From “experimental archaeology” to the mysterious appeal of exploration, the wide-ranging subjects detailed in these titles captivated Smithsonian magazine’s science contributors this year Joe Spring, ...

Emily H. Wilson is wild for this sci-fi novel: I’ve not heard our sci-fi columnist recommend a book so wholeheartedly in all the time she’s written for us. It follows Mawukana na-Vdnaze, a deep-space ...

In 2025, our science reporters followed the first confirmed glimpse of a colossal squid and a rare look at dinosaur blood vessels. We watched the odds of a future asteroid impact climb to ...

This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. Thankfully, we can still turn to our bookshelves — and podcasts — to ground us. We tapped science doyenne Alie ...