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.

New data just published in the journal Marine Mammal Science may help save the whales, or at least a good many of them. Using vertebrae […]

The post New study may help free whales from fishing rope entanglement appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In many ways stars are like living beings. They’re born; they live; they die. And they even have a heartbeat. Using a novel technique, astronomers […]

The post DISCOVERY MEASURES “HEARTBEATS” OF A DISTANT GALAXY’S STARS appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

She was a stunning brown queen; drowned some 46 million years ago in a shallow lake in Montana. Her remains, recently recovered along the Flathead […]

The post New Montana ant species emerge from 46-million-year-old rock appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Astronomers announced today that they have found the organic molecule methyl alcohol, or methanol, in the TW Hydrae protoplanetary disk. This is the first such […]

The post Methanol reveals comets forming in distant solar system appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Thanks to a recent reassessment of specimens preserved in jars of alcohol at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, New Hampshire is now on […]

The post Discovery in Smithsonian collection broadens understanding of rare North American leech appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

(Study is one of dozens to be presented by bird scientists this week at the 2016 North American Ornithological Conference in Washington, D.C.) To catch tuna […]

The post Fishing gear entanglements of marine birds is focus of Smithsonian ecologist’s study appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

For the first time in 25 years, primate staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are celebrating the birth of a male Bornean orangutan. He was […]

The post Orangutan Born at Smithsonian’s National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

New species don’t just spring out of thin air. Speciation, the evolutionary process by which new and distinct species arise, usually takes millions of years. […]

The post Simultaneous hermaphrodites: Understanding Speciation in fish called “hamlets” appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In everyday life, ultraviolet, or UV, light earns a bad reputation for being responsible for sunburns and other harmful effects on humans. However, research suggests […]

The post In search for life, ultraviolet light may be ultra important appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

There are currently more than 3,500 confirmed known exoplanets thanks to the remarkable sensitivity of the Kepler spacecraft and to technological advances in space and […]

The post Astronomers detect comets transiting distant stars appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Some of the earliest humans to inhabit America came from Europe according to a new book "Across Atlantic Ice: The Origin of America's Clovis Culture."

The post New book reveals Ice Age mariners from Europe were America’s first inhabitants appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

David Guerit, Pauline Marie, Anne Morel, Justine Maurin, Christel Verollet, Brigitte Raynaud-Messina, Serge Urbach, and Anne Blangy

Among hematopoietic cells, osteoclasts (Oc) and immature dendritic cells (Dc) are closely related myeloid cells with distinct functions; Oc participate skeleton maintenance while Dc sample the environment for foreign antigens. Such specificities rely on profound modifications of gene and protein expression during Oc and Dc differentiation. We provide global proteomic and transcriptomic analyses of primary mouse Oc and Dc, based on original SILAC and RNAseq data. We established specific signatures for Oc and Dc including genes and proteins of unknown functions. In particular, we showed that Oc and Dc have the same α and β tubulin isotypes repertoire but that Oc express much more β tubulin isotype Tubb6. In both mouse and human Oc, we demonstrate that elevated expression of Tubb6 in Oc is necessary for correct podosomes organization and thus for the structure of the sealing zone, which sustains the bone resorption apparatus. Hence, lowering Tubb6 expression hindered Oc resorption activity. Overall, we highlight here potential new regulators of Oc and Dc biology and illustrate the functional importance of the tubulin isotype repertoire in the biology of differentiated cells.

Westley Heydeck, Brian A. Bayless, Alexander J. Stemm-Wolf, Eileen T. O'Toole, Amy S. Fabritius, Courtney Ozzello, Marina Nguyen, and Mark Winey

Basal bodies (BBs) are microtubule-based organelles that template and stabilize cilia at the cell surface. Centrins ubiquitously associate with BBs and function in BB assembly, maturation, and stability. Human POC5 (hPOC5) is a highly conserved centrin-binding protein that binds centrins through Sfi1p-like repeats and is required for building full-length, mature centrioles. Here, we use the BB-rich cytoskeleton of Tetrahymena thermophila to characterize Poc5 BB functions. Tetrahymena Poc5 (TtPoc5) uniquely incorporates into assembling BBs and is then removed from mature BBs prior to ciliogenesis. Complete genomic knockout of TtPOC5 leads to a significantly increased production of BBs yet a markedly reduced ciliary density, both of which are rescued by reintroduction of TtPoc5. A second Tetrahymena POC5-like gene, SFR1, is similarly implicated in modulating BB production. When TtPOC5 and SFR1 are co-deleted, cell viability is compromised, and levels of BB overproduction are exacerbated. Overproduced BBs display defective transition zone formation and a diminished capacity for ciliogenesis. This study uncovers a requirement for Poc5 in building mature BBs, providing a possible functional link between hPOC5 mutations and impaired cilia.

