Paddling the remote oxbow lakes and bayous of the White River National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas, the team of scientists was seeking proof of a […]

The post Nest discovery turns back the clock to days of Daniel Boone and Colonial America appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

An 880-pound asteroid moving at 38,000 miles per hour hit the moon last September with a blast equivalent to 15 tons of TNT. While errant […]

The post Give us the telescopes and we’ll find the asteroid mines! appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Almost 14 billion years ago, the universe we inhabit burst into existence in an extraordinary event that initiated the Big Bang. In the first fleeting […]

The post Astronomers observe first direct evidence of Cosmic Inflation appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Finding a fossil is the first step, recognizing it for what it truly is, is the real challenge. While closely studying three fossil skeletons from […]

The post One Scary Chicken—New species of large, feathered dinosaur discovered appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Mention coral reefs and images like snorkeling, tropical fish and sunny island getaways pop to mind. Vacation packages are not being offered, however, for many […]

The post Cold, dark and lonely: Deep-water corals thrive where the sun never shines appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Parents normally feel the need to provide well for their kids. For humans, that number of offspring is usually in the single digits, but a […]

The post The secret formula to feeding 900 babies: Scientists uncover milk composition of naked mole-rat queens appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

On April 15 the National Museum of Natural History took delivery of a nearly complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. Called the Nation’s T. rex, it will be the centerpiece of […]

The post Smithsonian Welcomes “Nation’s T. rex” to Washington, D.C. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

National Museum of Natural History scientist Torsten Dikow discovered and named a new species of assassin fly, Burmapogon bruckschi, after studying the first two specimens […]

The post Ancient species of assassin fly discovered by Smithsonian scientist appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

After eluding scientists for nearly 80 years, the Clarion nightsnake (Hypsiglena ochrorhyncha unaocularus), a nocturnal reptilian species that was initially discovered in the first half […]

The post Lost species of nightsnake rediscovered in Mexico appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Catalina Suarez Gomez made the type of discovery that most scientists only dream about – and she did it while interning at the Smithsonian Tropical […]

The post Intern aids in discovery of Titanoboa appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Republic of Panama’s proposal to implement four Traffic Separation Schemes for commercial vessels entering and exiting the Panama Canal and ports was approved unanimously […]

The post Commercial shipping lanes changed in Panama to save humpback whales appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A research team from the Smithsonian and Arizona State University have developed a new, non-destructive method using spectroscopic analysis to help unravel the complex chemistry […]

The post Feathers yield mysteries of pigment chemistry to spectroscopic analysis appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

WHAT A new species of stick catfish from South America, so called because the thin, elongated bodies of these fish mimic sticks. About 5 inches […]

The post New species of armored catfish from Colombia appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Here at Smithsonian Science we are celebrating Sloth Week with four little-known facts about sloths, some of which we found in the Smithsonian’s very own […]

The post Discover sloths in a whole new way! appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Ten years ago, eight antennas on the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawai’i, united to form a telescope unlike any other. Since then the Submillimeter Array […]

The post The Submillimeter Array: Celebrating a decade of discovery appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Tasty and easy to find, the heath hen was a favorite dish of America’s colonial settlers. This beautiful little bird, however, was no match for […]

The post Urban landscapes becoming increasingly bird-unfriendly appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Investigators from Rock County, Wisconsin, are one step closer to solving the mystery surrounding the death of an unknown teenager thanks to Smithsonian scientists. Christine […]

The post Smithsonian/Wisconsin police narrow search in 20 year mystery appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the SVF Foundation have launched a new collaboration to strengthen rare and endangered livestock breed conservation through the preservation […]

The post Smithsonian & SVF launch rare-breed livestock conservation partnership appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A newly-discovered species of ant supports a controversial theory of species formation. The ant, known to live only under a single eucalyptus tree on the […]

The post Deadbeat ant species branched off as parasite inside its own colony appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Before iPhones and laptops there were human computers, some of whom worked at the Harvard College Observatory. Women like Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Williamina Fleming, and […]

The post Volunteers needed to preserve astronomical history and promote discovery appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Human skin and gut microbes influence processes from digestion to disease resistance. Despite the fact that tropical forests are the most biodiverse terrestrial ecosystems on […]

The post Smithsonian scientists discover tropical tree microbiome in Panama appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Imagine sitting down at your favorite restaurant when something under the table begins painfully pinching and snipping at your toes. This is basically how T. […]

The post Diversity of resident crabs is key to coral survival appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The rusty-patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis), which has not been seen in the eastern United States in five years, has been found by a Smithsonian […]

The post Rare rusty-patched bumble bee discovered in Virginia survey appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Their flavor is a unique blend of lobster and shrimp say lovers of the savory South American crustaceans called “langostinos.” Simmered with garlic, lime juice, […]

The post Squat lobsters: colorful kings of the ocean floor appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Why is the Sun’s million-degree corona, or outermost atmosphere, so much hotter than the Sun’s surface? This question has baffled astronomers for decades. Today, a […]

