The octopus places the arm in its mouth, treating it like food.

In 1619, George Yeardley, the newly appointed governor of Jamestown, made history: He convened 22 elected members of a burgeoning commonwealth, creating the first democratic assembly in America.

Watch as researchers study the paradise tree snake that is capable of launching itself as far as 330 feet

In Vietnam's capital city, pho restaurants dot the streets and fill them with the aromas of the flavorful soup. Read more at http://Smithsonian.com/pho

Aziz Ansari | Smithsonian Magazine’s 2016 American Ingenuity Award Winner for Performing Arts The actor, comedian and author is being honored for his starring role as Dev Shah in “Master of None,” the Netflix series that he created with Alan Yang. Like the character he plays, Ansari is the son of Indian immigrant parents, and his smart, surprising take on life, love, technology and cultural identity in the United States has helped make the show “the year’s best comedy straight out of the gate,” as the New York Times put it. Among Ansari’s other accomplishments are his unforgettable portrayal of the loopy Tom Haverford on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” his best-selling book about dating in the internet age, Modern Romance (co-authored with Eric Klinenberg), and his blockbuster stand-up act that sold out Madison Square Garden. Read more about Ansari’s work: http://smithmag.co/jvdAaL | #IngenuityAwards And more about the American Ingenuity Awards: http://smithmag.co/77xPqy

On March 10, 1933, a major earthquake caught the Los Angeles area by surprise. The devastation was of sufficient scale to spur scientific interest in earthquakes—and how to predict them.

Take in the sights and sounds of the European influences of Argentina's capital city (Produced by: Brendan McCabe). Read more at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/daniel-politi-on-hola-buenos-aires-138874294/

Use #physnobel on Twitter to submit your questions. The 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics will be announced on Tuesday, October 7. Join guests Charles Day of Physics Today, Andrew Grant of Science News, Jennifer Ouellette of Cocktail Party Physics and Amanda Yoho of Starts With A Bang! as they discuss predictions for possible winners. Who are the best contenders, and who are the potential "dark horse" candidates? Which major physics finds of this year might stand a shot at a win in the future? Victoria Jaggard and Helen Thompson of Smithsonian.com will be your hosts for the event. Tune in on October 2, and submit your questions on Twitter. Charles Day is the Online Editor for Physics Today magazine. Follow him on Twitter @CSRDay Andrew Grant is the physics reporter for Science News magazine. Follow him on Twitter @sci_grant Jennifer Ouellette is a science writer and blogger at Cocktail Party Physics. Follow her on Twitter @JenLucPiquant Amanda Yoho is a graduate student in theoretical and computational cosmology at Case Western Reserve University and a blogger at Starts With A Bang! Follow her on Twitter @mandaYoho Victoria Jaggard is the science editor for Smithsonian.com. Follow her on Twitter @vmjaggard99 Helen Thompson is a science reporter for Smithsonian.com. Follow her on Twitter @wwrfd

A close look reveals how the famed photographer altered his glass negatives, creating the popular image of Native Americans that still exists today

A night at the museum with the Smithsonian's "Laser Cowboys" http://j.mp/17Vclt8 Using laser scanners and high-tech computer software, Vince Rossi and Adam Metallo are recreating a digital Dinosaur Hall before it's dismantled

The North American Orchid Conservation Center is working to ensure the survival of some of the most unique plants in the world

After reviewing more than 30,000 photos, the editors of Smithsonian magazine are proud to announce the winning submissions. Learn more about the finalists and winners of 2024 here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/see-winners-21st-annual-smithsonian-magazine-photo-contest-180984001/. --- For more videos from Smithsonian Magazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/ Digital Editorial Director: Brian Wolly Supervising Producer & Scriptwriter: Michelle Mehrtens Video Editor: Sierra Theobald

More on biomimicry: http://j.mp/RI3OOB Scientists believe the iridescent wings of the morphos butterfly could be used in technology to benefit humans.

From the stars moving across the night sky to clouds moving over snow-capped mountains, photographer John Eklund captures the beauty of the region

In WW2, the British made destroying German dams a key strategic target in order to kneecap the German industrial effort. To accomplish this, they needed a special plane to deliver the payload: the Lancaster Bomber.

Have you ever wondered why Yellowstone is full of hot springs, bubbling mudpots and geysers like Old Faithful? In this one-minute video, Ask Smithsonian host Eric Schulze explains the supervolcano that lies beneath this national park and answers the life-or-death question: Will it erupt in a fiery inferno anytime soon?

