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Articles for Smithsonian

Giant sloths and mastodons lived with humans for millennia in the Americas, new discoveries suggest
3 days, 18 hours ago

Giant sloths and mastodons lived with humans for millennia in the Americas, new discoveries suggest

Associated Press  

SAO PAULO — Sloths weren’t always slow-moving, furry tree-dwellers. Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print “There was this idea that humans arrived and killed everything off very quickly — what’s called ‘Pleistocene overkill,’” said Daniel Odess, an archaeologist at White Sands National Park in New Mexico. Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook …

South America New Mexico Washington Share Giant Sao Paulo Ago
The best of New York City’s tiny bizarre hidden museums
5 days, 8 hours ago

The best of New York City’s tiny bizarre hidden museums

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery This image shows Mmuseumm 1, one of the smallest museums in New York At other small …

Art New York City City Museum Museums New York Washington
NYC has scores of small, specialized or quirky museums. Here are some highlights
1 week, 5 days ago

NYC has scores of small, specialized or quirky museums. Here are some highlights

Associated Press  

New York can be a magical place for museumgoers. Here’s some of what’s happening at NYC’s “other” museums: 227 W 27th St. Tucked inside the Fashion Institute of Technology, behind the big sculpture in front, is the city’s only museum solely devoted to fashion. “It’s about Africa as an idea that continues to inspire designers from Africa and also those …

Art New York City City Museum Museums New York Washington
How did mussels sneak into California, despite decades of state shipping rules?
3 weeks, 6 days ago

How did mussels sneak into California, despite decades of state shipping rules?

Associated Press  

After the recent discovery of a destructive mussel in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, some experts say California officials have failed to effectively enforce laws designed to protect waterways from invaders carried in ships’ ballast water. A state law enacted 20 years ago has required California officials to inspect 25% of incoming ships and sample their ballast water before it’s …

Water Ships California Invasive Species Rules Species State
How Trump can rid Washington of wokeness
4 weeks ago

How Trump can rid Washington of wokeness

Live Mint  

That the electorate has rejected wokeness should be obvious by now. • Rescind and reverse all of Mr. Biden’s executive orders implementing DEI and gender theory, including Executive Order 13985, which advanced a “whole-of-government equity agenda.” Mr. Biden also signed executive orders supporting “gender-affirming” medical interventions on minors, including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries. The National Museum of African …

Congress Trump Census Biden Executive Dei Woke
Ella Jenkins, celebrated songwriter and ‘First Lady of Children’s Music,’ dies at 100
1 month, 1 week ago

Ella Jenkins, celebrated songwriter and ‘First Lady of Children’s Music,’ dies at 100

LA Times  

Ella Jenkins, the prolific, multigenerational musical pioneer who became known as the “First Lady of Children’s Music,” died Saturday. She started creating songs for children while volunteering at a Chicago recreation center, guided by the belief that music was not an entity in itself, but “a way of helping children learn a bit about themselves and appreciate who they are.” …

Music Children Chicago Song Songs Grammy Award Ella
David Rubenstein looks back on his first year as owner of the Baltimore Orioles
2 months ago

David Rubenstein looks back on his first year as owner of the Baltimore Orioles

NPR  

David Rubenstein looks back on his first year as owner of the Baltimore Orioles A MARTÍNEZ, HOST: It's playoff time for Major League Baseball, a golden time for teams still in contention, like the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians, as heard here in this ESPN highlight from last night's game. RUBENSTEIN: I was a little boy who played …

Business World Money Team Think Things Know
The Panda Factories
2 months, 1 week ago

The Panda Factories

New York Times  

National Zoo Washington, 2007 Smithsonian Institution Archives The Panda Factories In the 1990s, China began sending pandas to foreign zoos to be bred, in the hope that future generations could be released into nature. Scroll to continue Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding Sichuan, China, 2000 Smithsonian Institution Archives San Diego Zoo California, 2024 Ariana Drehsler for The New …

