This Bee Works 50 Times Harder than the Honey Bee
Using blue orchard bees to pollinate crops is an idea with a lot of promise. For one thing, they visit 50 times more flowers than honey bees!
Sep 07, 2015•2 min
Smithsonian Channel Pick of the Week
The latest in science, culture, and history from Smithsonian Channel.
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Episodes
The 1960s Conspiracy That Inspired Spielberg
When policemen spotted a "flying saucer" in 1966, an official investigation declared it was an optical illusion created by swamp gas. But some say that's just what the government wanted us to believe.
Aug 31, 2015•5 min
A Film Crew Unleashes 40,000 Killer Bees on Itself
The 'Secrets of the Hive' film crew spare no precaution for a daunting task ahead: filming tens of thousands of killer bees, angry at the intrusion into their hive.
Aug 31, 2015•3 min
Surviving a Surface-to-Air Missile Attack in Iraq
Experience the tense moments after a terrorist group fires a missile at the wings of a DHL Airbus - the first civilian aircraft casualty of the Iraq war.
Aug 24, 2015•4 min
What Secrets Lie in The Hope Diamond?
Smithsonian scientists use cutting-edge technology to extract atoms from the surface of the Hope Diamond in hopes of unraveling its unique DNA.
Aug 10, 2015•4 min
The Bond Between Soldiers and Dogs of War
Dogs have a long history of serving their countries as military scouts, rescue dogs, and messengers.
Aug 10, 2015•2 min
Why Jack the Ripper's Identity May Soon Be Proven
Despite the length of time that's passed since he first terrorized London, enthusiasm and interest in Jack the Ripper has never been stronger. Which is why we're closer than ever to unmasking him.
Aug 03, 2015•4 min
Harrowing Accounts from Hiroshima Survivors
After an American B-29 bomber dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the explosion instantly killed tens of thousands of people and left many wounded. These survivors recount the horrific aftermath.
Aug 03, 2015•4 min
Who Really Invented Monopoly?
Monopoly, arguably the most-famous board game, was invented by Charles Darrow. But many attribute the original idea to Lizzie Magie, a Quaker and the creator of the Landlord's Game, which bears striking resemblance to its more-popular successor.
Jul 27, 2015•5 min
An Unexpectedly Adorable Polar Bear Reunion
Polar Bears have an undeserved reputation as loners. Not only do they form friendships and spend time together, they even meet up year after year!
Jul 27, 2015•45 sec
Your Baby Stroller Was Designed by This Aerospace Engineer
Owen Maclaren was one of the design engineers of the WWII Spitfire fighter plane. In the 1960s, he applied his knowledge to a very different field: baby buggies.
Jul 20, 2015•5 min
Amazing: Leopard Rockets Up a Tree to Catch Owls
Thirty feet up in a tree, a group of owls are not expecting this four-legged predator to come calling. The lesson here: Never underestimate a leopard's speed and agility.
Jul 20, 2015•2 min
The Crime of the Century
Famous architect Stanford White commissioned scandalous portraits of Evelyn Nesbit, driving her husband Henry Thaw to murder.
Jul 13, 2015•2 min
Ride into Space with This Record-Breaking Amateur Rocket
In 2004, the GoFast Rocket set a world record by breaking the space barrier and rising to an altitude of 72 miles. A new team of enthusiasts is trying to beat it, and they've attached a camera for launch.
Jul 13, 2015•4 min
Is the Inca Maiden the World's Best-Preserved Mummy?
At least 500 years old, the Inca maiden found at the top of the Andes is so well-preserved that visitors find themselves whispering, for fear of waking her.
Jul 06, 2015•4 min
Goliath Tigerfish: The Super-Sized Piranha
Imagine crossing a shark with a piranha. That's how one experienced angler describes the "living nightmare" known as the Goliath tigerfish.
Jul 06, 2015•2 min
Frogsicles: Frozen But Still Alive
The wood frog's body makes its own anti-freeze that allows it to survive the winter. The secret ingredient? You'll never guess.
Jun 29, 2015•4 min
Why the Yellowstone Supervolcano Could Be Huge
One of the world's largest supervolcanoes erupted 2.1 million years ago in Yellowstone, and then twice more there at intervals of roughly 660,000 years. Are we due for another one soon?
Jun 29, 2015•3 min
The Fighter Plane Powerful Enough to Destroy a Satellite in Space
In the midst of the Cold War, the U.S. began to develop anti-satellite aircrafts to combat Russia's vast space expansion. This F-15 footage from 1985 is the first time they succeeded.
Jun 22, 2015•4 min
You Won't Believe What the First Toothbrush Was Made of
When William Addis was sentenced to prison in the late 18th century, he occupied himself with an unheard of task: perfecting the world's first mass-produced toothbrush.
Jun 15, 2015•5 min
Why Genghis Khan Has 16 Million Living Relatives
Beyond his vast military conquests, Genghis Khan was concerned with building a genetic dynasty. It began with a harem of 7,000 women.
Jun 15, 2015•50 sec
Why Does This Ancient Corpse Have a Manicure?
The bog-preserved corpse of Croghan Man had well-manicured nails and a leather-plated armlet. What could this tell us about his role in an ancient society?
Jun 01, 2015•4 min
The Rollercoaster Was Invented to Save America from Satan
In the 1880s, LaMarcus Thompson was troubled by America's slide into hedonism and immorality. Out of that concern, we got the rollercoaster.
Jun 01, 2015•4 min
This Frog's Poison Can Kill 10 Men
They may be the size of bottle caps, but poison dart frogs store a toxin 200 times stronger than morphine in their skin.
May 18, 2015•2 min
Why the Town of Lalibela is One of Ethiopia's Holiest Sites
No one knows for certain why the Lalibela churches share many similarities with Judaism, but scholars propose a handful of holy theories.
May 11, 2015•3 min
A River that Decides Tax Rates
After Muslims conquered Egypt, they build the Nilometer, a tool to measure the country's biggest, wettest source of revenue.
May 04, 2015•2 min
This Sidewinding Snake Slithers at 18 MPH
Reaching speeds up to 18 MPH, the sidewinder slithers rapidly along the desert dunes. The way it buries itself in the sand is even scarier.
May 04, 2015•3 min
This Photograph Could Be Older Than the Camera Obscura
Art Historian Nicholas Allen has a radical theory about the image on the Shroud of Turin; he believes it was the world's first photograph, taken 500 years before the known invention of photography.
Apr 27, 2015•3 min
Why Vietnam POWs Refused This CIA Rescue Mission
In May 1972, the CIA launched Operation Thunderhead to rescue escaped American soldiers from a North Vietnamese prison. Here's why James Bond Stockdale and the other "Hanoi Hilton" POWs decided to shut it down.
Apr 27, 2015•4 min
Is This Dolphin Speaking English?
Researcher Margaret Howe's initial focus with Peter the dolphin was teaching him the basics of human conversation: getting him to listen to speech, then encouraging him to "speak."
Apr 20, 2015•2 min
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