The post Tiny ‘nanoflares’ might heat the Sun’s corona appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

From bizarre bugs to penis spines on bats, our world is infinitely expanded when we look down the microscope! Check out the stories behind these […]

The post What is that?! Five Amazing Microscopic Images appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Among the bats, rats and other ferocious animals that lie within the storage drawers of the mammal collection in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural […]

The post The world’s scariest rabbit lurks within the Smithsonian’s collection appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Have you ever had a pet that seemed just a little bit crazy or odd? Can you be sure that it was in control of […]

The post Crazy eyes and mind control – the power of parasites appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

More than two million migrating raptors passed over Panama City on Sunday, Nov. 2, doubling the previous record of almost 900,000 tallied in a single […]

The post Panama shatters raptor migration record appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A few images of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko just sent back by the European spaceship Rosetta appear to be a snowboarder’s dream: pristine slopes covered in powder. […]

The post Comet probe set to answer ancient question of life on earth appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A new study by Florida State University and Smithsonian Institution biologists shows that bleaching events brought on by rising sea temperatures are having a detrimental […]

The post Study: Bleaching events impair long-term coral reproduction appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Astronomers have measured the passing of a super-Earth in front of a bright, nearby Sun-like star using a ground-based telescope for the first time. The […]

The post A first: Ground-based telescope detects super-earth transit appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The challenges of conceiving only get greater as we get older. But if you have some of the most prized genes within your entire species, […]

The post High hopes for 60 year-old crocodile to become mother again appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

While it seems that we can find just about anything on the Internet, it doesn’t mean we know everything yet. Every year, Smithsonian scientists discover […]

The post Five fascinating species discovered by Smithsonian scientists in 2014 appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The majestic feathers of the greater bird of paradise (Paradisaea apoda) have inspired people for thousands of years. Like many birds on the isolated island […]

The post Feathers of seduction – the connection between birds and people of New Guinea appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Native Americans and America’s early colonists ate many more blue crabs than modern researchers previously thought, according to a team of scientists studying crab remains […]

The post American Indians, colonists had healthy appetite for crabs, study shows appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A new water frog from the Pacific slopes of the Andes in central Peru has been described and named in the open access journal ZooKeys. Telmatobius […]

The post New species of bright-yellow water frog discovered in Peru appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A new DNA study of ancient corn kernels and cobs from archaeological sites across North America has settled a long debate as to exactly where […]

The post Corn entered Southwest U.S. first along highland route, DNA shows appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Yabbies, mudbugs, crayfish, crawdads, call them what you will, but one-third of the world’s crayfish species are facing extinction according to a recent report by […]

The post Coming soon: Vacancy at the crawdad hole? appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Three new species of dragon-esque woodlizards have been discovered in the Andean cloud forests of Peru and Ecuador. The new species differ from their closest […]

The post 3 new species of dwarf dragons discovered in Ecuador & Peru appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

For the first time, astronomers have detected the presence of complex organic molecules, the building blocks of life, in a protoplanetary disk surrounding a young […]

The post Complex Organic Molecules Discovered in Infant Star System appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has acquired a large collection from the Sir Arthur C. Clarke Trust. The collection consists of 87 cubic […]

The post Arthur C. Clarke papers come to Air and Space Museum Archives appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Studies show that on average, the weight of cremated remains for men is about 7.13 pounds (plus or minus 1.2 pounds) and for women, 4.9 […]

The post Hi-Tech Analysis Cracks Curious Case of Contaminated Cremains appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

  In the store-rooms of the National Museum of American History curators recently discovered a small microscope made around 1750 by John Cuff (1708-1772), a […]

The post The oldest microscope in the museum appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Ever heard the joke about flying in from Mexico, and boy, are my arms tired? Try telling that to the blackpoll warbler. Researchers recently tracked […]

The post Satellite tracking helps with curlew conservation appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Ah, that new car smell. New plane smell is nice, too. Bright and shiny and fresh is good, right? Sure, unless it is a very […]

The post To Preserve Rare WWII bomber, Conservators Turn to Science appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

An international team of researchers from the United States and Germany have discovered a key missing link in the evolutionary history of turtles. The new […]

The post Key Link in Turtle Evolution discovered appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In one of the largest studies of its kind, a volunteer-fueled camera trapping effort showed that where coyotes have moved in, cats are nowhere to […]

The post Cats Don’t Roam in Places Coyotes Call Home appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Researchers have discovered a black hole that grew much more quickly than its host galaxy. The discovery calls into question previous assumptions on the development […]

The post A Precocious Black Hole appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Tiny Anolis lizards preserved since the Miocene in amber are giving scientists a true appreciation of the meaning of community stability. Dating back some 15 […]

The post Trapped in Amber: Ancient fossils reveal remarkable stability of Caribbean lizard communities appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.