The goal of the project—the Smithsonian’s Tennenbaum Marine Observatories—is to monitor the ocean’s coastal ecosystems over a long period of time.

The post Smithsonian launches Global Marine Biodiversity Project with $10 million donation appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Marc Fries, a research associate in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, answers some basic questions about meteorites.

The post Russian Meteor Q&A with Smithsonian Expert Marc Fries appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

New maps of the subsurface of Mars show for the first time buried channels below the surface of the red planet. Mars is considered to […]

The post Water channels discovered on Mars appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Marmosets on track for obesity appeared to be more efficient in their feeding behavior. “Although all animals consumed the same amount of liquid, the ones […]

The post Obese marmosets are more developmentally advanced as infants, study shows appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Emmett Duffy, currently the Gluckman Professor of Marine Science at the College of William & Mary in Virginia, has been appointed director of the Smithsonian’s […]

The post Emmett Duffy named director of Smithsonian’s Tennenbaum Marine Observatories Network appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Scientists from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History have just named and described the Spectacular Guyane False-form beetle, or Guyanemorpha spectabilis, from Guyane (French Guiana). […]

The post Remarkably large and colorful new beetle discovered in French Guiana appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

  Tiny spherules pepper a sandy surface in this 3-centimeter (1.2-inch) square view of the Martian surface. The largest one is broken in half and […]

The post 10 years roving across Mars appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A new study of microorganisms living on the skin and in the intestines of North America vultures (black and turkey vultures) has turned up a […]

The post Vultures remarkably tolerant to deadly bacteria, study reveals appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The world’s coasts are home to more than 70 percent of the human population and experience intense development as a result. The rate of environmental […]

The post Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Marks 50 Years of Making a Difference appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Geologic mapping is an integral part of exploration and understanding a planetary landscape, because it shows the relationships between geologic units and helps delineate the […]

The post Geologic Mapping of Mars appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Two rovers are active right now on the surface of Mars: Opportunity, which landed in January 2004, and Curiosity, which started exploration in August 2012. […]

The post Sol Man: John Grant is on a road trip across Mars 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.

New fossils found in Northeastern China have revealed a remarkable evolutionary coincidence: an extinct group of insects known as Kalligrammatid lacewings (Order Neuroptera) share an […]

The post Remarkable butterfly look-alike lived 50 million years before butterflies appeared 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.

An extraordinary arrangement of bristles, wrinkles and wart-like bumps cover the cold skin of Sphaerephesia amphorata, a new deep-sea worm described and named by researchers […]

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NASA’s InSight probe, scheduled to land on the surface of Mars in November 2018, will be boring. Boring a hole, that is. It will drill […]

The post ISO: a boring Martian landing spot for NASA’s InSight probe appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Some of Hong Kong’s most disturbed and pristine marine environments were the recent focus of an intense 10-day MarineGEO survey of living organisms by a […]

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Only the Wing is a new book by Russell Lee that recounts Horten's epic quest to stabalize and control the all-wing aircraft.

The post New Book: “Only the Wing: Reimar Horten’s Epic Quest to Stabilize and Control the All-Wing Aircraft” 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.

Sanjeev Chavan Nayak and Vegesna Radha

C3G (RapGEF1) plays a role in cell differentiation and is essential for early embryonic development in mice. In this study, we identify C3G as a centrosomal protein colocalizing with cenexin at the mother centriole in interphase cells. C3G interacts through its catalytic domain with cenexin, and they show interdependence for localization to the centrosome. C3G depletion caused a decrease in cellular cenexin levels. Centrosomal localization is lost as myocytes differentiate to form myotubes. Stable clone of cells depleted of C3G by CRISPR/Cas9 showed the presence of supernumerary centrioles. Overexpression of C3G, or a catalytically active deletion construct inhibited centrosome duplication. Cilia length is longer in C3G knockout cells, and the phenotype could be reverted upon reintroduction of C3G or its catalytic domain. Association of C3G with the basal body is dynamic, decreasing upon serum starvation, and increasing upon reentry into the cell cycle. C3G inhibits cilia formation and length dependent on its catalytic activity. We conclude that C3G inhibits centrosome duplication and maintains ciliary homeostasis, properties that may be important for its role in embryonic development.

