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Portrait Gallery Exit Poll

Visitors to the National Portrait Gallery share their presidential thoughts on the eve of Election Day (Video by Ryan Reed / Edited by Ryan Reed and Jesse Rhodes / Interviews by Megan Gambino / Produced by Beth Py-Lieberman)




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The Ancient Greeks Became Fascinated with Ancient Egypt

Ancient Greeks were endlessly fascinated by Egyptian culture, and especially the Egyptian Gods whom they saw as versions of their own. So much so that they ended up adopting Egyptian culture and customs as their own.




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Ask Smithsonian: What Happens to Your Body in Space Without a Spacesuit?

Obviously it's a bad idea to go out into space without a trusty spacesuit, but what exactly happens?




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Ask Smithsonian: How Long Can a Person Hold Their Breath?

Gasp! The answer will amaze you. Still Image Credit: MaFelipe / iStock




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Need a New Organ? Surgeon Anthony Atala Sees a Future Where You Can Simply Print It Out

Anthony Atala | Smithsonian Magazine’s 2016 American Ingenuity Award Winner for Life Sciences The director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Atala is a surgeon and leading expert in creating living human tissues and organs to replace those that are defective or damaged. He has spent the past decade attempting to construct living organs using 3-D printing technology. Atala implanted the world’s first laboratory-grown organ into a human in 1999 and, this year, he and his colleagues “printed” cartilage, bone and muscle tissue before successfully implanting them into a lab animal. That’s a crucial first step toward Atala’s long-term goal of overcoming the dire shortage of donated organs with custom-made body parts. Read more about Atala's work: http://smithmag.co/SiiV2J | #IngenuityAwards And more about the American Ingenuity Awards: http://smithmag.co/77xPqy




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Ask Smithsonian: How Do Dolphins Sleep Without Drowning?

Not to worry—shut-eye comes easily to these aquatic mammals




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Ask Smithsonian: How Do Vaccines Work?

Have you ever wondered how a simple shot can keep you from dying a horrible death? In this one-minute video, Ask Smithsonian’s host, Eric Schulze, unravels how vaccines boot-camp our bodies into shape, getting us ready to fight off deadly diseases.




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SmithsonianX Superhero Stan Lee Course: Behind The Scenes

The legendary Stan Lee, creator of the Avengers, Spiderman and Iron Man, has partnered with the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to launch the first global online course about superheroes to fans around the world. Register now: smithsonian.com/edx/superheroes




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Epic Hermit Crab Migration

One morning on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, photographer Steve Simonsen captures thousands of hermit crabs migrating




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Ask Smithsonian: What’s the Oldest Animal?

Take a guess - the answer might surprise you




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A Good Day for a Swim With Orcas

Our photographer gets up close and personal with orcas in Norway. Credit: Jacques de Vos and Jeremy Goncalves with Valhalla Orca Expedition




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Ask Smithsonian: Do Cannibals Still Exist?

Hungry for an answer? Host, Eric Schulze, dishes one up in less than a minute.




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Ask Smithsonian: How Do Microwave Ovens Cook Food?

You don’t actually see microwaves, you only see what they do to your food. So how, exactly, does it warm up your lunch?




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Ask Smithsonian: Why Do Flamingos Stand on One Leg?

Have you ever wondered why these birds strike this peculiar pose? Find out in this one-minute video, where Ask Smithsonian host Eric Schulze walks us through the reasons behind the majestic bird’s one-legged stance.




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How We See Oppenheimer. Plus: Smithsonian’s Inside Look at the Top-Secret Los Alamos Site

Christopher Nolan's epic new film "Oppenheimer" is no mere biopic… nor is it the first attempt to capture the father of the atomic bomb in fiction. We look at prior dramatizations of this very complicated man—including one wherein J. Robert Oppenheimer played himself!—and examine why they worked or didn't. In the episode: Physicist-turned-photographer Minesh Bacrania shares his experience photographing inside the top-secret labs at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where J. Robert Oppenheimer and other scientists created the first nuclear weapon. Next, with Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer exceeding commercial expectations, Smithsonian magazine writer Andy Kifer discusses the complexities of Oppenheimer's genius and how prior attempts to depict him in film and television and on stage have fared. Read Andy Kifer’s “The Real Story Behind Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer” here (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-history-behind-christopher-nolans-oppenheimer-180982529/) . See Minesh Bacrania’s photographs of Los Alamos and read Smithsonian senior editor Jennie Rothenberg Gritz’s text here (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/exclusive-behind-scenes-look-los-alamos-lab-where-robert-oppenheimer-created-atomic-bomb-180982336/) or in the July/August 2023 issue of Smithsonian. 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.




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Behind the Canvas with Artist Alex Katz

The figurative painter talks about the artistic process, his education and his influences.




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Ask Smithsonian: Why Do Geese Fly in a V?

Geese have known something for millions of years that humans have only recently figured out for themselves.




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Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Sneeze?

Feel a sneeze coming on? Don’t hold it in! In this one-minute video, our Ask Smithsonian host, Eric Schulze, explains why we sneeze.




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Smithsonian Magazine Video Contest Highlights

Five categories (People, Arts, Nature, Travel and Mobile) and a grand prize of $2,000.




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Ask Smithsonian: What Would Happen if the Yellowstone Volcano Erupted?

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?




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Mae Jemison Reads the Letter Written by John Glenn to Honor Jeff Bezos for Blue Origin

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




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Smithsonian Curator Explains How Athletes Turn Social & Political Issues into National Conversations

Atlantic staff writer Frank Foer interviews Damion Thomas about athletes moving from a position of apathy to engagement




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South African Great Whites

Learn about this often misunderstood creature




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Meet the Grand Prize Winner of the 21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

After reviewing more than 30,000 photos, the editors of Smithsonian Magazine are proud to announce the Grand Prize Winner. #shorts




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Without These Whistleblowers, We May Never Have Known the Full Extent of the Flint Water Crisis

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




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Saving the Coral Reef Ecosystem with Crochet

Margaret Wertheim talks about how math and climate change inspired her to start the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef project. Read more at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-to-crochet-a-coral-reef-69064479/




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Ask Smithsonian: Why Did Ancient Greeks and Romans Lie Down to Eat?

