To celebrate a cool Halloween creature--bats--we teamed up with the Smithsonian’s Kristofer Helgen, curator of mammals at the National Museum of Natural History. Here, he answers three commonly asked questions about these winged mammals.

The post Smithsonian bat expert Kristofer Helgen answers common questions about bats appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Scarlet Knight, as the glider is called, made nautical history as the first submersible glider to successfully cross the Atlantic Ocean.

The post Rutgers glider added to the collections of the National Museum of Natural History appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A research team from The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and Virginia's Old Dominion University will be awarded $110,999 to develop a tool to help seagrass restorers predict which places will be the best for planting seagrasses, the Virginia Sea Grant has announced.

The post Environmental Research Center to help with Chesapeake Bay seagrass restoration appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A. sediba was discovered in 2008 in the Malapa Cave at the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site located outside Johannesburg.

The post Skeletal casts of early hominin ancestor from Africa donated to National Museum of Natural History appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A study published in the journal Global Change Biology finds that while fertilizer has been the dominant source of nitrogen pollution in Caribbean coastal ecosystems for the past 50 years, such pollution is on the decline, thanks in part to the introduction of more advanced, environmentally responsible agricultural practices during the last decade.

The post National Museum of Natural History’s coral collection used in Caribbean agricultural and sewage pollution study appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

NASA's Kepler spacecraft is proving itself to be a prolific planet hunter. Within just the first four months of data, astronomers have found evidence for more than 1,200 planetary candidates. Of those, 408 reside in systems containing two or more planets, and most of those look very different than our solar system.

The post The Kepler spacecraft’s astounding haul of multiple-planet systems appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The 5.8-magnitude earthquake that shook the eastern United States on the afternoon of Tuesday, Aug. 23, caused minor damage to some of the Smithsonian's natural history collections. All public Smithsonian museums are open and have been determined safe for visitors and staff.

The post Earthquake causes minor damage to Smithsonian natural history collections appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

What Google is attempting for books, the University of California, Berkeley, plans to do for the world's vertebrate specimens: store them in "the cloud."

The post New “cloud-based” storage initiative to make vertebrate research collections available worldwide appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The fossil represents the youngest nodosaur ever discovered, and the only known specimen of a new genus and species of dinosaur that lived approximately 110 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous Era.

The post New dinosaur species named from hatchling fossil donated to National Museum of Natural History appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

History and geology, not current ecology, are likely what has made tropical forests so variable from site to site.

The post What makes rainforests unique? History, not ecology. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Thunder, lightning and strong winds greeted the National Zoo’s two female red panda cubs when they were born June 17, and that stormy night has […]

The post National Zoo’s red pandas named “Pili” and “Damini” for stormy night appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

As a coastal archaeologist and expert in prehistoric and historic settlement sites in the Chesapeake Bay region, Darrin Lowery of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and University of Deleware, is carefully watching the effects of coastal erosion and rising sea levels on coastal archaeological sites.

The post Rising seas, development are altering prehistoric artifacts in the Chesapeake’s tidal zone appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Today, Marra is helping launch an Animal Mortality Monitoring Program in Africa intended to serve as an early warning system for emerging infectious diseases that can pass from animal populations into the human population.

The post Uganda park rangers with cell phones may help stop next world influenza epidemic appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

When most people look at a forest, they see walking trails, deer yards, or firewood for next winter. But scientists at the Harvard Forest and […]

The post Development will reduce carbon stored in forests, Smithsonian & Harvard scientists predict appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The National Museum of Natural History will construct a new dinosaur exhibition hall made possible by a $35 million donation from David H. Koch, executive vice president of Koch Industries and philanthropist.

The post $35-million donation will build new dinosaur hall at National Museum of Natural History appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The specimen’s skull measures 24 centimeters, roughly the size of a regulation NFL football. The shell which was recovered nearby – and is believed to belong to the same species – measures 172 centimeters, or about 5 feet 7 inches, long.

The post Giant prehistoric turtle from Colombia chomped everything in sight–including crocodiles! appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Smithsonian herpetologist George Zug answers a few questions about skinks....

The post Speaking of skinks: short limbed, long tailed & prehistoric appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The most peculiar feature of this new turtle is its extremely circular shell, about the size and shape of a big car tire.

The post Prehistoric turtle was size and shape of a big car tire appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A July 12 news alert from NASA indicates a X1.4 class solar flare erupted from the center of the Sun, peaking July 12 at 12:52 P.M.

The post Coronal mass ejection from July 12 solar flare headed toward Earth; minor geomagnetic storm activity predicted appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

What scientists found was that the domestic turkey that ends up on the dinner table exhibits less genetic variation than its ancestral wild counterparts, which were first domesticated in 800 B.C..

The post Today’s domestic turkeys are genetically distinct from wild ancestors appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Found in well preserved shale deposits the fossils are so detailed that scientists were able to determine they represent two previously unknown species.

The post Discovery of new prehistoric mosquitoes reveal these blood-suckers have changed little in 46 million years appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Archaeologists working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama have discovered a cluster of 12 unusual stones in the back of a small, prehistoric rock-shelter near the town of Boquete.

The post 4,000-year-old shaman’s stones discovered near Boquete, Panama appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

New data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory suggest a highly distorted supernova remnant (shown here) may contain the most recent black hole formed in the Milky Way galaxy.

