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Turkey’s trip to table: Domesticating North America’s largest fowl

The turkey has become synonymous with Thanksgiving in the United States. But when exactly where turkeys first domesticated? And where? Bruce Smith, senior archeologist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History has the answers.

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New archaeological evidence reveals California’s Channel Islands as North America’s earliest seafaring economy

Evidence for a diversified sea-based economy among North American inhabitants dating from 12,200 to 11,400 years ago is emerging from three sites on California's Channel Islands.

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Study reveals environmental impact of American Indian farms centuries before Europeans arrived in North America

The new research reveals that from the period between 1100-1600 small agricultural settlements up and down the Delaware River Valley caused a 50-percent increase in sediment runoff into the Delaware River.

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Smithsonian team finds northern snakehead fish in Maryland’s Rhode River

This is the first report of this invasive species in this area, and may indicate a recent range expansion of the snakehead population.

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Two closely related bee species discovered far apart in Panama and northern Colombia

Our studies of the genetic relationships between these bees tells us that they originated in the Amazon about 22 million years ago and that they moved north into Central America before 3 million years ago.

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North Atlantic deep sea acorn worm – Purple species

This image shows one of three newly discovered North Atlantic deep sea acorn worms–Purple species–recently captured by scientists from deep in the mid-Atlantic Ocean. These […]

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Earthworms to blame for decline of Ovenbirds in northern Midwest forests, study reveals

A recent decline in Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla), a ground-nesting migratory songbird, in forests in the northern Midwest United States is being linked by scientists to a seemingly unlikely culprit: earthworms.

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3-D imaging adds remarkable new understanding of North America’s mysterious Clovis people

The only explanation for such symmetry across these vast distances, explains Smithsonian anthropologist Dennis Stanford, is that the method of creating the points was handed down from person to person.

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NASA funds Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory instrument to track North American air pollution

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory has been awarded a NASA project to build the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument. TEMPO will measure North American air pollution, from Mexico City to the Canadian tar/oil sands, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific, hourly and at high spatial resolution.

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Effects of human impact are long lasting for forests in Northeast U.S.

Grow fast, die young is not a lifestyle normally associated with trees. But in the forests of the Northeastern United States the red maple follows […]

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Warming temperatures may mean more monarch generations in some areas of North America

Warming temperatures may mean more generations of monarch butterflies in North America during summer months, say scientists who recently finished experiments with monarch caterpillars and […]

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First North American Monkey Fossils Found in Panama Canal Excavation

Seven fossil teeth exposed by the Panama Canal expansion project are the first evidence of a monkey on the North American continent before the Isthmus […]

The post First North American Monkey Fossils Found in Panama Canal Excavation appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Discovery in Smithsonian collection broadens understanding of rare North American leech

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 […]

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DNA on 100-year-old bat from France may help fight deadly fungus in North America

A bat specimen collected in France at the end of World War I, since housed in the collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural […]

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  • Animals
  • Research News
  • Science & Nature
  • bats
  • National Museum of Natural History
  • Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

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New book: “The Subsistence Economies of Indigenous North American Societies: A Handbook”

The new book Subsistence Economies of Indigenous North American Societies provides a comprehensive and in-depth documentation of how Native American societies met the challenges of […]

The post New book: “The Subsistence Economies of Indigenous North American Societies: A Handbook” appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.





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NASA to help Smithsonian botanists track northern creep of Florida mangroves

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.




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Falling trees help invasive wineberry move into deciduous forests in North America

These opportunistic plants quickly fill-in the gap taking advantage of the increased light coming through the tree canopy and the fresh soil at the fallen tree’s turned-up roots.

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400-year study finds Northeast forests resilient, changing 

A joint Harvard-Smithsonian study released today in the journal PLOS ONE reveals how much — and how little — Northeastern forests have changed after centuries of intensive […]

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Mangroves creep north in response to warmer temperatures

As mangrove trees lose ground to deforestation and urban sprawl, one development seems to be giving them a boost: climate change. Fewer winter cold snaps […]

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Recent Connection Between North and South America Reaffirmed

Long ago, one great ocean flowed between North and South America. When the narrow Isthmus of Panama joined the continents about 3 million years ago, […]

The post Recent Connection Between North and South America Reaffirmed appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Feathered diplomats unite pupils in North and Central America

By now, most of the United States has started to feel the first cool caresses of winter. Everything is pumpkin spiced, and the last crickets […]

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SnapPay launches facial recognition payments for North American merchants

(The Paypers) SnapPay has announced the availability of facial recognition payment technology for North...




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Effects of Oil and Gas Development Are Accumulating On Northern Alaskas Environment and Native Cultures

The environmental effects of oil and gas exploration and production on Alaska s North Slope have been accumulating for more than three decades, says a new report from the National Academies National Research Council.




