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
When a museum mom says one of her favorite things is a “Lil’ Stinker,” it’s wise to double-check what she’s referring to! Continue reading A Few of my Favorite Things: Shannon Baldioli
Few Americans remember the 1957 pandemic – the one that sputtered out before it did real damage. Yet that event left a lasting legacy in how public health experts think about and plan for future outbreaks. Continue reading The US dodged a bird flu pandemic in 1957 thanks to eggs and dumb luck – with a new strain spreading fast, will Americans get lucky again?
Rare portraits reveal the humanity of the enslaved people who revolted on the slave ship Amistad in 1839. The verdict in their trial became a landmark case for litigating the illegal slave trade, which continued to expand over the next two decades until finally ending in the 1860s. Continue reading “They light the darkness”
The Bennu asteroid has revealed its secrets its secrets to scientists −and clues to how the building blocks of life on Earth may have been seeded. Continue reading Have we found the building blocks of life on Earth?
The exhibition Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond highlights the imprint of Asian Americans on the physical and cultural terrain of Washington, D.C. Matt Kaufax of WTOP News recently visited this important new exhibition from the Asian Pacific American Center. Continue reading Adding insight to “Sightlines”
Giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao’s public debut at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute Jan. 24, generated a bit of local interest.
(Ed. note: If you’re excited by the return of Panda Cam, wait until you hear about the M&Ms.) Continue reading Giant Pandas debut at the Zoo
Firefighting planes are dumping ocean water on the Los Angeles fires − why using saltwater is typically a last resort Continue reading The Conversation: Why don’t we use the ocean to fight fires?
Ellen Stofan, Under Secretary for Science and Research, announced this week that four Smithsonian colleagues have been honored with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) Continue reading Four Smithsonian scientists honored with Presidential Award
Vote now for the Autumn 2025 Windows Lock Screen. Voting ends Sunday, September 21st! Continue reading Vote now for the Autumn 2025 Windows Lock Screen
(Ed. note: We should note that it's never wise to stand behind a cow, even a buttery one. Cow pies never win blue ribbons.) Continue reading Behind the Butter Cow: A Look at the Renwick’s new State Fair exhibition
More than $2.5 million in grants has been awarded to fund projects ranging from exposing little kids to nature, the link between movement and emotional wellbeing and building a robotic telescope. Continue reading 2025 Together we Thrive
Melanie Adams will serve as interim director beginning August 26. Continue reading Director of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum is stepping down
