News
Enjoy articles from Time and Smithsonian from the last 30 days.
How Has Photography's Relationship With Nature Evolved Over the Past 200 Years?
A new exhibition at London’s Dulwich Picture Gallery features more than 100 works documenting the natural world
Laws Against ‘Love Jihad’ Are Yet Another Serious Attack on India’s Once Secular Democracy
In the new India, Hindus are more equal than others
Hidden Microbes and Fungi Found on the Surface of Leonardo da Vinci Drawings
Researchers used new DNA sequencing technology to examine the “bio-archives” of seven of the Renaissance master’s sketches
Norway Preserves 'The Scream' for Future Generations by Burying Digital Copy in Arctic Coal Mine
The Munch masterpiece joins digitized art and artifacts from more than 15 countries in the “futureproof” Arctic World Archive
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What Happened on John Lennon’s Last Day
The former Beatle had a packed schedule as he finalized a new song and posed for some final photographs that would become iconic
The Ten Best Science Books of 2020
New titles explore the mysterious lives of eels, the science of fear and our connections to the stars
The Ten Best STEM Toys to Give as Gifts in 2020
Tested and reviewed by engineers, these top picks make coding, robotics and engineering more accessible than ever
All Seems Lost for Hong Kong’s Democracy Movement as Joshua Wong Faces Jail. But There Are Still Reasons for Hope.
Hong Kong’s activists may seem vanquished, but the city has made fools of forecasters before argues Jeffrey Wasserstrom
Theories Abound About the Origins of a Mysterious Monolith Discovered in the Utah Desert
Surveyors discovered a strange 12-foot-tall metal structure. Is it a work of art? An abandoned film set? Officials don’t know.
The Ten Best Books About Travel of 2020
In a year of travel restrictions, these titles helped us channel our wanderlust
The Ten Best Books About Food of 2020
From cookbooks to grocery-store exposés, these new books will tempt palates and fuel curiosity
Early John Constable Sketches Spent 200 Years Forgotten in a Family Scrapbook
The four watercolor drawings and pencil portraits will be featured in an upcoming Sotheby’s sale
The Election May Never Be Over for White Supremacists Who Thrive on Resentment
The election may be behind us but its turbulence is not. Even before the loss of the candidate it openly admired, frustration and resentment were the fuel of the white supremacist movement, judged by both the FBI and Homeland Security as grave terrorist threats to the nation. As groups, they draw attention. But the lesson…
The Countries With the Most to Gain—and Lose—Under a Biden Administration
Donald Trump may not be over the U.S. elections… but plenty of other countries sure are. As the congratulations for president-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris from foreign leaders stream in, here’s a quick look at which world leaders have the most to gain and lose with the changing of the guard in…
Why a Planned Statue of Britain's 'Iron Lady,' Margaret Thatcher, Is So Polarizing
Set to be installed in the prime minister’s hometown of Grantham next year, the ten-foot-tall work has both supporters and detractors
College Sophomores Discover Hidden Text in Medieval Manuscript
Students at Rochester Institute of Technology used a self-developed UV imaging system to assess a 15th-century religious document
Why Scholars, Cultural Institutions Are Calling to Protect Armenian Heritage
After six weeks of fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia agreed to cede control of territories in the contested region to Azerbaijan
Missing Australian Masterpiece Spent 115 Years Hiding in Plain Sight
Impressionist Frederick McCubbin painted “The Pioneer” (1904) over an earlier work titled “Found”
Seven Native American Chefs Share Thanksgiving Recipes
These original Thanksgiving foods are far different from the modern celebrations, but tradition is never static
Trump’s Disinformation Campaign Threatens to Undermine the Government
The “continuity of government” problem is an artifact of the nuclear age. What happens to the national command authority vested in the president—and what happens to nuclear deterrence—if a surprise attack decapitates the U.S. leadership? The fear of a first-strike targeting nuclear weapons against the president and others at the highest levels of the U.S.…
A Brief History of the Falklands War
The latest season of Netflix’s “The Crown” dramatizes the 1982 clash between Argentina and the United Kingdom
