Smithsonian Magazine

These Sea Slugs Can ‘Eat’ Sunlight—but They’re No Astrophage. Here’s How the ‘Project Hail Mary’ Antagonist Has a Real-Life Analogue in Earth’s Oceans

By snatching chloroplasts from algae, animals called sacoglossans produce their own energy through photosynthesis ...
Family Destinations Guide

The Historic Restaurant In Colorado With 19th-Century Charm You Need To Visit

Miner’s Claim Restaurant in Silt, Colorado serves contemporary cuisine in a 19th-century boarding house that once sheltered ...
Family Destinations Guide

The Incredible Bookstore In Arizona Where Everything Is A Steal

For Arizona residents, Bookmans Phoenix Entertainment Exchange is a local business worth supporting. Shopping here keeps ...

Alien.gov mystery grows after White House says 'Stay tuned'

In a statement provided to USA TODAY on March 19, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said, "Stay tuned!" including an alien emoji after her message. The Pentagon did not ...

A Study Suggests Aliens Aren’t Little Green Men. They’re Purple People Eaters.

A study from Cornell University discovered that a particular purple “light fingerprint” could be indicative of ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Alien Life Could Look Nothing Like What We Expect. Here’s How Microbes Beyond Earth Might Live Without Liquid Water

Like the lead character of “Project Hail Mary,” some scientists are proposing ways that life might exist beyond a star’s ...

The Paleo Diet Never Existed. Scientists Found What Early Humans Were Really Eating.

Humans are actually limited in how much protein they can metabolize for energy, meaning early humans really needed a more ...

‘Project Hail Mary’ explores unique forms of life in space – 5 essential reads on searching for aliens that look nothing like life on Earth

“Project Hail Mary,” the movie adaptation to Andy Weir’s 2021 novel about a science teacher attempting to save the Earth from sun-eating microbes, was released in March 2026 to stellar ratings from ...