Man Sentenced for Stealing 'Rare and Unique' Chinese Texts, Valued at More Than $200,000, by Using Aliases, Fake IDs and Dummy Manuscripts The works were stolen from the University of California, Los Angeles, over the course of several years…

Smithsonian Magazine

Man Sentenced for Stealing 'Rare and Unique' Chinese Texts, Valued at More Than $200,000, by Using Aliases, Fake IDs and Dummy Manuscripts

The works were stolen from the University of California, Los Angeles, over the course of several years

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Smartphones Might Be Playing a Role in the United States' Declining Birth Rate, New Research Suggests Some economists suspect that the technology's widespread adoption has reduced in-person interactions and increased access to pornography and information on birth control, leading to less unprotected sex…

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Smartphones Might Be Playing a Role in the United States' Declining Birth Rate, New Research Suggests

Some economists suspect that the technology's widespread adoption has reduced in-person interactions and increased access to pornography and inform...

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Buckingham Palace's Royal Picture Gallery Revives the Salon-Style Hang, Doubling the Number of Masterpieces on View Charles III reportedly had a say in the stylistic switch, which rearranged and added artworks by the likes of Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer and Van Dyck…

Smithsonian Magazine

Buckingham Palace's Royal Picture Gallery Revives the Salon-Style Hang, Doubling the Number of Masterpieces on View

Charles III reportedly had a say in the stylistic switch, which rearranged and added artworks by the likes of Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer and Van Dyck

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When a Cat Licks Another Cat, It's Not Always a Friendly Gesture. New Study Reveals They May Just Want Their Own Space Classic feline behavior could be a passive-aggressive maneuver to get what they want…

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When a Cat Licks Another Cat, It's Not Always a Friendly Gesture. New Study Reveals They May Just Want Their Own Space

Classic feline behavior could be a passive-aggressive maneuver to get what they want

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These 16 Splendid Aerial Views Capture Wildlife From Above, Revealing the Beauty and Mystery of Nature The second International Aerial Photographer of the Year contest selected its winners and 101 top images. Here’s a selection of the photos that spotlight animals from a new perspective…

Smithsonian Magazine

These 16 Splendid Aerial Views Capture Wildlife From Above, Revealing the Beauty and Mystery of Nature

The second International Aerial Photographer of the Year contest selected its winners and 101 top images. Here’s a selection of the photos that s...

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Meet the Orange-Lipped 'Likweli' Monkey, a New Species That Was Discovered in the Congo Rainforest The creatures, which weigh about the same as a small dog, have spiky black hair, orange-cream skin around their mouths and a white patch on their rear ends. Scientists say that they're probably endangered…

Smithsonian Magazine

Meet the Orange-Lipped 'Likweli' Monkey, a New Species That Was Discovered in the Congo Rainforest

The creatures, which weigh about the same as a small dog, have spiky black hair, orange-cream skin around their mouths and a white patch on their r...

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New Close-Up Images Reveal the Wreckage of Ernest Shackleton's Last Ship, Now Draped in Discarded Fishing Gear and Teeming With Life The vessel "Quest," found in 2024 off the coast of northeastern Canada, has become a home for corals, anemones and fish. It also holds the leftovers from decades of commercial fishing that happened above it after it sank…

Smithsonian Magazine

New Close-Up Images Reveal the Wreckage of Ernest Shackleton's Last Ship, Now Draped in Discarded Fishing Gear and Teeming With Life

The vessel "Quest," found in 2024 off the coast of northeastern Canada, has become a home for corals, anemones and fish. It also holds the leftover...

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Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber and Severed Hand From Famed Darth Vader Duel Sold For a Record $3.75 Million at Auction The item, which became the most-valued on-screen Star Wars prop ever sold at auction, was born from cast-off parts from a camera shop…

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Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber and Severed Hand From Famed Darth Vader Duel Sold For a Record $3.75 Million at Auction

The item, which became the most-valued on-screen Star Wars prop ever sold at auction, was born from cast-off parts from a camera shop

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This Meteorite Crashed Into a New Jersey Home in 2024. Now, Scientists Say It Contains Some of the Building Blocks of Life The Hillsborough meteorite belongs to a rare class of rocks from space, according to a new study. It holds amino acids and other organic compounds, as well as evidence of salty water…

Smithsonian Magazine

This Meteorite Crashed Into a New Jersey Home in 2024. Now, Scientists Say It Contains Some of the Building Blocks of Life

The Hillsborough meteorite belongs to a rare class of rocks from space, according to a new study. It holds amino acids and other organic compounds,...

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This Viking Longship Crossed the Atlantic Before Starring in Christopher Nolan's 'Odyssey' as Odysseus' Greek Galley Hollywood stars including Matt Damon went to rowing camp to learn how to operate the vessel for the new film…

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This Viking Longship Crossed the Atlantic Before Starring in Christopher Nolan's 'Odyssey' as Odysseus' Greek Galley

Hollywood stars including Matt Damon went to rowing camp to learn how to operate the vessel for the new film

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Buzz Aldrin Used This Humble Felt-Tip Pen to Save the Apollo II Astronauts. It Just Sold for More Than $850,000 In July 1969, a quick-thinking Aldrin used the writing instrument to rearm the engine arm circuit of the lunar module "Eagle" after the switch broke off during the moon landing…

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Buzz Aldrin Used This Humble Felt-Tip Pen to Save the Apollo II Astronauts. It Just Sold for More Than $850,000

In July 1969, a quick-thinking Aldrin used the writing instrument to rearm the engine arm circuit of the lunar module "Eagle" after the switch brok...