Fluorite is well known and prized for its rich variety of colors, most commonly pale green, purple, yellow, orange, blue, pink and colorless. “We acquired this specimen because it is a very nice quality fluorite with an attractive color and it is large enough to be exhibited,” Curator Jeff Post says.

The post Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection acquires a yellow fluorite from Tanzania appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

When Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute conservation biologist Jessica Deichmann joined a project to determine how the construction of a road in Gabon’s Moukalaba-Doudou National Park […]

The post DNA untangles Gabon’s complex web of frog species appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Keepers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo perform an artificial insemination procedure on a pair of Stanley Cranes. A Stanley Crane chick was successfully hatched on May 23, 2011.

The post Bird keepers at the National Zoo demonstrate the art of artificially inseminating Stanley cranes appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Killer carnivores: Titanoboa vs. T-Rex — Premieres April 1 on Smithsonian Channel appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Smithsonian anthropologist JoAllyn Archambault speaks about the outstanding research of 19th-century anthropologist James Mooney appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Identifying and understanding the migratory connectivity of birds throughout an entire annual cycle (not just the times of year they are in your back yard), […]

The post Video: Protecting songbirds by Better Understanding their Migratory connectivity appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Just like humans, great apes can catch the flu. That’s why the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s primate keepers train our gorillas and orangutans—like Iris, featured here—to […]

The post Get a flu shot? These orangutans did…. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Weeping Goldsmith, written as a first-person narrative, follows Botanist John Kress through nine years as he surveys Myanmar’s teak forests, bamboo thickets, timber plantations, rivers and mangroves to document its incredible botanical biodiversity.

The post Smithsonian botanist writes book on his discoveries in the secret land of Myanmar appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Follow botanist Candy Feller of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center as she conducts field work on mangrove ecosystems at Carrie Bow Cay, a Smithsonian field research station in the Caribbean.

The post Mangroves research by Candy Feller, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center botanist appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Latinus 9333 is the Latin translation of the so-called Tacuinum sanitatis, a medieval handbook on wellness written in Arabic by the 11th-century physician ibn Butlan. It deals with factors influencing human health: from the air, the environment and food, to physical exercise and sexual activity.

The post Medieval book is important resource for how plants were once collected, treated and used appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Now, for the first time ever, researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute are able to track the routes of these creatures by gluing tiny transmitters to the backs of individual bees.

The post Transmitters unveil long-distance movements of orchid bees appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

New results from a massive study at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute show that interactions among community members play an important role in determining which organisms thrive.

The post Tropical tree study shows interactions with neighbors plays an important role in tree survival appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Obsessive in his collecting and emotionally invested in contributing to science and perpetuating knowledge, Palmer lived the adventurous yet nomadic life of a collector.

The post Remarkable ethnobotany collections of Edward Palmer highlighted in new Smithsonian Website appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Candy Feller, senior ecologist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Md., will lead an effort to track more than 100 miles of Florida mangrove forests that are encroaching on salt marshes to the north.

The post NASA to help Smithsonian botanists track northern creep of Florida mangroves appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

When you’re caught under the mistletoe, the tradition is to kiss the person next to you. But this holiday season you may want to wow them first with some cool mistletoe facts from Smithsonian botanist Sylvia Orli.

The post Mistletoe facts from a Smithsonian botanist appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Smithsonian paleobotanist Scott Wing discusses ancient global warming & what it portends for the future appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Despite many laws to protect it, a new survey reveals wild ginseng in Maryland is on the decline.

The post Wild ginseng in steep decline in Maryland, survey reveals: Q&A with Smithsonian botanist Christopher Puttock appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Rattlesnake, zebra and peacock plants have a new wild relative, discovered by Rodolfo Flores, Panamanian botanist and intern at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). […]

The post Smithsonian Botanist Discovers New Ground-Flowering Plant in Panama appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Given its scale and diversity, the Smithsonian’s collection of 154 million items presents a unique digitization challenge. This video showcases a conveyor belt driven imaging […]

The post Digitizing the Smithsonian’s Botany Collection appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

What might lure someone away from the sunny beaches and lush forests of Brazil to the concrete jungle of Washington, D.C.? For wood anatomist Marcelo […]

The post Rigid yet flexible: Anatomy of woody vines has its grip on botanist Marcelo Pace appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

If you’ve seen the movie Jurassic Park, you know that amber played a significant role in rebuilding a lost world: A mosquito trapped within its […]

The post Resin from shipwreck hints at trade routes and botany of ancient Asia appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Millions, if not billions, of specimens reside in the world’s natural history collections, but most of these have not been carefully studied, or even looked […]

The post Using digitized Botany specimens, AI excels in simple curatorial tasks appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The title compound exhibits exceptionally weak inter­molecular C—H⋯π hydrogen bonding of the ethynyl groups, with the corresponding H⋯π separations [2.91 (2) and 3.12 (2) Å] exceeding normal vdW distances. This bonding compliments distal contacts of the CH (aliphatic)⋯π type [H⋯π = 3.12 (2)–3.14 (2) Å] to sustain supra­molecular layers.

