Like many predators, the fringe-lipped bat primarily uses its hearing to find its prey, but with human-generated noise on the rise, scientists are examining how […]

The post Bats Use Second Sense to Hunt Prey in Noisy Environments appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Ricardo Moreno, research associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama and director of the Yaguará Panamá Foundation, reported at the 20th Congress […]

The post 26 jaguars killed in Panama so far this year appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

To surprise their prey, some species of seabirds dive into the water at speeds greater than 50 miles per hour. A human diver entering the […]

The post Study shows how birds dive safely at high speeds 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 […]

The post Bizarre new marine worms covered in bristles, wrinkles & bumps appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Amid efforts to restore native oyster populations on the West Coast, how are oysters expected to fare under climate change in the decades and centuries […]

The post Climate Change May Benefit Native Oysters, but There’s a Catch appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In August astronomers announced that the nearby star Proxima Centauri hosts an Earth-sized planet (called Proxima b) in its habitable zone. At first glance, Proxima […]

The post Proxima Centauri Might Be More Sunlike Than We Thought appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

This brief squid made a surprise appearance in a Smithsonian Environmental Research Center trawl survey at the mouth of Maryland’s Rhode River last Thursday—the first […]

The post Brief squid surprise appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

There’s something exciting and strange about having an idea. It can come suddenly. Unexpectedly. Randomly. Intensely. Ideas can uninvitingly appear full-forced and bright—like the cliché […]

The post Making the Smithsonian’s New “Sidedoor” podcast series a reality appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Crustaceans that thrive in the vastness of the open ocean have no place to hide from their predators. Consequently, many creatures that live at depths […]

The post Tiny ocean crustaceans wear invisibility cloak of living bacteria appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

With roughly 5,500 individuals remaining in the wild, the black rhino population is critically endangered. To help save these iconic African giants, at risk for […]

The post A Planet in Peril: Q&A with Suzan Murray of the Smithsonian Global Health Program appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In 1935, 101 cane toads from Hawaii were set loose in Australia to help control beetles that were decimating the Australian sugar crop. But instead […]

The post Discovery: Australia’s invasive cane toads modify their bodies to conquer new territory faster appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Thanksgiving Menu, 1905 Smithsonian Snapshot celebrates the Thanksgiving season with this 1905 Thanksgiving menu by George Elbert Burr from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. In […]

The post 1905 Thanksgiving Menu appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In 2012, under a scientist’s watchful eye, a comb jelly ate some fish, digested it, and excreted the waste out its back end. In doing […]

The post By simply pooping, comb jellies expel long-held scientific misconception appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Living in deep reefs in the Atlantic Ocean, the banded basslet, a small and colorful species with a wide range of distribution, has long been […]

The post Fishy Caribbean ‘juveniles’ recognized as new species appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A one-cubic-foot approach to studying biodiversity as showcased in the new Biocube exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History has led to the […]

The post New parasitic crab species discovered during Smithsonian Biocube work in Solomon Islands appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery celebrates the accomplishments of astronaut and Senator John Glenn (1921-2016) with a watercolor and graphite portrait by Henry C. Caselli […]

The post John Glenn Portrait on View at National Portrait Gallery appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In 1969, 60 to 100 peacock bass imported from Buga, Colombia, were introduced into a pond in Panama for sport fishing. Several individuals escaped. By […]

The post Peacock bass invasion Had devastating, long-term impact on Panama’s Fish appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Perhaps puppies cuddling in the snow makes winter’s bite not so unpleasant? In one of his most charming designs, Japanese artist Isoda Koryūsai (1735–1790) depicted […]

The post Snow puppies appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Every few thousand years, an unlucky star wanders too close to the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. The black hole’s powerful […]

The post Our Galaxy’s Black Hole is Spewing Planet-size “Spitballs” appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The 11 farthest known stars in our galaxy are located about 300,000 light-years from Earth, well outside the Milky Way’s spiral disk. New research by […]

The post Farthest Milky Way stars might be ripped from another galaxy appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Recent underwater photographs and video from the National Marine Park of the southern Caribbean island of Bonaire has led to the discovery of a new species […]

The post Meet the candy striped hermit crab, a new Caribbean species appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Fat, toxic and nocturnal, cane toads (Rhinella marina) are abundant today in Hawaii, even though they are South American natives. Released on the Hawaiian Islands […]

The post Two invasive species have Hawaiian reunion after 80-year separation appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Food is scarce in the deep, dark regions of the ocean where barbeled dragonfishes and their relatives dwell. Known as the Stomiidae, some of these […]

The post Odd anatomy: flexible joint between skull and spine allow dragonfish to open wide appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

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.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are brief spurts of radio emission, lasting just one-thousandth of a second, whose origins are mysterious. Fewer than two dozen have […]