Two weeks before he died, the legendary astronaut wrote a letter in recognition of Jeff Bezos' work, read at the 2016 American Ingenuity Awards Smithsonian magazine American #IngenuityAwards

Marc Edwards and Leeanne Walters | Smithsonian Magazine’s 2016 American Ingenuity Award Winners for Social Progress The duo joined forces to protect tens of thousands of people during the disastrous water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Walters, a Flint resident, grew suspicious when her tap water changed color and her family suffered odd maladies. Officials insisted that the problems were limited to her household, but she refused to accept that answer and sought out Edwards, a Virginia Tech civil engineering professor and a veteran of municipal water wars. Combining political action and scientific credibility, the testing initiative undertaken by Walters and Edwards showed that the city’s water supply was contaminated with toxic chemicals—an explosive finding that finally forced state and local officials to address the dangers. Read more about their work: http://smithmag.co/D4dIHy | #IngenuityAwards And more about the American Ingenuity Awards: http://smithmag.co/77xPqy

He is (K)enough… or is he? With filmmaker Greta Gerwig's Barbie breaking box-office records—and devoting much of its story to Ken's existential crisis—we wondered if there's any more to Barbie's perennial plus-one. Journalist and lifelong Barbie fan Emily Tamkin talks us through Ken’s development, or lack thereof, over the decades. Read Emily’s “A Cultural History of Barbie,” and Chris’s brief Ken history “Not Your Average Beau,” here (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/cultural-history-barbie-180982115/) or in the June 2023 issue of Smithsonian. Emily is the author of The Influence of Soros: Politics, Power, and the Struggle for an Open Society and Bad Jews: A History of American Jewish Politics and Identities. Learn more about Emily and her work here (https://www.emilytamkin.com/) , or subscribe to her Substack newsletter (https://emilyctamkin.substack.com/) . There’s More to That is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. From the magazine, our team is Chris Klimek, Debra Rosenberg and Brian Wolly. From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller, Genevieve Sponsler, Adriana Rozas Rivera, Terence Bernardo, and Edwin Ochoa. The Executive Producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales. Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz. Music by APM Music.

In the wild, titanoboa probably ate large crocodiles, fish and other snakes—but if there were a titanoboa at the National Zoo today, what would the zoo keepers feed it?

Almost 66 million years ago, an asteroid hit Earth – and changed our planet forever. From tsunamis to shockwaves, join us on a journey through time as we explore the science behind this cataclysmic event. READ MORE about the last day of a dinosaur here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-last-day-in-the-life-of-an-edmontosaurus-180979932/ --- For more videos from Smithsonian Magazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/ Digital Editorial Director: Brian Wolly Supervising Producer & Scriptwriter: Michelle Mehrtens Video Editor: Sierra Theobald

The American Ingenuity Award winner is using geographic information systems to map history's most iconic landscapes

Host Eric Schulze opens the floodgates of knowledge to reveal the answer.

X-rays of the mummy of an ancient Egyptian noblewoman reveal an assortment of health issues: from curvature of the spine, known as scoliosis, to other deformities that could be the result of polio.

Members of the Gullah community discuss the changes facing them today

Some researchers initially dismissed the remains of Palaeopascichnus lineari as teeny turds from a bygone era

New DNA analysis adds to growing research indicating the famous Pacific island did not collapse from overuse of resources before the arrival of Europeans

Two Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority railcars were added to an artificial reef off the coast of Georgia to create more wildlife habitat

The annual award ceremony featured costumes, songs and paper airplanes as scientists recognized comedic research across ten disciplines

New research suggests the sarcophagus' occupant, previously known only as "the horseman," is Joachim du Bellay, a French Renaissance poet who died in 1560

A new study identified the tiny pollutants in the olfactory bulbs of eight cadavers, suggesting microplastics can travel through the nose to the brain

The energetic streams are together 23 million light-years in length—roughly as long as 140 Milky Way galaxies lined end to end

Scientists have created "a form of information immortality" meant to instruct future species on how to recreate humans. But who, or what, will find it?

A roughly 33-foot-long asteroid called 2024 PT5 will chart a horseshoe-like path around our planet

More than 250 years after a teenage Mozart wrote "Serenade in C," a copy of the piece has surfaced in the collections of a German library

An acoustic survey in 2018 and new analysis with A.I. suggest the sounds are vocalizations from the elusive Bryde’s whale

In 1858, the mountain was named for a Confederate general. Now, it will once again be known as "Kuwohi"

Using sound recordings, the team identified the largest known population of the night parrot, a secretive species known as the "Holy Grail of birdwatching"

While no written records exist, new research has illuminated key details of the battle fought in northern Germany during the 13th century B.C.E.

New research has revealed that the mysterious white substance found alongside three ancient mummies was once a soft cheese called kefir

Unexplored iron-rich magma could help power current and future technologies

A SpaceX mission arrived at the International Space Station with two astronauts instead of four to leave room for NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore on the return trip in early 2025

The Kyoto museum will feature interactive exhibits, gaming artifacts, workshop spaces and oversized controllers inspired by iconic video games

The long-term loan is the latest agreement Yemen has made with a museum in order to protect its cultural heritage amid ongoing civil war

The show coincides with an initiative that will give away 49 of the tree's saplings to individuals and communities across the country

Orbiting Barnard's star, the nearest solo star to Earth, the world is too hot to be habitable—a scorching 257 degrees Fahrenheit

The newly restored "Charing Cross Bridge," which once hung in the politician's drawing room, is now on display at London's Courtauld Gallery

A recurrent nova, known as the Blaze Star or T Coronae Borealis, is predicted to soon appear in the night sky. But the exact timing of the rare eruption remains unknown

Researchers still don't know what the open-mouth facial expression means or whether it's akin to smiling in humans—but several animals make a similar face during play