The Latest Breaking News from Smithsonian

Congress presses Smithsonian director on new museums, ‘panda diplomacy’

“We would like to have the pandas back,” Lonnie Bunch III, who leads the Smithsonian Institution, told the House Administration Committee.

Roll Call · Dec 12, 2023

Exit from Edinburgh zoo may signal end to era of China’s panda diplomacy

Beijing’s strained relations with the west are less easily mollified by loans of cuddly endangered bears

The Guardian - UK · Dec 1, 2023

Afternoon Update: Brittany Higgins cross-examination continues; Smithsonian returns Indigenous remains; and first LGBTQ+ couple legally weds in south Asia

Higgins says she wore white pencil dress at Liberal party function after the alleged rape because she was ‘trying to reclaim it’

The Guardian - AU · Dec 1, 2023

Science paints a new picture of the ancient past, when we mixed and mated with other kinds of humans

The science of human evolution has made big leaps in recent years, and it’s painting a new picture of our origins

The Independent UK · Sep 24, 2023

Amazon driver in serious condition after rattlesnake bite in Florida

Driver was delivering package to Palm City home when she was bitten by an eastern diamondback rattlesnake near the front door

The Guardian - US · Sep 20, 2023

Bethesda Founder Christopher Weaver Is Racing to Protect Video Game History

From creating Elder Scrolls to preserving the origins of the industry, Christopher Weaver reflects on his career in video games — and what comes next.

Inverse · Sep 14, 2023

A landmark study opens a new possible way for Black Americans to trace their ancestry

Researchers have compared the DNA of 27 Black people who lived at the Catoctin furnace between 1774 and 1850, finding a link between these enslaved Americans and nearly 42,000 living relatives.

WEKU · Aug 4, 2023

1st Barbie dolls to fly into space make their debut at Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

The National Air and Space Museum debuted the first Barbie dolls to fly in space. They appear to be like all of the other Barbie "Space Discovery" dolls found in stores, and that may be the point.

Space · Jul 19, 2023

San Diego's Lou Curtiss, a mentor to Tom Waits and other music greats, is celebrated in new film

SAN DIEGO — Tom Waits and RuPaul. Joan Baez and Mojo Nixon.

Tribune News Service · Jun 20, 2023

Sally's Night events mark 40 years since 1st US woman flew in space

From an afternoon at the ballpark to Afternoon Tea, museums and science centers are celebrating Sally's Night and the 40th anniversary of Sally Ride becoming the first American woman in space.

Space · Jun 13, 2023