China Zoo National Washington Chinese Beijing Getty Images
Bobbleheads, Magic 8 Balls and other Smithsonian artifacts reveal historical significance of US presidential debates
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Bobbleheads, Magic 8 Balls and other Smithsonian artifacts reveal historical significance of US presidential debates

New Indian Express  

The debates were exceptionally persuasive: More than half the voters in 1960 said the debates had influenced their votes. But 16 years passed before candidate debates became a permanent fixture in the presidential campaign season. President Lyndon Johnson did not want to give Sen. Barry Goldwater free exposure in 1964, and Nixon was totally uninterested in 1968 and 1972. But …

Presidential Debates
Bernice Johnson Reagon, whose powerful voice helped propel the Civil Rights Movement, has died
5 months ago

Bernice Johnson Reagon, whose powerful voice helped propel the Civil Rights Movement, has died

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Music Rights Civil Songs American Kernodle Reagon
Bernice Johnson Reagon, whose powerful voice helped propel the Civil Rights Movement, has died
5 months ago

Bernice Johnson Reagon, whose powerful voice helped propel the Civil Rights Movement, has died

Associated Press  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Bernice Johnson Reagon, a musician and scholar who used her rich, powerful contralto voice in the service of the American Civil Rights Movement and human rights struggles around the world, died on July 16, according to her daughter’s social media post. She described Reagon as someone “whose divine energy and intellect and talent all intersect in such …

Music Civil Songs American Kernodle Reagon Rights Movement
The winner in China’s panda diplomacy: the pandas themselves
5 months ago

The winner in China’s panda diplomacy: the pandas themselves

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — China’s panda diplomacy may have one true winner: the pandas themselves. Male Giant Panda, Mei Sheng born in San Diego Zoo in 2003 and returned to China in 2007, eats bamboo under a hut at the Bifengxia Panda Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Ya’an, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Monday, June …

Conservation France China Research Zoo Japan Germany
How Smithsonian curators scavenge political conventions
5 months, 1 week ago

How Smithsonian curators scavenge political conventions

Raw Story  

Thousands of Republicans, from a presidential candidate to grassroots party members, began assembling in Milwaukee on July 15, 2024, for that quadrennial political ritual, the party convention. They’re self-described “scavengers” of the physical objects that make up political campaign history, from candidate buttons to signs, banners and anything else that can enter the Smithsonian’s campaign collection – which dates back …

History National Political Campaign Objects Democratic Museum Republican
Opinion: This July 4th weekend, a different way to celebrate the history we share
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Opinion: This July 4th weekend, a different way to celebrate the history we share

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Lonnie G. Bunch III is the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. CNN — The American flag that flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, during the War of 1812 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner” is just one of the precious artifacts displayed at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, viewed by many …

History Library Congress National Museum Archives American
Two new giant pandas to return to D.C.'s Smithsonian's National Zoo
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Two new giant pandas to return to D.C.'s Smithsonian's National Zoo

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Months after the nation’s capital bid an emotional farewell to its giant pandas, the National Zoo is expecting a renewed surge in panda-mania with the announcement that two more of the furry black-and-white icons will be coming to Washington. “We’re thrilled to announce the next chapter of our breeding and conservation partnership begins by welcoming two new bears, …

Conservation China Zoo National Washington Bao Chinese
Killer whales are killer whales, right? It might be a lot more complicated than that
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Killer whales are killer whales, right? It might be a lot more complicated than that

LA Times  

More than 150 years ago, a San Francisco whaler noticed something about killer whales that scientists may be about to formally recognize — at least in name. Transients — also called Bigg’s killer whales — hunt seals and other marine mammals in small packs in expansive waters stretching from Southern California to the Arctic Circle. “We’re facing a global conservation …

Latin Marine Species Jefferson Researchers Whales Morin
Panda diplomacy? China to send pandas to the San Diego Zoo for the first time in years
10 months ago

Panda diplomacy? China to send pandas to the San Diego Zoo for the first time in years

LA Times  

China could soon be sending giant pandas to the U.S. for the first time in years, reigniting “panda diplomacy” between the two countries. has secured agreements with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and the Madrid Zoo Aquarium of Spain regarding the conservation of giant pandas, according to Xinhua, China’s news agency. China’s president suggests they might Chinese President Xi …

Conservation China Zoo California Chinese San Giant
Is it ever ethical for museums to display human remains?
11 months ago

Is it ever ethical for museums to display human remains?