Reclining and dining in the ancient classical world




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Ask Smithsonian: Can Cats Really Make Rats Into Zombies?

The science behind rat zombies




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Writing Letters to Everyone in the World

Two British artists travel to Pittsburgh for their second installment of their "Mysterious Letters" art project.




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Mysterious Octopus Pranks Its Prey

Rather than pouncing on its prey, the larger Pacific striped octopus extends a tentacle and taps its victim, startling it into the octopus's deadly embrace. (Video courtesy Roy Caldwell, UC Berkeley)




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Ask Smithsonian: Is Fire a Solid, Liquid or Gas?

It's been helping humans in myriad ways for over a million years, our host Eric Schulze has more




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The Portraits of Thomas Jefferson

Read more about Thomas Jefferson: http://j.mp/w07Y8G At the turn of the 18th century, Americans learned what their leaders looked like through paintings and drawings, explains a historian at the National Portrait Gallery




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Ask Smithsonian: What's the Point of Earwax?

The science of earwax in under a minute




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Space Archaeologist Sarah Parcak Uses Satellites to Uncover Ancient Egyptian Ruins

Sarah Parcak | Smithsonian Magazine’s 2016 American Ingenuity Award Winner for History This tech-savvy researcher of our past uses satellites and other remote-sensing tools to discover and explore stunning new evidence of lost cultures—including, just this year, another possible Viking site in North America. In addition, she has located an astonishing number of ancient Egyptian remains—thousands of settlements, lost tombs and hidden pyramids. A Yale- and Cambridge-trained Egyptologist and archaeologist, Parcak is a professor of anthropology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she serves as founding director of the Laboratory for Global Observation. Read more about Parcak’s work: http://smithmag.co/ZuwTGP | #IngenuityAwards And more about the American Ingenuity Awards: http://smithmag.co/77xPqy




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This British Castle Still Has a Functioning Flour Mill

In the 19th century, there was a watermill almost every mile of the river, such was the huge demand for flour and bread. Today, Eastnor castle’s own mill is still operational–an important piece of local history.




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Ask Smithsonian: What’s the Difference Between Bacteria and Viruses?

The answer…and why you should care




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Behind the Scenes with Gowns of the First Ladies Exhibit

An exhibit about the first ladies reopens at the National Museum of American History, including dresses worn at inaugural balls.




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Painter Arcimboldo and His Unique Style of Portraiture

Read more at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Arcimboldos-Feast-for-the-Eyes.html The Hapsburg Dynasty's court painter's unique style of portraiture, using fruits, vegetables and animals to compose his faces -- has fascinated artists and the general public for centuries.




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National Treasure: Sing a Song With Ella Jenkins, the Beloved First Lady of Children’s Music

Discover how Ella Jenkins' joyful songs and storytelling have inspired generations of young listeners, while her commitment to advocacy has profoundly affected the world of music and beyond. --------- For more videos from Smithsonian Magazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/ Digital Editorial Director: Brian Wolly Director of Programming: Nicki Marko Supervising Producer & Scriptwriter: Michelle Mehrtens Producer & Editor: Sierra Theobald Motion Designer: Ricardo Jaimes




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A sea lion propels itself through the water at Smithsonian's National Zoo

Credit: Leftwich Lab




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SmartNews: Fly the Friendly Skies With a Jetpack

Tired of waiting to catch your flight? Then strap on your very own jetpack and off you go!




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NMNH Turns Into Grand Central Station With Flash Mob

Read more at http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/aroundthemall/2011/06/dancing-splash-mob-floods-the-natural-history-museum In an effort to celebrate World Oceans Day, organizers planned a "splash" mob at the National Museum of Natural History's Sant Ocean Hall.




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"Experiments With David Atwood" by Artist Nam June Paik

A clip from the father of video art's 1969 piece




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What Really Happened With the Political Mayhem of the Election of 1800?

Two titans of the era went head-to-head in a heated race for the presidency. The stakes were high. The very future of a young nation hung in the balance. Join us as we explore the revolutionary ideas that shaped this critical moment in American democracy. --- 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




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Ask Smithsonian: Five False ‘Facts’ About the Human Body

Think you know everything about your own body? Test your smarts against this one-minute video, where Ask Smithsonian host Eric Schulze uncovers the facts behind five popular myths about the human body.




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Buzz Aldrin and Thomas Dolby Perform "She Blinded Me With Science"

Some of the brightest minds in the world gathered at Smithsonian's "The Future is Here" conference to discuss the great triumphs and future innovations in science and technology http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ideas-innovations/The-Future-is-Here.html




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An Algorithm Predicts the Images in a Dream

A learning simulation, combined with fMRI readings, is able to predict the visualizations seen by a dreamer in real time




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Tour the Kitchen of India's Golden Temple

This sacred shrine in India feeds over 100,000 people a day regardless of race, religion and class.




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Ask Smithsonian: What’s the Deepest We’ve Ever Dug Into the Earth?

What’s the world record for deepest vertical dig? Go ahead, take a guess. We bet you won’t come close to the surprising answer unearthed in this one-minute video by Ask Smithsonian host, Eric Schulze. Then, stick around to find out what scientists found lurking below.




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Ask Smithsonian: What Is the Origin of Applause?

Put your hands together for our host, Eric Schulze, as he dives into history to answer your questions.