américa

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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américa

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

américa

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 […]

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américa

New Book: “Sweet Stuff: An American History of Sweeteners from Sugar to Sucralose”

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.

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américa

New Book: “Across Atlantic Ice : The Origin of America’s Clovis Culture”

Supplying archaeological and oceanographic evidence, this book persuasively links Clovis technology with the culture of the Solutrean people who occupied France and Spain more than 20,000 years ago.

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américa

New book reveals Ice Age mariners from Europe were America’s first inhabitants

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."

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américa

Book Review: Double Exposure: photos of African American History & Culture

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 […]

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américa

Salamander DNA reveals evidence of older land connection between Central and South America

The humble salamander may provide evidence to support a controversial claim that North and South America were joined together much earlier than previously thought. The […]

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américa

Ancient Native-American methods may be key to sustainable oyster harvests

Oysters are keystone organisms in estuaries around the world, influencing water quality, constructing habitat and providing food for humans and wildlife. Yet their populations in […]

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américa

Ancient Native American beads traced to otherworldy source: an iron meteorite

To the Hopewell Culture, ancient Native Americans who sought out the exotic from near and far, metal was a rare and precious resource. Copper, found […]

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américa

Tom Crouch, Senior curator in the National Air and Space Museum’s Aeronautics Division, discusses Thaddeus Lowe and the birth of American aerial reconnaissance

Tom Crouch, Senior curator in the National Air and Space Museum's Aeronautics Division, discusses Thaddeus Lowe and the birth of American aerial reconnaissance during the Civil War. This presentation was recorded on May 11, 2011 on the National Mall.

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américa

Joseph Henry: Champion of American Science

Joseph Henry was one of America’s preeminent 19th-century scientists, a pioneer in the investigation of electromagnetism and other fields of study, and the first Secretary […]

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  • Meet Our People
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américa

American bison return to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo

  In honor of its 125th anniversary, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is once again home to American bison, the animal that began the Zoo’s living […]

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américa

Scientists study Skydiving spiders in South America

Arachnophobes fearful of spiders jumping, creeping or falling into their beds now have something new to worry about. Some spiders might also glide in through the window. […]

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américa

The Outwin 2016: American Portraiture Today

“The Outwin 2016: American Portraiture Today” exhibition is on view at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery from March 12, 2016 – January 8, 2017. The Outwin […]

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  • Art
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américa

PBS Newshour interview with Lonnie Bunch, African American Museum director

Gwen Ifill sat down with Lonnie Bunch, the director of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture, which is due to open this […]

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  • History & Culture
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  • National Museum of African American History and Culture


américa

Stephen Hawking Congratulates LIGO Team on its Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award

Click here to read more about the work of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. The Smithsonian has been celebrating innovation in American culture for more than […]

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américa

Quarry carvings by American WWI soldiers

The French-German border is littered with as many as 500 underground sites used during World War I. Researcher Jeff Gusky explores them and finds a […]

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  • Art
  • History & Culture
  • Video
  • National Air and Space Museum


américa

Smithsonian staff rally to support African American History Museum after noose incident

Smithsonian staff gathered on Thursday, June 1 outside the National Museum of African American History and Culture to show their support and listen to Director […]

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  • History & Culture
  • Video
  • National Museum of African American History and Culture




américa

Scientists race to determine why vines are taking over forests in the American tropics

By pulling together data from eight different studies, we now have irrefutable evidence that vines are on the rise not only in the Amazon, but throughout the American tropics.

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américa

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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américa

Invasive earthworms threaten wild American orchids

Invasive European earthworms could prevent roughly half a North American forest’s orchid seeds from even germinating, ecologists from Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and Johns Hopkins […]

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américa

Rare American warbler surprises scientists by adapting, thriving in a new ecosystem

When Gary Graves cranks up his boom box and drives remote back roads through pine plantations in Texas, Louisiana and other southern states, a few […]

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américa

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.




américa

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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américa

Study dates corn as staple crop in Central America beginning 4,300 years ago

Corn, known also as maize, is a vital crop in the U.S. and throughout the Americas. First domesticated in Mexico some 9,000 years ago, scientists […]

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américa

SnapPay launches facial recognition payments for North American merchants

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




américa

Is America moving towards a second civil war?




américa

Cold War Chemical Tests Over American Cities Were Far Below Dangerous Levels

A series of secret tests conducted by the U.S. Army in the 1950s and 1960s did not expose residents of the United States and Canada to chemical levels considered harmful, according to a new report from a committee of the National Research Council.




américa

EPAs Methylmercury Guideline Is Scientifically Justifiable For Protecting Most Americans But Some May Be at Risk

While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys guideline for protecting the public from a toxic form of mercury is justifiable based on the latest scientific evidence, some children of women who consume large amounts of fish and seafood during pregnancy may be at special risk of neurological problems.




américa

90 Million Americans are Burdened with Inadequate Health Literacy IOM Report Calls for National Effort to Improve Health Literacy

Nearly half of all American adults – 90 million people – have difficulty understanding and using health information, and there is a higher rate of hospitalization and use of emergency services among patients with limited health literacy, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.




américa

Americans Have Worse Health Than People in Other High-Income Countries - Health Disadvantage Is Pervasive Across Age and Socio-Economic Groups

On average, Americans die sooner and experience higher rates of disease and injury than people in other high-income countries, says a new report from the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine.




américa

Report Finds Immigrants Come to Resemble Native-Born Americans Over Time, But Integration Not Always Linked to Greater Well-Being for Immigrants

As immigrants and their descendants become integrated into U.S. society, many aspects of their lives improve, including measurable outcomes such as educational attainment, occupational distribution, income, and language ability, but their well-being declines in the areas of health, crime, and family patterns, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




américa

Americans Need Easier Access, More Affordable Options for Hearing Health Care- New Report

Hearing loss is a significant public health concern, and efforts should be made to provide adults with easier access to and more affordable options for hearing health care, especially for those in underserved and vulnerable populations, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




américa

New Report Calls for Comprehensive Redesign of Process for Updating Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Although the process used to develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) has become more evidence-based since its inception more than 30 years ago, it is not currently positioned to effectively adapt to changes such as food diversity and chronic disease prevalence, while also ensuring the integrity of the process, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




américa

NAS, NAE, and NAM Presidents Honor American 2017 Nobel Laureates

NAS President Marcia McNutt, NAE President C. D. Mote, Jr., and NAM President Victor J. Dzau honored U.S. 2017 Nobel Prize recipients Barry Barish, Joachim Frank, Michael Rosbash, Kip Thorne, and Michael Young at a reception on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, April 18. U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Christopher Coons (D-Del.) co-hosted the event.




américa

New Report Provides Guidance to USDA for Updating Its Data Programs to More Completely Understand American Agriculture

To ensure that U.S. agricultural policies are well-informed, data collection programs must be periodically revisited to reflect current realities of the agricultural sector, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.




américa

National Academies Host Roundtable on Promoting and Protecting American R&D

On May 10, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosted a roundtable with senior representatives of academia, industry, and the federal government to exchange ideas about how to maximize the benefits of international science and technology collaboration while strengthening U.S. economic and national security.