaur Ever Auctioned. Scientists Worry They'll Lose the Chance to Study It
2+ day, 2+ hour ago (548+ words) Margherita Bassi | Daily Correspondent Something extraordinary is going on sale tomorrow: a gigantic, 67-million-year-old dinosaur skeleton. Sotheby’s will auction off one of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex specimens ever found. However, some researchers are concerned that the scientifically…...
Cancer Cases Are Expected to Nearly Double by 2050, Warns the WHO. Low-Income Countries Will Be Disproportionately Affected
2+ day, 6+ hour ago (466+ words) Sara Hashemi | Daily Correspondent While scientific advancements in the fight against cancer have improved the lives of millions of people, that progress hasn’t been spread evenly around the world. Inequities in health care will contribute to cancer cases nearly doubling…...
Articles tagged as World War II | Smithsonian Magazine
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (855+ words) Norman Rockwell Captured the Hustle of the West Wing in Colorful Drawings Displayed for Decades in the White House. They’re Now on Public View for the First Time The works were commissioned to humanize President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the…...