During a press conference Friday, July 22 at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, NASA announced that Gale Crater will be the landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory. Scheduled to launch in late 2011 and arrive at Mars in August 2012, the Mars Science Laboratory is a rover that will assess the planet’s “habitability”—if it ever was, or is today, an environment able to support microbial life.

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A mysterious cycle of booms and busts in marine biodiversity over the past 500 million years could be tied to a periodic uplifting of the world's continents, scientists report

The post Boom and bust cycle of marine biodiversity every 60 million years linked to uplifting of continents 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.

In the battle against invasive species, giant commercial ships are on the front lines. But even when they follow the rules, one of their best […]

The post Battle against invasive marine species comes up short as global shipping surges appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Forensic anthropologists from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History discover African remains at a Colonial burial site in Maryland. Follow them as they study the remains, reconstruct the face and body, and share what they learn about the African experience in the Chesapeake in the 1600s.

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Dr. Mary Hagedorn, a marine biologist at the Smithsonian Institution, talks about her research to understand and conserve our oceans' corals.

The post Meet Our Scientist: Mary Hagedorn – Coral Science appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Dr. Mary Hagedorn, a marine biologist at the Smithsonian Institution, talks about her research to understand and conserve our oceans' corals. To meet more scientists, visit https://insider.si.edu.

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The post Smithsonian geologist Liz Cottrell discusses the March 11, 2011 Japan earthquake and its mechanics appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Mark Torchin, a marine ecologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama, talks about how he studies the parasites of invasive marine animals such as snails. Much of his research focuses on biological invasions and the dynamics between the host, the parasites and the surrounding ecosystem.

The post Meet our Scientist–Mark Torchin tracks invasive marine species and their parasites in Panama appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Belize’s South Water Caye Marine Reserve protects biodiversity of Belizean Barrier Reef appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Smithsonian planetary geologists Sharon Purdy and Maria Banks explain how you can take your very own photo of Mars.

The post Scientists Maria Banks and Sharon Purdy explain how to take your own photo of Mars. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The nation’s top bird science and conservation groups have come together to publish The State of the Birds 2014—the most comprehensive review of long-term trend […]

The post The State of the Birds: Q&A with Peter Marra appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Judy Garland’s iconic ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz” are one of the most popular attractions at the National Museum of American History. But […]

The post Crowdfunding campaign to restore Ruby Slippers surpasses mark appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Internationally renowned artist Mark Bradford will debut one of his largest works to date with “Pickett’s Charge,” a monumental new commission that spans nearly 400 […]

The post Mark Bradford: Pickett’s Charge at the Hirshhorn Museum appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

 Blues singer and pianist Marcia Ball performs “Louella” at the 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.      

The post Marcia Ball at the Folklife Festival appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) have found that poaching is an emerging crisis for Asian elephants in Myanmar. Researchers first became aware […]

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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.

“Our guide celebrates the beauty of some of the most attractive inhabitants of Panama’s undersea realm and provides an indispensable, easy-to-use tool for their identification,” say the Littlers.

The post Researchers compile colorful on-line guide to marine algae of Panama appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

This new research has revealed that in areas considered unsuitable for farming today, "pre-Columbian farmers constructed thousands of raised fields in the seasonally flooded coastal savannas of the Guianas.

The post Amazon farmers who vanished centuries ago were remarkably innovative 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.

Recent botanical exploration efforts in the rugged Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia) have increased the known flora of the archipelago by an impressive 20 percent. Field research and collecting in conjunction with the Vascular Flora of the Marquesas Islands and Flore de la Polynesie française projects have yielded 62 new species of ferns and flowering plants bringing the total native species to 360, of which 18 are newly described and illustrated in a special issue of PhytoKeys.

The post Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia yield 18 new species of rare ferns and flowering plants appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center has created NEMESIS--National Estuarine and Marine Exotic Species Information System--an online public database that provides key information about the non-native marine species throughout the United States.

The post New invasive species database allows public to ID marine invaders with a home computer 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.

Coastal marine environments are impacted by human disturbance. Dock pilings allow MarineGEO researchers to study these impacts in a standardized way around the world to […]

The post The incredible marine diversity under boat docks 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.

Smithsonian scientists have discovered two new gecko species—the Lenya banded bent-toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus lenya) and Tenasserim Mountain bent-toed gecko (C. payarhtanesnsis)—in the little-studied lowland forests […]

The post Smithsonian Scientists Discover Two New Gecko Species in Vanishing Myanmar Rainforest appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.