As Congress Fails to Act, Only the Fed Can Save the Economy
In a seemingly routine announcement, out-going Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin abruptly asked the Federal Reserve to return money that it had been advanced earlier this year to make emergency purchases of corporate bonds, municipal bonds, loans to mid-sized businesses, and almost any institution public or private that found itself in duress because of the economic…
The Storied History of Giving in America
Throughout American history, philanthropy has involved the offering of time, money and moral concern to benefit others, but it carries a complicated legacy
A History of Felines, as Narrated and Illustrated by a Cat
Baba the cat is both storyteller and photographic model in what is perhaps the most unique cat history book ever published
Art Historian Claims a Newly Discovered Drawing Is the Work of Leonardo da Vinci
Much like “Salvator Mundi,” the proposed da Vinci sketch is likely to attract intense scrutiny
I Helped Negotiate the Iran Nuclear Deal. Here’s How Joe Biden Could Revive It
It won’t be easy, writes Baroness Catherine Ashton, one of the agreement’s lead negotiators
Donald Trump Is Endangering America’s National Security for His Ego
At the height of a global pandemic and in the depth of a national recession, Donald Trump has endangered our national security by forcing the Pentagon into his latest culture war. Since the moment it was clear he was going to lose the election, Trump has spent his time spewing conspiracy theories so baseless they’ve…
Long-Hidden Trove of Bob Dylan Letters, Handwritten Lyrics Heads to Auction
The archives of harmonica player and close Dylan friend Tony Glover act as a “time capsule” of 20th-century music, says RR Auction
Getting a Taste of 100 Years of Wayne Thiebaud
The American artist turns 100 this month, and a new exhibit in California examines the full, delicious spread of his work
Biden Faces a World That Will Be Wary of U.S. Leadership
For four years, Donald J. Trump has kept both U.S. foes and allies off-balance with his “America first” approach to global politics. For a world that had grown accustomed to the U.S. as rule-maker rather than rule-breaker of the international order, Trump’s embrace of “What have you done for us lately?” international relations was understandably…
Smithsonian Museums and the National Zoo to Close Due to Increased Cases of Covid-19
In an official statement, the Institution announced a temporary closing of all its public facilities beginning November 23
Virtual Museum of Lost Art Asks Visitors to Help Track Down Missing Masterpieces
A new online exhibition revisits the fate of stolen or vanished paintings by the likes of van Gogh, Monet and Cézanne
What I Learned From What Paradise Lost
California is on fire. More than 4.1 million acres in the state have burned this year, double the previous record. Stats like these can be numbing. But for hundreds of thousands of Californians, they’re very real. They’ve watched fires sprint down hillsides and reduce their homes to ash in minutes. They’ve driven their cars through…
How History Records the Peculiar Role of America’s First Ladies
A new exhibition, “Every Eye is Upon Me,” pays tribute to the ever-changing role of the women who hold this unelected office
What the Survival of the Hawaiian Language Means to Those Who Speak It
A Smithsonian curator recalls his own experience learning the native tongue
How Tyrus Wong's Christmas Cards Captivated the American Public
The unlikely Hollywood visionary of ‘Bambi’ fame designed what would become some of the most popular holiday stationery of all time
The Case of the Autographed Corpse
The author of the Perry Mason novels rose to the defense of an Apache shaman who was falsely convicted of killing his wife
I Thought I’d Get to See My Mother Again. Then the Pandemic Hit
This year on my mother’s birthday, in October, I woke up from one of many dreams I’ve had about her since her death. I’d been sitting with family and friends in my grandmother’s backyard, our lawn chairs scattered across a carpet of sun-dappled grass. We were all talking, sharing memories of my mom. I don’t…
The Failure of the Magnavox Odyssey Led the Way for the Future of Gaming
The first console reached homes 11 years before Nintendo, marking the beginning of a multibillion-dollar industry
The Exotic Vest That Introduced America to Jimi Hendrix
The fashionable garment conjures the guitarist’s dazzling performance at the Monterey County Fairgrounds