A new study has shattered historians' long-held assumptions about some of the people who died in Mount Vesuvius' eruption in 79 C.E.

During a release of captive-bred snails in September, researchers discovered wild-born individuals from the Partula tohiveana species—which had been considered extinct in the wild—marking a huge milestone in a global effort to save them

Sławomir and Szymon Milewski were searching for a Roman road when they stumbled upon the cache of coins, which is worth more than $120,000

Mary, a 54-year-old Asian elephant at the Berlin Zoo, is the “queen of showering,” but her companion Anchali seems to have figured out how to exploit that habit to play pranks

The 1951 artwork, "La Grande Dame (The Cat Woman)," stands over six feet tall and features paintings of "hybrid creatures and lush dreamscapes"

Sharks have been losing teeth for 400 million years. Here’s a guide to uncovering some of these plentiful fossils across the country

The Cuban-American actor and producer has stars on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, but this new honor pays tribute to his start as a musician in South Florida

These shots from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest show why it’s one of the most-visited nations on earth

The team traveled from New Zealand to Tonga along a humpback highway to collect environmental DNA and raise awareness of the plight of the marine mammals

Cenotes in the Yucatán Peninsula are time capsules preserving remnants of Maya culture and fossils of extinct megafauna

From Scotland to Japan, these multiday treks offer adventure and a truly immersive experience

From Setsubun in Japan to Fèt Gede in Haiti, these festivals relish in the macabre

These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest capture quintessentially Cuban scenes

Eight years into living in Longyearbyen, on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, I embrace the seasonal plunge into total darkness

See photographs of the beautiful natural wonders from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

In the late 19th century, city officials turned the final resting place for 10,000 souls into what's now Greenwich Village’s James J. Walker Park

Pedestrians in Montreal, Grand Rapids and other locations can time-travel thanks to installations that map historical scenes directly onto the cityscapes

Once one of the world’s most dangerous border crossings, Berlin's symbol of death and division has been turned into a tangible way to experience history

These amazing images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest show the Arctic animals at their fierce but adorable best

You asked, we answered

Take a virtual tour through the streets and sights of England’s capital city with these stunning travel photos submitted to our photo contest

Get acquainted with the Big Apple’s major sights by browsing through these remarkable travel photos submitted to our photo contest

Getting the perfect shot requires great timing, the right equipment and nerves of steel

These grounded planes in the Congo have captured the imagination of these children

Iconic images of Dr. King from the Smithsonian collection

See images of the American flag captured by our readers.

Michelle Frankfurter tells the stories of these young migrants and also those of the thousands who jump aboard “the death train”

From swirling aurora borealis to bioluminescent beaches, these award-winning photographs capture rare views of our world at night

In the 1960s, a vaccine for chlamydia made patients more susceptible to chlamydia. Now scientists know why

It's curtains for the NASA mission's close relationship with the satellite

The tongues of bird-like dinosaurs and pterosaurs, however, may have been more mobile

"Fascinating, Captain"

The surge of hungry four-legged visitors to Belushya Guba is part of a larger trend

In one reef, three million sea cucumbers released 64,000 metric tons of nutrient-packed poo back into the ecosystem

As of last Wednesday, at least 3,500 sea turtles have been rescued from freezing waters in the midst record-breaking winter storm

In summer months above the North and South Poles, glowing clouds occasionally form naturally at sunset under the right conditions

The trend is a result of women deciding to have children later in life and the use of medically assisted reproduction methods

In a twist befitting its pages, the satirical, anti-establishment publication that delivered laughs and hijinks to generations of young readers gets the respect it always deserved with a new museum exhibition

A new book charts the history of pet cemeteries and honors the universal experience of grieving an animal companion

Renaissance paintings, medieval archives, cloistered orchards—how one Italian scientist is uncovering secrets that could help combat a growing agricultural crisis

It fell to Belle da Costa Greene, a Black woman whose racial identity was kept secret for decades, to catalog J.P. Morgan's immense collection of books and art

A century on, the country’s most beloved Thursday spectacle reaches new heights

These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest show how communities in Mexico and beyond mark Día de los Muertos.

A clinical social worker explains the vital role of the old-fashioned rotary phone for those dealing with death and loss

On the island of Laeso in Denmark, one man is reviving the lost art of eelgrass thatching and, in doing so, bringing attention to a plant that has great potential

It’s easy to write bugs off as pests, but consider the ways in which they have positively impacted our lives

The terms “snake oil” and “snake-oil salesperson” are part of the vernacular thanks to Clark Stanley, a quack doctor who marketed a product for joint pain in the late 19th century

In the international competition, people with physical disabilities put state-of-the-art devices to the test as they race to complete the tasks of everyday life