Smithsonian Magazine

⁣Was the British King Who Urged the Romans to Invade Actually a Queen? One Archaeologist Thinks So Linguistic clues and ancient coins could suggest that Verica—a ruler who fled Britain and convinced Roman Emperor Claudius to launch an invasion across the English Channel—has been misgendered for centuries https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/was-the-british-king-who-urged-the-roman-invasion-of-britain-actually-a-queen-one-archaeologist-thinks-so-180989821/

⁣China Announces a Plan to Put Astronauts on the Moon by 2030, Revealing Details of Four Upcoming Missions The country intends to launch three uncrewed test missions followed by a human lunar landing within the next few years. NASA hopes to send humans to the moon in 2028, though some experts have expressed doubt about that timeline https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/china-announces-a-plan-to-put-astronauts-on-the-moon-by-2030-revealing-details-of-four-upcoming-missions-180989810/

⁣This Bull and Male Donkey Have a Surprisingly Sexual Relationship, Providing Insights Into Interspecies and Same-Sex Bonds The ungulates, dubbed Achille and Patroclo, chose each other repeatedly and showed affection before and after each rendezvous. Same-sex sexual encounters are common among animals of the same species, but less so between different ones https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-bull-and-male-donkey-have-a-surprisingly-sexual-relationship-revealing-insights-into-interspecies-and-same-sex-bonds-180989803/

⁣America's Newest UNESCO World Heritage Site Is a Swamp—and That's Exactly Why You Should Go Georgia’s Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is one of the world’s rarest surviving wetland ecosystems. Its new global recognition reveals why protecting this landscape matters far beyond the American South https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/americas-newest-unesco-world-heritage-site-is-a-swampand-thats-exactly-why-you-should-go-180989807/

⁣This Ancient 'Hell Chicken' Might Be the First Known Fruit-Loving Dinosaur, Revealing a Whole New Cretaceous Lifestyle Infernogallus jamesi had beak and mouth adaptations that hint it could mash soft foods, like today's frugivorous birds. The dinosaur probably munched on fruits resembling modern-day cherries and peaches, and may have helped spread seeds via its poop https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-hell-chicken-might-be-the-first-known-fruit-loving-dinosaur-revealing-a-whole-new-cretaceous-lifestyle-180989801/

⁣Archaeologists Found a 3,300-Year-Old Sword at the Bottom of a Volcanic Lake in Italy—and It's Still Sharp The remarkably well-preserved 13th century B.C.E. weapon was found submerged in Lake Mezzano, once home to a Bronze Age village on stilts https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-found-a-3300-year-old-sword-at-the-bottom-of-a-volcanic-lake-in-italy-and-its-still-sharp-180989813/

⁣It's Not Just You: Some Fast-Flying Birds Also Get Jet Lag A new study finds that Manx shearwaters fly so fast that their internal clocks get out of sync with local time. These jet lag-like time shifts confuse their sun-based compasses, causing them to become a bit disoriented and fly slightly off course https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/its-not-just-you-some-fast-flying-birds-also-get-jet-lag-180989811/

⁣Actually, You Can Go Back to Constantinople. A Landmark Exhibition Reconstructs the Imperial City With 1,600 Years of Treasures From Byzantine and Ottoman Times "Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires" at London's Victoria and Albert Museum tracks the storied city's evolution from a 4th-century capital to a bustling 19th-century metropolis—hippodromes, bathhouses and all https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/actually-you-can-go-back-to-constantinople-a-landmark-exhibition-reconstructs-the-imperial-city-with-1600-years-of-treasures-from-byzantine-and-ottoman-times-180989812/

⁣Faded Over Millennia, the Intricately Carved Sandstone Walls of This Ancient Egyptian Shrine Will See Color Once Again Digital projections at Oxford's Ashmolean Museum will restore the sight of Egyptian blue, the world’s oldest synthetic pigment, and other colors that once adorned the 2,700-year-old Shrine of Taharqa https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/faded-over-millennia-the-intricately-carved-sandstone-walls-of-this-ancient-egyptian-shrine-will-see-color-once-again-180989808/

⁣New York Had Its First Measles Death in 30 Years. Here's What to Know Cases are still surging across the country amidst dropping vaccination rates https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-york-had-its-first-measles-death-in-30-years-heres-what-to-know-180989809/

⁣Scientists Say They've Found Preserved Dinosaur Blood in a 115-Million-Year-Old Fossil, but Not Everyone Is Convinced Soft tissues like blood generally break down relatively quickly after death. Environmental factors can also produce red blood cell look-alikes, so many outside researchers are cautious about the new study's claims https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-theyve-found-preserved-dinosaur-blood-in-a-115-millino-year-old-fossil-but-not-everyone-is-convinced-180989802/

