The structure of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa T6SS PldB immunity protein PA5086 is reported at 1.9 Å resolution. Comparison of PA5086 with its homologs PA5087 and PA5088 showed great similarities in sequence and structure, but vast divergences in electrostatic potential surfaces.

The way that massive stars form remains mysterious, in part, because massive stars are rare and tend to spend their youth shrouded by dust and gas and hidden from view.

The post Radio telescopes give astronomers rare glimpse at a young protostar’s formation appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The far-out planet, named 55 Cancri e, is twice as big as Earth and nearly nine times more massive. It is most likely composed of rocky material, similar to Earth, supplemented with light elements such as water and hydrogen gas. Scientists estimate the planet’s surface is much hotter than ours: close to 2,700 degrees Celsius.

The post Stellar eclipse gives glimpse of exoplanet: New data reveals a ‘super-Earth’ next door, astronomically speaking appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

On Monday, Aug. 21, beginning shortly after 9 a.m. Pacific Time, the sky will darken across North America as the moon’s orbit carries it between […]

The post Enrich your solar eclipse experience with this new app! appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Monday, Aug. 21 was an unusual day across North America. Early in the morning, families, colleagues and tourists were searching for special solar glasses with […]

The post Crowds gather at Air and Space Museum to view solar eclipse appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Don your clean room clothing and take a glimpse into the Smithsonian's new Antarctic meteorite storage facility in Suitland, Md., where all of the Antarctic meteorites in the national collection are kept under tight security and tight airlocks.

The post Glimpse into the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s new meteorite storage facility appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The moon passed between the Earth and the sun on Thursday, Oct. 23. While avid stargazers in North America looked up to watch the spectacle, the […]

The post Polar-orbiting satellite captures amazing X-ray footage of solar eclipse appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Linn Meyers (American, b. Washington, D.C., 1968; lives and works in Washington, D.C.) created her largest work, “Our View From Here,” at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn […]

The post Linn Meyers “Our View From Here” Time-lapse appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Watch this video before the solar eclipse on August 21, 2017!

The post 7 Facts About Solar Eclipses appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

An intuitive method is presented for detecting pseudosymmetries in Z' > 1 cases as a complement to well-proven strategies already available in the literature. It is based in the simple idea that the mid-points between equivalent atoms in symmetrically related mol­ecules are disposed according to simple well-known patterns, which are easily recognizable by optical inspection. A number of Z' = 4 cases in the literature are analyzed, which allows some of the potentialities of the method to be revealed.

Glaciers are sensitive indicators of climate change. This study focused on hanging glaciers in the French Alps, where warming is increasing the risk of glaciers collapsing. The authors applied a state-of-the-art numerical model to a particularly hazardous glacier in Mont Blanc to simulate how it will respond to climate change. The results suggest the glacier may become unstable in the current century, posing a risk to the inhabitants of the valley below.

The catastrophic collapse of the massive West Antarctic Ice Sheet is underway.

For 55 years, photographers have showcased their work in the Natural History Museum, London's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

Explore.org has affixed several high-definition cameras to locations in Churchill, Manitoba, the 'Polar Bear Capital of the World.'

The new season of Smithsonian Channel's 'Polar Bear Town' will explore the intersection of humans and the 'Lords of the Arctic' in Manitoba.

Last week's total solar eclipse was a confusing phenomenon for a brood of chickens in the Faroe Islands.

The vernal equinox marks a shift in seasons, and nothing says that better than flowers bursting into bloom.

Meditation sessions to promote self awareness may have an enduring effect on curbing substance abuse.

500 square miles of Appalachian forest is gone forever due to illegal mountaintop mining, and the EPA doesn't seem to mind.

A videographer captures eerie footage of Colorado's High Park Fire, one of several blazes now raging in the dry, windy, beetle-infested U.S. West.

Birds may go quiet, bats may fly around and pets may become uneasy, but it's difficult to predict exactly how non-human animals will react.

From musicals to thrillers, there's more than a few flicks out there where the solar eclipse has a starring role.

Researchers make headway in fight against devastating disorder by breeding bees with the ability to seek out and remove varroa mites.

Radiation from cell phones might be contributing to the decline in the bee population.

Researchers hope to create a sperm bank to breed hardier bees and preserve threatened subspecies.

Space shuttle Endeavour, you're a star. A captivating new time-lapse movie has condensed Endeavour's recent three-day road trip to a Los Angeles museum into mer

Beyoncé ended the year on a sour note with members of the NASA community.

Utilities from California to North Carolina are preparing for a brief but sharp decrease in solar production during the Great American Eclipse on Aug. 21.

Today HP unveils a breakthough in powerful computer chip technology that can process data, store memory and stack 3-dimensionally.. just like a brain synapse.

Meanwhile, a new Bayer-funded study disputes that its pesticide is killing bees.

The pesticides, called neonicotinoids, are "highly likely" to be triggering bee deaths, say researchers.

American employers may have paid a steep price for the eclipse, but it was just what the nation needed.

Eclipse glasses distributed to the homeless, plus where to donate your old eclipse glasses if you don't plan on reusing them.

With so much activism and celebrating going down on Earth Day, a sense of humor is often overlooked. The Onion is here to help.

When is rhetoric over-the-top when you're talking about climate change?

Michigan photographer Vincent Brady offers a stirring time-lapse tribute to the unpolluted night sky — all 360 degrees of it.

Take a stunning journey through the night skies over Monument Valley, Trona Pinnacles and Red Rock Canyon.

In this gorgeous short film, satellite dish arrays from around North America join the sky in a celestial waltz.

In 'Hades Exhales,' viewers are given a day-to-night tour of one of the most volatile geothermal landscapes in the country.

In 'Kaibab Elegy,' filmmakers Gavin Heffernan and Harun Mehmedinović show us a full cloud inversion at Grand Canyon National Park.

Australia's desert ants are thriving in the face of climate change.

Scientists took 1,445 photos of Chile's Jorge Montt glacier between 2010 and 2011, creating a time-lapse video of its dramatic retreat.

The disintegration of a giant Antarctic ice shelf that had been stable for millennia was caused by a chain reaction of lakes draining on top of the ice.

Researchers who have analyzed satellite images of the icy region suggest that the glaciers' acceleration may be cause for concern.

Greenpeace was trying to film mountain scenery at Glacier National Park, but a curious marmot had other ideas.

Astronomers have used instruments on board SOFIA, the world's largest airborne observatory, to examine a planet beyond solar system.

December's annular solar eclipse looked like a "ring of fire."