Smithsonian Magazine

The discovery suggests humans may have maintained relationships with wolves long after domesticated dogs came on the scene Dogs are man’s best friend. But exactly how these furry canines came to be humanity’s closest animal companions remains one of science’s mysteries. One leading hypothesis is that some wolves began hanging around human settlements, where they scavenged leftover food and gradually became less fearful of people.

23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Artistic Cirrus Minor A cute single cloud is floated in the blue sky to show spring. Photo Detail Date Taken: 03.2023 Date Uploaded: 09.2025 Photo Location: shiraz, Iran Copyright: © mohammad amin shafiei Awards Photo of the Day: 07.12.26

23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Artistic Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow On March 16, 2024, at an ancient-style venue in Zhongjiang County, Deyang City, Sichuan Province, two actors were performing a historical drama. Photo Detail Date Taken: 03.2024 Date Uploaded: 09.2025 Photo Location: Zhongjiang County, Deyang City, Sichuan Province, China Camera: Canon EOS 6D Copyright: © Junyang Liu Awards Photo of the Day: 07.11.26

The mud-brick village boasts streets, towers and a large church. Researchers unearthed everyday objects like grain grinders, an oven and some 200 ostraca—ancient receipts and notes written on broken pottery Beneath the western desert of Egypt, researchers discovered a settlement dating back to the fourth century C.E.—a remarkably intact remainder of the Byzantine Empire. The site contains housing quarters, a grid of streets and a basilica.

The illness is caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, which spreads via food or water contaminated with feces, usually on farms. Health officials are still investigating the source of the multistate outbreak Cases of a parasitic infection that can cause “explosive” diarrhea have surged across the United States in recent weeks, according to health officials.

A trio of burglars stole 27 pieces, including a dragonfly pendant, from the Lalique Museum in eastern France Months after burglars broke into the Louvre and stole royal crown jewels, another brazen art theft rocked France. Early on Sunday, three masked thieves armed with sledgehammers forced their way into the Lalique Museum in the French village of Wingen-sur-Moder near the country’s eastern border, reports Kelly Crow for the Wall Street Journal.

Spectacular marine fossils tell the story of the long-gone Western Interior Seaway and the planet’s past aquatic life South Dakota has no oceanfront. The landlocked state is more than a thousand miles from both the Pacific and the Atlantic, and a rural spot within its borders is regarded as the “continental point of inaccessibility” from the ocean. And yet, signs of the salty water are still there, enclosed in rocks laid down by a long-vanished seaway that once split North America in two.

John Pumphrey was still a boy when he enlisted in the Continental Army in 1777. After archaeologists discovered his remains, a genetic genealogy analysis identified 20,000 DNA matches for living relatives The boy was around 14 when he joined the Continental Army. He signed his enlistment papers with an “X,” suggesting that he’d never learned to write his name. During his three-and-a-half-year military career, he marched more than 1,000 miles.

Slow-motion videos suggest that the insects display distinct behaviors when they like or dislike a snack. The findings might offer a new way to study their emotion-like states How do you know if a bumblebee is enjoying its meal? Possibly, the same way you would know for a dog—licking its lips. When bumblebees sip something sweet, they extend and retract their tongues.

At the center of the concrete jungle, the green expanse provides New York with a real retreat to nature Since its wintry opening in 1858, Central Park has been a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of New York, which can overwhelm residents and visitors alike. Offering gondola rides, carousels and swimming in the summer and ice-skating, horse-drawn carriages and sledding as temperatures drop, Central Park is a dream for those who love the outdoors.