⁣Forensic Analysis of Frozen Inca Mummies Reveals That Sacrificed Children Were Plied With Coca Leaves, Corn Beer and Ayahuasca Compounds Before Death Five centuries after children were sacrificed on volcanic peaks in the Andes, chemical clues preserved in their hair and fingernails show how the empire used intoxicating blends to soothe the children during their final months https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/forensic-analysis-of-frozen-inca-mummies-reveals-that-sacrificed-children-were-plied-with-coca-leaves-corn-beer-and-ayahuasca-compounds-before-death-180989805/

⁣The Four-Color Theorem Has Haunted Mathematicians for Decades. It Just Got a Rare New Proof, but Some Still Long for a Simpler Solution The famous problem asks whether a map can be filled in with only four colors such that the same color never borders itself. It has been solved with the help of computers, but some experts suggest an elusive, short answer is out there https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-four-color-theorem-has-haunted-mathematicians-for-decades-it-just-got-a-rare-new-proof-but-some-still-long-for-a-simpler-solution-180989799/

⁣See the World's Tallest Day of the Dead Skeleton, Made From Steel, Fiberglass, Papier-Mâché and 70,000 Marigolds Standing a little more than 109 feet tall—roughly the height of an 11-story building—the colorful "La Catrina" figure in Mexico City broke the previous record of 92 feet set in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in 2023 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-world-tallest-day-of-the-dead-skeleton-made-from-steel-fiberglass-papier-mache-and-70000-marigolds-180989806/

⁣Archaeologists in Scotland Discovered the Skeleton of a Roman-Era Man Who Was Decapitated Nearly 2,000 Years Ago. Now, You Can See What He Might Have Looked Like During His Lifetime A digital facial reconstruction of the man, whose head was severed after his death, will soon go on view in Edinburgh. It depicts an individual in his early 50s, with graying hair and brown eyes https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-in-scotland-discovered-the-skeleton-of-a-roman-era-man-who-was-decapitated-nearly-2000-years-ago-now-you-can-see-what-he-might-have-looked-like-during-his-lifetime-180989804/

⁣See a Stunning Simulation of the Early Universe, Which Will Help Astronomers Shed Light on the Cosmic Dark Ages The model, created by researchers at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, and other institutions, captures how the first stars and black holes gradually illuminated the universe after millions of years of darkness https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-a-stunning-simulation-of-the-early-universe-which-will-help-astronomers-shed-light-on-the-cosmic-dark-ages-180989791/

⁣Native Hawaiians Descend From a Group of 'Ultravoyagers' Who Sailed About 4,400 Miles From Easter Island, Genetic Study Suggests Researchers studied DNA from more than 1,000 modern-day Polynesians and found that Native Hawaiians and Easter Islanders were most closely related. The findings help trace the epic settlement of the Polynesian islands while also revealing genetic vulnerabilities among their communities https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/native-hawaiians-descend-from-a-group-of-ultravoyagers-who-sailed-about-4400-miles-from-easter-island-genetic-study-suggests-180989793/

⁣A 'Poor Man’s Rembrandt' for a Few Hundred Bucks? At Amsterdam's Rembrandt House Museum, a Pop-Up Tattoo Studio Is Inking 17th-Century Masterpieces on Human Canvases Visitors can choose from dozens of designs pulled from Rembrandt's works, including lions, windmills and even his self-portraits. One participant was selected for a full-back tattoo of "The Descent from the Cross" https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-poor-Mans-rembrandt-for-a-few-hundred-bucks-at-amsterdams-rembrandt-museum-a-pop-up-tattoo-studio-is-inking-17th-century-masterpieces-on-human-canvases-180989800/

⁣After Observing the Sky for 22 Years, a Beloved NASA Space Telescope Is Expected to Meet a Fiery Death This Week The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory launched in 2004 and detected thousands of astrophysical phenomena, leading to some huge discoveries. Earlier this year, experts attempted a first-of-its-kind rescue mission to save the falling telescope, but it failed https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-observing-the-sky-for-22-years-a-beloved-nasa-space-telescope-is-expected-to-meet-a-fiery-death-this-week-180989796/

⁣From Hunting Hounds to Modernist Muses, Dachshunds Have Done It All. See the World's First Art Exhibition Dedicated Exclusively to the Sausage Dog A new exhibition in Germany traces how the low-slung breed captured the imaginations of artistic heavyweights like Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and David Hockney. The museum even lets well-behaved pups tour the galleries https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/from-hunting-hounds-to-modernist-muses-dachshunds-have-done-it-all-see-the-worlds-first-art-exhibition-dedicated-exclusively-to-the-sausage-dog-180989797/