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New study sees mother’s milk as a communications link that shapes infant temperament

The study found that infants whose mothers had higher levels of available milk energy soon after their birth, coped more effectively (moved around more, explored more, ate and drank) and showed greater confidence (were more playful, exploratory, curious and active) with this novel situation.

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Technology developed for X-ray astronomy is being adapted to study cancer cells

Eric Silver of SAO is pursuing innovative and interdisciplinary uses of his technique for chemical imaging at the cellular level.

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Study reveals road salt may promote health and well-being of roadside ant colonies

To understand the effects of road salting on ants, Michael Kaspari of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the University of Oklahoma led a team that looked at how ant colonies are affected by these conditions; their research is published in a recent issue of the journal Ecological Entomology.

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Conservation Biology Institute to play role in elephant welfare study

The science-based study will evaluate elephant welfare along a quality continuum, assessing the impact of zoo management practices by looking at the elephants’ responses to differences in practices among zoos.

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Snowflake Study through Photomicrography, 1890

Snowflake Study through Photomicrography, 1890 Wilson A. Bentley became fascinated with the crystalline structure of individual snowflakes on his parent’s Vermont farm. By adapting a […]

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New study examines how planetesimals influence the development of a planetary system

In a new paper, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics astronomer Hagai Perets studies the role of binary planetesimals--clumps that orbit each other and jointly mature via three basic processes.

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Alarming number of fledgling, suburban catbirds fall prey to domestic cats, study finds

Smithsonian scientists report fledgling catbirds in suburban habitats are at their most vulnerable stage of life, with almost 80 percent killed by predators before they reach adulthood. Almost half of the deaths were connected to domestic cats.

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Oysters on floating plates help scientists study acidification and shell growth

A team of scientists from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Md., is taking a closer look at how rising acidification of ocean water may be impacting estuaries and near shore environments on the Chesapeake Bay

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Study finds facial structure of men and women has become more similar over time

Looking at more than 200 skulls dating to 20th and 16th century Spain, as well as approximately 50 skulls from 20th century Portugal, the researchers found that craniofacial differences between contemporary men and women are less pronounced than they were in the 16th century.

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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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Changes in vegetation determine how animals migrate, scientists find in new National Zoo study

The predictability and scale of seasonal changes in a habitat help determine the distance migratory species move and whether the animals always travel together to the same place or independently to different locations.

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National Museum of Natural History’s coral collection used in Caribbean agricultural and sewage pollution study

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.

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Stranding records are faithful reflection of live whale and dolphin populations, new study reveals

By compiling and comparing long-term data from stranding records and visual sighting records, both taken from nearly every ocean basin in the world, Pyenson verified that stranding records “faithfully reflect the number of species and the relative abundance” found in live surveys.

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Genetic study confirms American crocodiles and critically endangered Cuban crocodiles are hybridizing in the wild

A new genetic study by a team of Cuban and American researchers confirms that American crocodiles are hybridizing with wild populations of critically endangered Cuban crocodiles, which may cause a population decline of this species found only in the Cuban Archipelago.

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New study reveals desert tortoise is actually two distinct species

A new study shows that the desert tortoise, thought to be a single species for the last 150 years, is in fact two separate and distinct species, based on DNA evidence and biological and geographical distinctions.

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Varied diet has allowed gray whales to survive millions of years, study reveals

Gray whales survived many cycles of global cooling and warming over the past few million years, likely by exploiting a more varied diet than they do today, according to a new study by University of California, Berkeley, and Smithsonian Institution paleontologists.

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Will global warming be hell on the hellbender? Smithsonian study aims to find out.

Now, a new study of hellbenders by scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute will place these amphibians at the center of the conservation of Appalachian salamanders.

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Ability to raft with flotsam and use non-reef habitats helps tropical fish journey to new places, study finds

Depending on where the fish disperse from, the use of ‘stepping stones', flotsam or simply being an adult can help in the journey to find a new home.

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Dodo bird a resilient island survivor before the arrival of humans, study reveals

A new study on the dodo’s island home of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, paints a picture of this unusual bird as an intrepid survivor on par with the giant tortoise for its resiliency.

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New DNA study suggests coral reef biodiversity is seriously underestimated

The first DNA barcoding survey of crustaceans living on samples of dead coral taken from the Indian, Pacific and Caribbean oceans suggests that the diversity of organisms living on the world’s coral reefs—one of the most endangered habitats on Earth—is seriously underestimated.