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OakNorth Bank completes first fund buy-out deal to FORE Partnership

UK-based bank, OakNorth has completed its first fund...




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Microplastic particles in North Sea could harm marine organisms and enter human food chain

Researchers have discovered high levels of plastic particles and fibres, as well as black carbon (BC), which is formed by the incomplete burning of fossil fuels, in the waters of the Jade Bay, an inshore basin off the coast of Germany in the Southern North Sea. The concentration of suspended particles are of concern because they have the potential to be ingested by fish and other marine life, and enter the food chain.




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Shark ‘hotspots’ and fishing activities overlap in the North Atlantic Ocean

Sharks aggregate in ‘hotspots’ in the North Atlantic Ocean and are at risk from overfishing by longliner vessels that target the same areas for fishing, a recent study has concluded. Researchers found that the shark and fishing-fleet ranges overlapped by 80% in the North Atlantic and call for international regulation of shark catches to protect at-risk shark populations.




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North Korean hackers infect real 2FA app to compromise Macs

Hackers have hidden malware in a legitimate two-factor authentication (2FA) app for macOS to distribute Dacls, a remote access trojan associated with the North Korean Lazarus group. [...]




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Recent connection between North and South America reaffirmed

Long ago, one great ocean flowed between North and South America. When the narrow Isthmus of Panama joined the continents about 3 million years ago, it also separated the Atlantic from the Pacific Ocean. If this took place millions of years earlier, as recently asserted by some, the implications for both land and sea life would be revolutionary. Aaron O'Dea, staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), and colleagues writing in Science Advances firmly set the date at 2.8 million years ago.

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  • Paleontology & Archaeology

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Dry soils exacerbated 2006 heatwave in Northern France

Dry soils and a lack of cloud cover help explain a major heatwave in France, concludes new research. The study indicates that the two drivers were separate, unlinked events that came together at the same time to worsen the 2006 heatwave. Its findings could allow heatwaves to be predicted more accurately to protect public health.




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Northern peat soils: potential as a carbon sink

Upland peat soils provide a substantial carbon sink if managed properly, according to new research. A study of a peatland area in the UK indicated that it could potentially store approximately 160,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.




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Benefits of a European-North African renewable energy supergrid

Connecting Europe and North Africa with a single, long-distance electricity ‘supergrid’ is technically possible and the cheapest option available to meet Europe’s renewable energy targets, according to new research. However, significant political challenges, such as minimising the perception of risk and attracting sufficient investment, need to be overcome.




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Higher temperatures increase methane release from northern European peat bogs

Higher temperatures being brought about by global warming are increasing methane emissions from the extensive northern European peatlands, a recent study has found. The researchers also say that future estimations of greenhouse gas emissions can be improved via better land-cover classification — i.e. determining how much peatland is fenland or bogland.




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New insights into multi-century phytoplankton decline in North Atlantic predict further decline under climate change

Phytoplankton are essential to marine food webs and fisheries. However, a new study indicates that their levels have declined in the North Atlantic since the beginning of the 19th century. This coincides with weakening ocean-circulation patterns, partly caused by melting ice caps. If the melting continues, the study warns of a dramatic fall in North Atlantic plankton levels that could have cascading effects across marine food webs, reducing the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon and threatening the supply of seafood for humans.




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Finding space for wind power in the North Sea

A new tool for minimising offshore wind energy's impacts on other activities in the North Sea has been developed. The tool identifies space for wind farms based on their priority compared to other marine activities, such as sand extraction or fishing.




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Water demand for crops may rise in northern Germany under warmer climate

By 2070, there may be insufficient water for irrigation to ensure yields and profitability for some crops currently grown in northern Germany - if the IPCC´s worst case climate change scenario becomes a reality - new research warns. To reduce future demand for water under a changing climate, the study suggests that farmers grow different crops and change their management practices.




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Offshore wind farm foundations could alter seafloor ecosystems of the North Sea

The planned expansion of offshore wind farms in the German Bight of the North Sea will provide hard surfaces in what is currently a soft-bottom habitat. This could see an increase in the numbers of some species, such as mussels, which attach themselves to these hard structures, in turn leading to increased numbers of fish and crabs specialised to this habitat, new research suggests.




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Catfish reveal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination in northern Italy

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in catfish in Italian rivers has been found to exceed EC limits, a new study has found. Benz[a]pyrene, which can potentially cause cancer, was found in all samples and in 9% exceeded limits set in EU food safety legislation. Heavy road traffic and inadequately treated wastewater are the most likely cause of these high levels of PAH pollution, say the researchers.