Smithsonian

Scientists from the Nautilus exploration vessel found this bright purple orb near California's Channel Islands.

Sea Slug? Disco Ball? Beautiful Deep-Sea Purple Blob Puzzles Scientists

5:18pm July 28, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

"I have no idea. I can't even hazard a guess to phylum," one scientist says. The curious orb was found and captured during a recent Nautilus expedition near California's Channel Islands.

The original USS Enterprise model, from the classic Star Trek TV series, has been restored by the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and will move to a permanent display in the museum's Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall on June 28.

Arts

Smithsonian Sets Phasers To Restore On Original Starship Enterprise

9:06am June 28, 2016

by NPR Staff

The Starship Enterprise — from the original Star Trek series — has gotten a restoration fit for a real life spacecraft. It goes on display this week at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

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Marines Confirm Decades-Old Case Of Mistaken Identity In Iwo Jima Photo

4:01pm June 23, 2016

by Colin Dwyer

The iconic photograph, taken during one of the bloodiest battles of World War II, depicts Pvt. 1st Class Harold Schultz among others — not Navy Corpsman John Bradley, as was originally thought.

Some of Bill Cosby's accusers were upset that the museum did not initially plan to include a reference to the sexual assault allegations against him.

New Museum Will Mention Sexual Assault Accusations Against Bill Cosby After All

8:16pm March 31, 2016

by Laura Wagner

After days of criticism, the Smithsonian says the National Museum of African American History and Culture will make reference to the assault accusations against the comedian.

The Smithsonian is sharing images of astronaut graffiti aboard the Apollo 11 command module, including this tribute to the spacecraft.

Astronaut 'Graffiti' Seen For The First Time In Decades

10:36am February 12, 2016

by Russell Lewis

The crew of Apollo 11 drew a calendar on the wall of their command module, as well as a tribute to the spacecraft, and jotted down numbers and other information from mission control communications.

Harry Rubenstein talks about memorabilia from different presidential campaigns at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

From Axes To Flip Flops: A Peek At 200 Years Worth Of American Political Schwag

5:50am January 30, 2016

by Scott Detrow

Chances are good that the Smithsonian will soon add a 'Make America Great Again' hat and a 'Feel the Bern' shirt to its collection of political memorabilia.

A team of blacksmiths, welders, artists and scientists have been working together in Canada to mount the T. rex bones without damaging them. Metal cradles hold 150 of the major bones precisely in place.

'Nation's T. Rex' Strikes A Rapacious Pose

2:08pm October 06, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

Drills and screws would damage the frail, 65.5 million-year-old bones of the Smithsonian's 38-foot-long Tyrannosaurus rex. So how do you make it stand? Blacksmiths in Canada are working their magic.

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The Inca were innovators in agriculture as well as engineering. Terracing like this, on a steep hillside in Peru's Colca Canyon, helped them grow food.

For Inca Road Builders, Extreme Terrain Was No Obstacle

10:37am August 29, 2015

by Jasmine Garsd

A new exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian highlights the engineering prowess of the Inca, whose great road once spanned mountains, deserts and forests in 6 South American countries.

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The London 2012 Olympic Stadium at sunset at the Olympic Park in London. The Smithsonian Institution is working to establish its first international museum outpost in London as that city redevelops its Olympic park.

Smithsonian In Talks Over London Outpost — Its First Overseas

2:56pm January 28, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

If negotiations are successful, the Smithsonian would join other attractions at the site of London's Olympic Park.

The Smithsonian's Jon Blundell scans the fossilized foot bone — the metatarsal — of the Wankel T. rex to help create a digital 3-D image of the long-dead dinosaur.

America's T. Rex Gets A Makeover

11:15am November 06, 2014

by Christopher Joyce

Discovered in Montana in 1988, the Wankel T. Rex is a prize find — a nearly complete skeleton, now bound for display at the Smithsonian, in Washington, D.C. But first, those old bones need some work.

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