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Why did the tortoise cross the road? A recent study indicates few do.

Scientists studying genetic variation and gene flow in a population of tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) in California’s Mojave Desert, were surprised recently to discover that two roads built in the desert in the 1970s had a noticeable impact on the population’s genetic structure.

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Is obesity predestined at infancy? Marmoset study may help scientists find out.

A new study of marmosets, small South American monkeys, indicates that obesity may begin very early in life and suggests that marmosets may be a helpful model for obesity in humans.

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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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Heart disease study to benefit lowland gorillas at the National Zoo

The same device used to detect early warning signs of heart disease in humans will now benefit two male sub-adult gorillas at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.

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New study determines bill size in birds varies according to climate

Scientists determine there is more to the shape and length of bird bills than just how they “get the worm.”

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New study proves the remora’s sucker disc is in fact a highly modified dorsal fin / Q&A with taxonomist David Johnson

The remora's sucker disc is "one of the most remarkable and most highly modified skeletal structures among vertebrates."

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Small migratory birds age faster in stressful places, study reveals

Small migratory male birds that winter in a stressful environment age faster than those that winter in a high-quality habitat, according to research stemming from […]

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Obese marmosets are more developmentally advanced as infants, study shows

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 […]

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Panamanian fish catch is vastly under-reported, study reveals

The name Panama is said to mean “abundance of fish.” Now a new study estimates that between 1950 and 2010, the amount of fish taken […]

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Study: Bleaching events impair long-term coral reproduction

A new study by Florida State University and Smithsonian Institution biologists shows that bleaching events brought on by rising sea temperatures are having a detrimental […]

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Vultures remarkably tolerant to deadly bacteria, study reveals

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 […]

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American Indians, colonists had healthy appetite for crabs, study shows

Native Americans and America’s early colonists ate many more blue crabs than modern researchers previously thought, according to a team of scientists studying crab remains […]

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Study: Male bonding brings peace, lets primates live in big groups

While studying the social dynamics of the bearded saki, a primate living in the rainforests of Suriname, primatologist Tremaine Gregory of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology […]

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New study may help free whales from fishing rope entanglement

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 […]

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Study reveals more Pygmy Sloths, But There Still Aren’t Many

Size isn’t the only thing that’s small about the pygmy sloth―its population is too. But scientists at the Smithsonian say things may be looking up […]

The post Study reveals more Pygmy Sloths, But There Still Aren’t Many appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Study reveals Agriculture and Fishing Cause Coral Reef Decline

Since researchers began surveys in the 1980s, coral reefs in the Caribbean have undergone widespread change following bleaching and disease epidemics that have reduced the […]

The post Study reveals Agriculture and Fishing Cause Coral Reef Decline appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Study reveals ancient link between mammoth dung and pumpkin pie

New research by a team of archaeologists has revealed a curious connection between our traditional Thanksgiving dinner and the taste buds of prehistoric mammoths and […]

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New Study Helps Smithsonian Scientists Prioritize Frogs at Risk of Extinction

Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution and partners have published a paper that will help them save Panamanian frog species from extinction due to a deadly […]

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Smithsonian study reveals white-tailed deer in eastern U.S. are infected with a malaria parasite

Through sheer coincidence, two Smithsonian researchers at the National Zoological Park have discovered that 18 percent of the white-tailed deer population in the Eastern United […]

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Smithsonian Study reveals Decline of Genetic Diversity in Wild Cheetahs

The planet’s last stronghold of wild cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) is losing genetic diversity at an alarming rate according to a new study from the Smithsonian […]

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Fishing gear entanglements of marine birds is focus of Smithsonian ecologist’s study

(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 […]

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Tool use by sea otters has little to do with genetic ties: Smithsonian study

Tool use by sea otters to break open well-armored food is not necessarily a family matter, according to a new study published this week by […]

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Smithsonian Study shows relocated desert tortoises reproduce at lower rate

Four years after conservationists relocated 570 desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) in California from a threatened habitat to a new nearby location, the tortoises outwardly appeared […]

The post Smithsonian Study shows relocated desert tortoises reproduce at lower rate appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.



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Study shows ancient California Indians risked toxins from bitumen-coated bottles

Finding clean ways to store water is a challenge that humans have faced for millennia. In a new paper in Environmental Health, anthropologist Sabrina Sholts […]

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