From high-school English teacher and steakhouse line cook to the manager of a 4,000-item botany collection, Sue Lutz’ career demonstrates that “luck is preparation meeting opportunity.” Continue reading A Few of My Favorite Things: Sue Lutz
Can you tell a toxic cane toad from a delicious Túngara frog just by listening? Fringe-lipped bats can. (Guess their super-hearing is some compensation for the fringe-lip thing.) Continue reading Young bats learn to be discriminating when listening for their next meal
From silent films to streaming services, cinema has evolved throughout the past 150 years and continues to shape American culture and technology. Continue reading Lights, Camera, Curate: Understanding the History and Preservation of the Film Industry
NMNH paleoanthropologist Briana Pobiner helped identify the earliest evidence of humans in Eastern Europe—tiny cut marks on bone fossils. Continue reading Evidence suggests that our human ancestors were hunting (and eating) in Romania almost 2 million years ago
The Smithsonian has hit a milestone in its efforts to diffuse its knowledge to the public: 42 experts among the Smithsonian’s scholarly community have written 50 articles for The Conversation that have reached more than 2 million readers. Continue reading We have a lot to say. And people are listening.
Reneé S. Anderson, collections manager at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, writes about a civil rights icon near and dear to her heart. Continue reading Fashion Forward: Mae Reeves used her show-stopping hats to help get out the vote
Visit the Harry Winston Gallery at the National Museum of Natural History to see some of the rarest diamonds in the world. Harry Winston gave the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1958, and 67 years later, Harry’s son Ron donated an equally exquisite collection of his own: 119 Fancy color diamonds, a portion of… Continue reading Winston Fancy Color Diamonds Make Their Public Debut
We don’t know if orchids just fell in with low companions and bad influences along the way, but they have evolved to be the most duplicitous of flora. Continue reading Deceit: A deadly sin or necessary survival adaptation?
Is baseball ready for robot umpires? Or will they strike out? Historian Eric Hintz considers the implications of automating the calls of balls and strikes. Continue reading When algorithms take the field – Inside baseball’s experiment with robot umpires
Fernanda Abra, an award-winning post-doctoral fellow at the National Zoo’s Conservation Biology Institute, explains how her work building bridges for animals to safely cross busy highways also helped build bridges to local indigenous communities in Amazonia. Continue reading Building Bridges in the Amazon
Join Taliia Smith of the Office of Public Relations' Social Media team as she celebrates Teacher's Appreciation Day by appreciating some teachers. Continue reading Celebrating Smithsonian Educators
We are reevaluating and working to improve the survey to better meet the needs of both staff and leadership. Continue reading Update on the 2025 Smithsonian Employee Perspective Survey
The Smithsonian Excellence in Digital Awards acknowledge, honor, and elevate outstanding staff achievements across a variety of digital disciplines Continue reading Nominations are now open for the 2025 Excellence in Digital Awards
Brachman brings 20 years of experience on Capitol Hill and in the private sector to her new role. Continue reading Anne Brachman named new director of the Office of Government Relations
"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." - Muhammad Ali Continue reading Volunteer Spotlight: Maureen Bryant’s half-century of service