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Astronomers Noticed a Mysterious Spot Appearing in Telescope Images. It Turned Out to Be the Faintest Exoplanet Ever Imaged From Earth The gas giant, called Beta Pictoris d, had been hiding in plain sight for more than a decade, until two independent teams verified its existence…

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Astronomers Noticed a Mysterious Spot Appearing in Telescope Images. It Turned Out to Be the Faintest Exoplanet Ever Imaged From Earth

The gas giant, called Beta Pictoris d, had been hiding in plain sight for more than a decade, until two independent teams verified its existence

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Scientists Ranked Hundreds of Spider Species by Running Speed. Australia's Huge, Hairy Brown Huntsman Came Out on Top The brown huntsman can sprint at a maximum speed of eight miles per hour, although it can only maintain that pace for a fraction of a second. The research will lead to a better understanding of the evolution and biomechanics of arachnids…

Smithsonian Magazine

Scientists Ranked Hundreds of Spider Species by Running Speed. Australia's Huge, Hairy Brown Huntsman Came Out on Top

The brown huntsman can sprint at a maximum speed of eight miles per hour, although it can only maintain that pace for a fraction of a second. The r...

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Once the World’s Biggest Passenger Ship, This Metal Marvel That Crossed the Atlantic and Took Immigrants to Australia Has a New Museum Home A new museum dedicated to stories surrounding the S.S. "Great Britain" is about to open in Bristol, where the ship is permanently dry-docked…

Smithsonian Magazine

Once the World’s Biggest Passenger Ship, This Metal Marvel That Crossed the Atlantic and Took Immigrants to Australia Has a New Museum Home

A new museum dedicated to stories surrounding the S.S. "Great Britain" is about to open in Bristol, where the ship is permanently dry-docked

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This 700-Year-Old English Church Nearly Closed—but Then the Vicar Discovered a Stash of Gold Coins Under the Altar Just before Easter, a box of gold bullion minted in the 1990s changed the outlook for a tiny congregation struggling to cover costly repairs…

Smithsonian Magazine

This 700-Year-Old English Church Nearly Closed—but Then the Vicar Discovered a Stash of Gold Coins Under the Altar

Just before Easter, a box of gold bullion minted in the 1990s changed the outlook for a tiny congregation struggling to cover costly repairs

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Here's How These Adorable Mice Can Live at an Extremely High Elevation Where No Other Mammal Is Known to Reside The Andean leaf-eared mouse has adaptations that help it generate body heat efficiently in frigid, low-oxygen conditions at 22,000 feet above sea level, according to a new study…

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Here's How These Adorable Mice Can Live at an Extremely High Elevation Where No Other Mammal Is Known to Reside

The Andean leaf-eared mouse has adaptations that help it generate body heat efficiently in frigid, low-oxygen conditions at 22,000 feet above sea l...

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An English King's Bones Were Moved Over Centuries and Eventually Lost. One Researcher Claims He Discovered Their Location—Under a Parking Lot Alfred the Great defended Wessex from the Vikings. Researchers have been searching for his remains for years after their resting place in an abbey was disturbed…

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An English King's Bones Were Moved Over Centuries and Eventually Lost. One Researcher Claims He Discovered Their Location—Under a Parking Lot

Alfred the Great defended Wessex from the Vikings. Researchers have been searching for his remains for years after their resting place in an abbey ...

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Cancer Cases Are Expected to Nearly Double by 2050, Warns the WHO. Low-Income Countries Will Be Disproportionately Affected In a new report, the World Health Organization predicts that new annual diagnoses will rise from about 20.6 million today to almost 35 million by 2050. The biggest increases will be in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean region…

Smithsonian Magazine

Cancer Cases Are Expected to Nearly Double by 2050, Warns the WHO. Low-Income Countries Will Be Disproportionately Affected

In a new report, the World Health Organization predicts that new annual diagnoses will rise from about 20.6 million today to almost 35 million by 2...

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The Largest Operating Steam Locomotive in the World Weighs 1.2 Million Pounds. Now, the Historic Train May Be Coming to Your Town Built in the 1940s, Big Boy No. 4014 retired in 1961 after traveling for more than one million miles. It's now making its way across the country in honor of America's 250th birthday…

Smithsonian Magazine

The Largest Operating Steam Locomotive in the World Weighs 1.2 Million Pounds. Now, the Historic Train May Be Coming to Your Town

Built in the 1940s, Big Boy No. 4014 retired in 1961 after traveling for more than one million miles. It's now making its way across the country in...

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This T. Rex Fossil Could Fetch the Largest Sum of Any Dinosaur Ever Auctioned. Scientists Worry They'll Lose the Chance to Study It Bids on "Gus" will start at $19 million, a steep price for public institutions. Specimens in private collections can be harder for researchers to examine, and they're practically impossible to include in studies in top-tier scientific journals…

Smithsonian Magazine

This T. Rex Fossil Could Fetch the Largest Sum of Any Dinosaur Ever Auctioned. Scientists Worry They'll Lose the Chance to Study It

Bids on "Gus" will start at $19 million, a steep price for public institutions. Specimens in private collections can be harder for researchers to e...

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