The post Highly distorted supernova remnant seen by Chandra X-ray Observatory appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Douglas Owsley, the division head for physical anthropology at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, presented today a forensic analysis of 17th-century human remains […]

The post Forensic analysis of 17th-century human remains at Jamestown, Va., reveals evidence of survival cannibalism appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Rope, golf balls, sweat pants, bottles and aluminum cans are a few of the discarded items biologist Matt Klope says he has found inside the […]

The post Gray whale specimen an important addition to Natural History Museum collections appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

These striking images of six insect heads and mouthparts were drawn from fossils by Conrad Labandeira, Curator of Fossil Arthropods (insects and related animals) at […]

The post Prehistoric mouthparts appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Roses, carnations and lilies are today among the most popular flowers people use to express sympathy and condolence. The simple act of sending flowers to […]

The post Funeral flowers in the Stone Age: Q&A with Smithsonian anthropologist Reuven Yeshurun appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Out in Montana’s Big Sky Country Dale Greenwalt spends his summers seeking the incredibly tiny and fragile. Armed with a putty knife honed razor-sharp on […]

The post Quality of insect fossils from Montana’s Flathead River astounds scientists appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Termites and ants are not something you’re likely to pour into a cereal bowl for breakfast or munch with toast and tea, but your ancient […]

The post Termites for breakfast? Your ancestors might have! 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.

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.

1. Centaurus A – A split-personality elliptical galaxy Centaurus A isn’t your typical elliptical galaxy. Its most striking feature is a dark dust lane across […]

The post Five Images of our universe that will astound you appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A case of mistaken identity turned out to be the key for proving that a prehistoric aquatic reptile did not lay eggs, but rather gave […]

The post Fossil shows Prehistoric Reptile Gave Birth in Open Ocean appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Within the 1608 church where Pocahontas and John Rolfe married, the skeletal remains of four early settlers were uncovered during a 2013 archaeological dig at […]

The post Jamestown skeletons identified as colony leaders appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

From patterns etched into the skin of an ancient mummy to the colorful designs that adorn people today, tattoos are not just skin deep; they […]

The post Tattoos: Telling Stories in the Flesh. Q&A with Lars Krutak appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In a new study in which one of humankind’s most high-tech tools was used to analyze one of its most primitive, scientists have uncovered evidence […]

The post Laser beams unveil secrets locked inside primitive stone spear points appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

When “2001: A Space Odyssey” premiered April 2, 1968 at Washington, D.C.’s Uptown Theater—not far from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum—not everyone was […]

The post The real history behind science fiction’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Warner’s narrative covers the major natural sweeteners, including sugar, molasses from cane, beet sugar, corn syrup, honey and maple, as well as artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, cyclamate, aspartame and sucralose.

The post New Book: “Sweet Stuff: An American History of Sweeteners from Sugar to Sucralose” appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Photographs, by virtue of their static nature, not only allow us to look back to a fixed point in time, but also give us a […]

The post Book Review: Double Exposure: photos of African American History & Culture appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Imke K. Mandemaker, Di Zhou, Serena T. Bruens, Dick H. Dekkers, Pernette J. Verschure, Raghu R. Edupuganti, Eran Meshorer, Jeroen A. Demmers, and Jurgen A. Marteijn

Many chromatin remodeling and modifying proteins are involved in the DNA damage response by stimulating repair or inducing DNA damage signaling. Interestingly, here we identified that down regulation of the H1-interacting protein SET results in increased resistance to a wide variety of DNA damaging agents. We found that this increased resistance is not the result of an inhibitory effect of SET on DNA repair, but rather the consequence of a suppressed apoptotic response to DNA damage. We further provide evidence that the histone chaperone SET is responsible for the eviction of H1 from chromatin. Knock down of H1 in SET-depleted cells resulted in re-sensitization of cells to DNA damage, suggesting that the increased DNA damage resistance in SET-depleted cells is the result of enhanced retention of H1 on chromatin. Finally, clonogenic survival assays show that SET and p53 are epistatic in attenuating DNA damage-induced cell death. Altogether, our data show a role for SET in the DNA damage response as a regulator of cell survival following genotoxic stress.

Mole

Mole is the JCS resident insectivore who shares his views on various aspects of life-science research. In this series, called The Corona Files, Mole talks about how the COVID-19 pandemic is changing the landscape for researchers.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History recently acquired four remarkable gemstones and jewelry pieces for the Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the museum.

The post National Museum of Natural History acquires gemstones in honor of its 100th anniversary appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The prehistoric Xenicibis used its wings like two clubs hinged at the wrist joint in order to swing at and attack one another.

The post Prehistoric bird able to yield extreme fighting force with club-like wings appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

More than 500 carats of rough diamonds were recently donated to the Department of Mineral Sciences of the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum by Jewlers Mutual Insurance Co. of Neenah, Wis.

The post 500 carats of rough diamonds donated to Natural History Museum appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The National Museum of Natural History will permanently display the Dom Pedro Aquamarine, which is the largest single piece of cut-gem aquamarine in the world, beginning Dec. 6.

The post Magnificent Dom Pedro aquamarine to go on view in the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Many traits unique to humans were long thought to have originated in the genus Homo between 2.4 and 1.8 million years ago in Africa. A […]

The post Human Evolution Rewritten: We owe our existence to our ancestor’s flexible response to climate change appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.