Smothered in tartar sauce and cheese it’s difficult to know just what species of fish lurks beneath the breaded surface of a fast-food fish sandwich. […]

The post Smithsonian scientist creating DNA database to track Caribbean conch and lobster appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Ten years ago, cownose rays in the Atlantic got a bad rap when this species (Rhinoptera bonasus) was accused of excessively eating up scallops in […]

The post Cownose Rays Aquitted: Not Guilty of Decimating Chesapeake Oysters appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Bald from snout to tail with baggy wrinkled skin and beady eyes, eastern African naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber) are subterranean mammals long credited with […]

The post Rare cancer cells discovered in naked mole rats appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Seven fossil teeth exposed by the Panama Canal expansion project are the first evidence of a monkey on the North American continent before the Isthmus […]

The post First North American Monkey Fossils Found in Panama Canal Excavation appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The National Zoo’s red panda habitat on Asia Trail reopened to the public Tuesday, May 10. Tusa and Asa explored their new home which has […]

The post Red pandas come back to Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

For the first time, an egg laid by a female brown kiwi at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., hatched May 10. […]

The post Endangered Kiwi Chick Hatches appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

As the Zika virus is rapidly taking hold around the world, health officials are racing to find its cause and prevent further spread of the […]

The post Smithsonian’s mosquito collection is weapon in battle against Zika appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise…and you know the rest, probably even if you’re not a huge fan of […]

The post Five things only a conservator would know about the USS Enterprise appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A bite mark on a homicide victim’s skin is not an unusual discovery. A criminal’s teeth marks are also occasionally found on food at a […]

The post Crime bite: DNA on half-eaten food may someday send crooks to jail appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

 The distant planet GJ 1132b intrigued astronomers when it was discovered last year. Located just 39 light-years from Earth, it might have an atmosphere despite […]

The post Venus-like Exoplanet Might Have Oxygen Atmosphere, But Not Life appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Keith Gagnon, a 9-year-old fascinated by birds, talks about the importance of bird conservation and why birds really matter. Step outside your house in the […]

The post Why Birds Really Matter: Keith Gagnon appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The center of the Milky Way galaxy is currently a quiet place where a supermassive black hole slumbers, only occasionally slurping small sips of hydrogen […]

The post The Milky Way’s blowout bash 6 million years ago! appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

According to a new study, eating sea turtle eggs increases the health risk of heavy metal exposure in local communities in Panama and may provide […]

The post Human health risks of eating sea turtle eggs could benefit species 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In conflicts between predators and prey, speed is a decided advantage, and evolution has given the trap-jaw ant a distinct advantage with spring-loaded jaws that […]

The post Locked and loaded: unique trigger design fires this ant’s snapping jaws appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Cats are notoriously fickle—purring in your lap one second, then swiping you with an indignant claw the next. One thing is certain however when it […]

The post Eons before viral kitten videos, ancient Egyptians adored cats appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

“Probably no genus of birds in the American avifauna has received the amount of attention that has been bestowed upon the turkeys…there has been no […]

The post Happy Thanksgiving! Here are 25 fun turkey-related objects in Smithsonian collections! appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The next generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-V), directed by Juna Kollmeier of the Carnegie Institution for Science, will move forward with mapping […]

The post Next generation astronomical survey to map the entire sky appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

With its homely featherless head, undertaker’s charcoal coloring and association with death and decay, the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) tops few lists as a favorite […]

The post Scientists in awe of huge olfactory bulb found in turkey vulture brain appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The center of our Galaxy has been intensely studied for many years, but it still harbors surprises for scientists. A snake-like structure lurking near our […]

The post Cosmic filament probes our galaxy’s giant black hole appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

One of Earth’s most evolutionarily unique species is also the world’s most trafficked mammal: pangolins, or “scaly anteaters.” A new study from the Smithsonian Conservation […]

The post Using genetics to help save world’s most trafficked mammal: the pangolin appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Astronomers had a mystery on their hands. No matter where they looked, from inside the Milky Way to distant galaxies, they observed a puzzling glow […]

The post GBT Detection Unlocks Exploration of ‘Aromatic’ Interstellar Chemistry appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In 1854, a curious-looking spider was found preserved in 50 million-year-old amber. With an elongated neck-like structure and long mouthparts that protruded from the “head” […]

The post These newly discovered pelican spiders will make you want to visit Madagascar appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Flitting swiftly through the darkness above the tropical forest canopy in Central and South America, a group of cute little bats with dog-like faces have […]

The post More sky puppies! Scientists discover two new species of dog-faced bat 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 […]

The post MarineGEO survey conducted in Hong Kong appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A team of astrophysicists and planetary scientists has predicted that Neptune-like planets located near the center of the Milky Way galaxy have been transformed into […]

The post Black hole blasts may transform “Mini-Neptunes” into rocky worlds appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Poaching wasn’t the largest conservation concern for Asian elephants, an endangered species, until satellite tracking stunned researchers. Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) […]

The post Poachers are killing endangered Asian elephants for their skin and meat, not their tusks appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Animal species can become endangered, but what about languages? Around 80 percent of the world’s population speaks just 20 percent of its 7,000 languages. That […]

The post Why languages become endangered, and how we can keep them alive appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Very early on, cockroach moms found out maternal care gave their offspring a better chance at survival. The cockroach parenting method—which includes feeding, guarding and […]

The post Helicopter cockroach moms have protected their young for millions of years appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Five new species of snail-eating snake, from a group of snakes affectionately known to scientists as “goo-eaters,” have been discovered by a team working in […]

The post Newly discovered snakes use curved teeth to pry snails from their shells appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Little to nothing is known about how and where a small European songbird called the bluethroat spends much of the year. Now, Smithsonian scientists have […]

The post Scientists track a mysterious songbird using tiny backpack locators appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.