BBC  

Is it ever ethical for museums to display human remains? When the Human Remains Working Group of the German Museums Association drew up its first guidelines in 2013, "for our recommendations, it really didn't matter if a person died 100 years ago or 1,000 years ago", says ethnologist Wiebke Ahrndt, the chair of the working group. Getty Images Like many …

Display New Zealand Museum South America Museums Scientific Body Parts
What the purple dress in Oprah Winfrey's new portrait really means
1 year ago

What the purple dress in Oprah Winfrey's new portrait really means

BBC  

What the purple dress in Oprah Winfrey's new portrait really means National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution Oprah Winfrey by Shawn Michael Warren A new portrait of Oprah Winfrey has just been unveiled in Washington DC. Unveiled this week at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, this merrily luminous full-length oil-on-linen likeness of the acclaimed US talk show host, author, producer, and …

National Warren Purple Colour National Portrait Gallery Portrait Oprah Winfrey
This week on Oprah: An icon’s legacy, weight-loss rumors, caresses from Drew B. and a Smithsonian portrait
1 year ago

This week on Oprah: An icon’s legacy, weight-loss rumors, caresses from Drew B. and a Smithsonian portrait

LA Times  

Oprah Winfrey confirmed that she does now use weight-loss medication paired with lifestyle changes. Together they discussed Winfrey’s early days working in television, as well as Winfrey’s forthcoming musical film adaptation of “The Color Purple.” But all viewers could seem to focus on was the way Barrymore clutched Winfrey’s hand throughout the interview, stroking her arm as she leaned in …

Legacy Barrymore Oprah Purple This Week Shepherd National Portrait Gallery
When stars are on stage, this designer makes it personal for each fan in the stadium
1 year ago

When stars are on stage, this designer makes it personal for each fan in the stadium

NPR  

When stars are on stage, this designer makes it personal for each fan in the stadium Enlarge this image toggle caption Es Devlin/Thames & Hudson Es Devlin/Thames & Hudson In the post-pandemic fervor for live music, stadium concerts have shattered records. But for British stage designer Es Devlin, who has crafted some of the most acclaimed pop spectacles in recent …

Stadium Beyoncé Stage Caption Designs Devlin Es Devlin
She influenced decades of design with blingy, colorful textiles. A new exhibit pays tribute
1 year, 2 months ago

She influenced decades of design with blingy, colorful textiles. A new exhibit pays tribute

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Weaver and designer Dorothy Liebes helped define the look and feel of 20th century luxury, from first-class airline seats to movie backdrops, hotel suites to bathing suits, metallic wallpaper to car upholstery. An eye-popping exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum takes a giant step toward changing that, revealing the breadth and impact of Liebes’ work …

Design Textiles Light Color Museum Textile Exhibit
Pandas could be gone from America’s zoos by the end of next year
1 year, 2 months ago

Pandas could be gone from America’s zoos by the end of next year

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Wearing an “I Love Pandas” T-shirt and clutching a panda-covered diary, Kelsey Lambert bubbled with excitement as she glimpsed the real thing. So we had to do it now that they’re going away.” The National Zoo’s three giant pandas — Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji — are set to return to China in …

China Zoo National Memphis Washington End Chinese
Science paints a new picture of the ancient past, when we mixed and mated with other kinds of humans
1 year, 2 months ago

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

Associated Press  

What does it mean to be human? “A different way to be human.” What’s more, humans had close — even intimate — interactions with some of these other groups, including Neanderthals, Denisovans and “ghost populations” we only know from DNA. Archaeologist John Shea of New York’s Stony Brook University said he used to think of Neanderthals and H. sapiens as …

History Ancient Human History Dna Human Different Humans