Smithsonian Magazine

⁣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/

⁣Greece Has Its Own Pompeii, and the Ruins Tell a Captivating Story of a Sophisticated, Seafaring Bronze Age Society The Thera volcano, on modern-day Santorini, buried Akrotiri in ash in the 17th or 16th century B.C.E. The eruption was one of the largest in recorded history https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/greece-has-its-own-pompeii-and-the-ruins-tell-a-captivating-story-of-a-sophisticated-seafaring-bronze-age-society-180989747/

⁣Engineers Delicately Removed the Masts From This Bomb-Laden World War II Shipwreck in the River Thames. But 1,500 Tons of Explosives Are Still in Place The operation marks a major milestone in efforts to address the risks posed by the sunken American military cargo ship, which still contains a massive cache of unexploded munitions https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/engineers-delicately-removed-the-masts-from-this-bomb-laden-world-war-2-shipwreck-in-the-river-thames-but-1500-tons-of-explosives-are-still-in-place-180989798/

⁣Scientists Feared This Cute but Venomous Primate Had Gone Extinct Nearly 100 Years Ago. It Was Hiding in Plain Sight All Along The Bangka slow loris is still close to extinction, but new research suggests it continues to survive on a tropical Indonesian island. Conservationists are calling for stronger habitat protections and a breeding program, among other measures https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/for-nearly-100-years-scientists-feared-this-cute-but-venomous-primate-had-gone-extinct-it-was-hiding-in-plain-sight-all-along-180989795/

⁣Do Spiders Dream? These Arachnids Twitch, Curl Their Legs and Move Their Eyes When Asleep, Hinting at a Complex Brain State A species of jumping spider appears to enter a deep sleep phase that resembles rapid eye movement (REM) in humans, the stage in which we typically dream https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/do-spiders-dream-these-arachnids-twitch-curl-their-legs-and-move-their-eyes-when-asleep-hinting-at-a-complex-brain-state-180989789/

⁣As Most of England Relaxed Its Stance on Witchcraft, One Hardline City Bucked the Trend. It Even Went After 'Service Magicians,' Who Used Magic to Investigate Petty Crimes New historical research shows how the city of Exeter hunted down accused witches while the rest of the country relented. Its prosecution of benign local sleuths shows how far the authorities were willing to go https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/as-most-of-england-relaxed-its-stance-on-witchcraft-one-hardline-city-bucked-the-trend-it-even-went-after-service-magicians-who-used-magic-to-investigate-petty-crimes-180989794/

⁣How an Irish Backroad Tradition Is Rolling Into Small-Town America With roots in County Armagh and County Cork, the sport of road bowling is finding new life stateside, both as a fun pastime and as a way for a group of Americans to honor their heritage https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-an-irish-backroad-tradition-is-rolling-into-small-town-america-180989768/

⁣After Sitting in a London Museum Since 1924, This Dinosaur Fossil Was Named a New Predatory Species—an 'Unconquered Female Warrior' Invictibellatrix amberina was a long-clawed, tiger-size dinosaur that lived around 120 million years ago. It's helping scientists piece together the global spread of megaraptors, which later became apex predators https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-sitting-in-a-london-museum-since-1924-this-dinosaur-fossil-was-named-a-new-predatory-species-an-unconquered-female-warrior-180989683/

⁣Melting Ice in the Italian Dolomites Exposes Hundreds of World War I Munitions, Vestiges of the Vertiginous 'White War' Following low snowfall and record-breaking summer heat, the Italian Army is hunting for unexploded shells and bombs. "When they re-emerge, they are very, very dangerous," one expert warns https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/melting-ice-in-the-italian-dolomites-exposes-hundreds-of-world-war-i-munitions-vestiges-of-the-vertiginous-winter-war-180989787/

⁣Tired of the Winter Blues? The Unique Festival of Lights Zagreb Marks the Much-Anticipated Arrival of Spring From March 17 to 21, 2027, Croatia’s capital transforms into a dazzling open-air gallery, illuminated by light installations and artworks from local and international artists https://www.smithsonianmag.com/sponsored/tired-of-the-winter-blues-the-unique-festival-of-lights-zagreb-marks-the-much-anticipated-arrival-of-spring-180989751/

⁣Crafted From Bone, This 2,800-Year-Old Flute Unearthed in Troy May Have Been Played Around the Time That Homer Composed 'The Iliad' and 'The Odyssey' After more than 150 years of excavations, the object is the first musical instrument ever discovered in the ruins of the ancient city, which is located in modern-day Turkey https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/crafted-from-bone-this-2800-year-old-flute-unearthed-in-troy-may-have-been-played-around-the-time-that-homer-composed-the-iliad-and-the-odyssey-180989792/