The post Astronomers propose cell phone search for galactic radio bursts appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Washington, D.C. is a city of symbols. The rites, rituals, and places that define Washington capture the aspirations of our nation and its citizens. Just […]

The post Trusted Sources: Why Museums and Libraries Are More Relevant Than Ever appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

To fully know a species and develop sound conservation efforts, its full life cycle must be understood. But tracking small migratory birds for thousands of […]

The post Keeping Track of Kirtland’s Warbler All Year Long―A Scientific First appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

For centuries, cultures around the world have used masks in ritual dances and festivals to represent traditional characters. This copper mask, found in the Smithsonian’s […]

The post Mexican Masks: Tales Through Dance appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

“Think of a lion shrunk to the size of a mouse that needs to eat every 20 minutes or so.” That is a shrew, says […]

The post New Costa Rican shrew species named from a single specimen found 44 years ago appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence has looked for many different signs of alien life, from radio broadcasts to laser flashes, without success. However, newly published […]

The post Could Fast Radio Bursts Be Powering Alien Probes? appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

New species don’t just spring out of thin air. Speciation, the evolutionary process by which new and distinct species arise, usually takes millions of years. […]

The post Simultaneous hermaphrodites: Understanding Speciation in fish called “hamlets” appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

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 […]

The post Tool use by sea otters has little to do with genetic ties: Smithsonian study appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A bizarre change occurs in the mouth of a humpback whale during its development in the womb. Several dozen tooth buds sprout in a row […]

The post Paleo-detectives energize great whale mystery: how & when baleen evolved appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Whales from both poles migrate long distances to breed in tropical waters. Smithsonian scientist Hector M. Guzman and Fernando Félix at the Salinas Whale Museum […]

The post Whale tagging in Southeast Pacific provides data for species protection appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Fetching close to $1,500 per pound, ivory ranks fourth in black-market traded items just behind illegal drugs, weapons, and humans. Governments across the globe are […]

The post New technique may help authorities quickly ID real and fake ivory products appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The blue whale, which uses baleen to filter its prey from ocean water and can reach lengths of over 100 feet, is the largest vertebrate […]

The post Only recently did whales become giant appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

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.

AUSTIN, Texas — Astronomers at The University of Texas at Austin and Harvard University have put a basic principle of black holes to the test, […]

The post Do Stars Fall Quietly into Black Holes? appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Sometimes there’s just no telling what will turn up at the local market. Fish biologist Jeff Williams of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History […]

The post Surprise: Distinctive new surgeonfish species makes an improbable debut appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Firm though it was, Kaitlyn Wilson’s gentle grip on the rust-brown female cardinal didn’t stop the bird from twisting its head around to deliver a […]

The post Urban Nestwatch: A bird in hand awakens a lifetime of wildlife awareness appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

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 […]

The post Study shows ancient California Indians risked toxins from bitumen-coated bottles appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Two separate teams of scientists have identified major challenges for the development of life in what has recently become one of the most famous exoplanet […]

The post There’s more to extraterrestrial life than planets in “habitable zone” orbits appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

For more than 60 years, researchers have tried to successfully cryopreserve (or freeze) the embryo of zebrafish, a species that is an important medical model […]

The post Gold nanotechnology and lasers used to successfully freeze fish embryos appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Great Cats keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are celebrating the birth of a Sumatran tiger, a critically endangered species. The cub’s mother, 8-year-old Damai, […]

The post Sumatran tiger cub born National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The world’s most indestructible species, the tardigrade, an eight-legged micro-animal, also known as the water bear, will survive until the Sun dies, according to a […]

The post Study determines microscopic water bears will be Earth’s last survivors appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Using new numerical simulations and observations, scientists may now be able to explain why the Sun’s magnetic field reverses every eleven years. This significant discovery […]

The post 3D simulations reveals why the Sun flips its magnetic field every 11 years appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In a new study in which one of humankind’s most high-tech tools was used to analyze one of its most primitive, scientists have uncovered evidence […]

The post Laser beams unveil secrets locked inside primitive stone spear points appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The next time you swat a fly ponder this: inside its belly is the DNA of whatever it ate before landing on your picnic dinner—roadkill, […]

The post Innovation: Belly gunk from flies used to survey forest animals appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Covered in sharp spines, when harassed the porcupine fish inflates like a balloon. Think of a small soccer ball bristling all over with nails. Most predators […]

The post Indestructible jaws from ancient, extinct porcupine fish reveal new species appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In everyday life, ultraviolet, or UV, light earns a bad reputation for being responsible for sunburns and other harmful effects on humans. However, research suggests […]

The post In search for life, ultraviolet light may be ultra important appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.