The title compound, C14H16, exhibits exceptionally weak intermolecular C—H...π hydrogen bonding of the ethynyl groups, with the corresponding H...π separations [2.91 (2) and 3.12 (2) Å] exceeding normal vdW distances. This bonding complements distal contacts of the CH (aliphatic)...π type [H...π = 3.12 (2)–3.14 (2) Å] to sustain supramolecular layers. Hirshfeld surface analysis of the title compound suggests a relatively limited significance of the C...H/H...C contacts to the crystal packing (24.6%) and a major contribution from H...H contacts accounting 74.9% to the entire surface.

The US Federal Reserve has created a new group to advise on its planned faster payments service, the FedNow...

A Washington, D.C., think tank issued a report that says California Virtual Acadmies, a major online school network, has had more dropouts than graduates in most years.; Credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

A report released Thursday by a labor group-affiliated Washington think tank is questioning the education provided by an online public school program that says it is in a union fight.

The report by In the Public Interest, a group funded by unions, says the thousands of students enrolled in the California Virtual Academies online public school known as CAVA are receiving a  substandard education by most measures.

"So in every year since CAVA began graduating students, with the exception of 2013, it has produced more dropouts than graduates,” said Shahrzad Habibi, who authored the report.

She said state test score data show that 71 percent of California public schools performed better than the virtual academies.

The report calls on California officials to investigate the online schools’ administration and finances.

California Virtual Academies enrolls about 14,000 kindergarten to 12th grade students through 11 sites, including those in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Fresno. It is run by a national for-profit company called K12 Inc.

In a written statement, California Virtual Academies did not dispute the reported low student performance numbers, but denied other allegations in the study, which it called “inaccurate and deeply flawed.”

“The report relies primarily on misinformation from the California Teachers Association — the union currently engaged in a coordinated and well-funded distortion campaign to unionize the eleven independent California Virtual Academies charter schools.”

In the Public Interest, which supports the work of labor unions, partnered with the American Federation of Teachers last year on a website to track for-profit charter school companies.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

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On August 17, 2017, scientists made history with the first direct observation of a merger between two neutron stars. It was the first cosmic event detected in both gravitational waves and the entire spectrum of light, from gamma rays to radio emissions. The impact also created a kilonova -- a turbocharged explosion that instantly forged several hundred planets’ worth of gold and platinum. The observations provided the first compelling evidence that kilonovae produce large quantities of heavy metals, a finding long predicted by theory. Astronomers suspect that all of the gold and platinum on Earth formed as a result of ancient kilonovae created during neutron star collisions. Based on data from the 2017 event, first spotted by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), astronomers began to adjust their assumptions of how a kilonova should appear to Earth-bound observers. A team of scientists reexamined data from a gamma-ray burst spotted in August 2016 and found new evidence for a kilonova that went unnoticed during the initial observations.

Image credit: NASA/ESA/E. Troja

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Bridges make travel faster and more convenient, but, in an earthquake, these structures are subject to forces that can cause extensive damage and make them unsafe. Now civil and environmental engineer Petros Sideris of Texas A&M University is leading a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research project to investigate the performance of hybrid sliding-rocking (HSR) columns. HSR columns provide the same support as conventional bridge infrastructure columns but are more earthquake-resistant. HSR columns are a series of individual concrete segments held together by steel cables that allow for controlled sliding and rocking. This allows the columns to shift without damage, while post-tensioning strands ensure that at the end of an earthquake the columns are pushed back to their original position. Conventional bridges are cast-in-place monolithic concrete elements that are strong but inflexible. Structural damage in these bridge columns, typically caused by a natural disaster, often forces a bridge to close until repairs are completed. But bridges with HSR columns can withstand large earthquakes with minimal damage and require minor repairs, likely without bridge closures. Such infrastructure helps with post-disaster response and recovery and can save thousands in taxpayer dollars. In an earthquake, HSR columns provide "multiple advantages to the public," Sideris said. "By preventing bridge damage, we can maintain access to affected areas immediately after an event for response teams to be easily deployed, and help affected communities recover faster. In mitigating losses related to post-event bridge repairs and bridge closures, more funds can be potentially directed to supporting the recovery of the affected communities." According to Joy Pauschke, NSF program director for natural hazards engineering, "NSF invests in fundamental engineering research so that, in the future, the nation's infrastructure can be more resilient to earthquakes, hurricanes, and other forces of nature."

Image credit: Texas A&M University