Tiny Anolis lizards preserved since the Miocene in amber are giving scientists a true appreciation of the meaning of community stability. Dating back some 15 […]

The post Trapped in Amber: Ancient fossils reveal remarkable stability of Caribbean lizard communities appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Mojave Desert and Death Valley are among the hottest, driest places in North America. So how might climate change impact a resilient reptile that […]

The post Warming may shrink ancient range of heat loving desert lizard appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Researchers who examined thousands of migratory birds arriving in the United States from Central and South America have determined that three percent carry ticks species […]

The post Disease carrying ticks hitchhike into U.S. on migratory birds appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Throughout 2015 the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater, Md., has marked its 50th year of operation. Now there’s another reason for SERC to […]

The post Smithsonian lab receives GreenGov Presidential Award appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The pink-headed duck was no lucky duck. In 1948 a single specimen of this waterfowl, Rhodonessa caryophyllacea, was donated to the Division of Birds of […]

The post Carotenoid pigments make extinct duck a rare bird indeed appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

When is a blue bird not blue? The answer to this question is always. There actually is no such thing as a blue bird. To find […]

The post When Is a Blue Bird Not Blue? appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

(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 […]

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

President Jimmy Carter, an avid birder, talks about the importance of bird conservation and why birds really matter. Step outside your house in the morning […]

The post Why Birds Really Matter: President Jimmy Carter 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.

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.

Swimming in the frigid waters of the Arctic and surfacing in narrow gaps in the sea ice to breathe, the narwhal is one of the […]

The post Meet the world’s weirdest whale 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.

This user-friendly, portable, and extensive identification guide features large color illustrations of more than 900 species; the first range maps published to show the distribution of Panama's birds and concise text that describes field marks for identification, as well as habitat, behavior, and vocalizations.

The post Smithsonian ornithologist publishes new guide to the birds of Panama appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

As command module pilot for the Apollo 15 mission to the moon in 1971, Al Worden spent six days orbiting the moon, including three days completely alone, the most isolated human in existence. In Falling to Earth, Worden tells for the first time the full story around the dramatic events that shook NASA and ended his spaceflight career.

The post “Falling to Earth: An Apollo 15 Astronaut’s Journey to the Moon” by Al Worden with Francis French appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

When it comes to the birds of South Asia, Pamela Rasmussen wrote the book on it. Literally. Twice.

The post New Book: “Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide” appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Hope Diamond’s red glow has long been considered a unique property of that stone. Most blue diamonds produce a bluish-white phosphorescence if exposed to ultraviolet light. The few other diamonds known to emit red phosphorescence were commonly assumed to have been from the even larger original stone from which the Hope was cut.

The post Bombarded with ultraviolet light, the blue Hope diamond glows red appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The prehistoric Xenicibis used its wings like two clubs hinged at the wrist joint in order to swing at and attack one another.

The post Prehistoric bird able to yield extreme fighting force with club-like wings appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Richard Wunderman is managing editor of the Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network and a geologist in the Division of Mineral Sciences at the Smithsonian’s […]

The post Q&A: Smithsonian volcanologist Richard Wunderman answers questions about the Aug. 23, East Coast earthquake appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The last time Earth experienced both ice sheets and carbon dioxide levels within the range predicted for this century was a period of major sea […]

The post What the Ancient CO2 Record May Mean for Future Climate Change appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Jamaican golden swallow was last seen in 1982. From 1994 to 2012, Smithsonian ornithologist Gary Graves combed the island of Jamaica to document several […]

The post After a nearly 20-year search, this Jamaican bird is probably extinct appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

As you read here
In a 24-hour-period between July 9 and 10, 2009 a clouded leopard cub, a Przewalski's horse, and a red panda cub were all born at Smithsonian's National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia.

The post A clouded leopard cub, a Przewalski’s horse and a red panda cub were all recently born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Dr. JoGayle Howard of the Smithsonian's National Zoo discusses her work to breed and study one of the world's most endangered cats, the clouded leopard. More about the National Zoo's work to save clouded leopards: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/SCBI/ReproductiveScience/ConsEn...
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/support/annualappeal/cloudedleo... ... (more info)

The post Meet Our Scientist: Dr. JoGayle Howard of the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Smithsonian Scientist Helen James dives into dormant Hawaiian volcanoes to find bird fossils. Her work to identify these species (some new species, some extinct) helps us learn about the past--specifically, how humans might have caused the extinction of certain bird species.

The post Meet Our Scientist–Helen James dives into dormant Hawaiian volcanoes to find bird fossils appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

When birds and planes collide: Carla Dove, a forensic ornithologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, talks about the work of the Smithsonian's Feather Identification Lab and its role in improving aviation safety.

The post Meet Our Scientist: Forensic ornithologist Carla Dove explains bird-strike science appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post After a bulldozer unearthed five statues in Ain Ghazal, Jordan in 1984, Smithsonian conservators carefully restore these otherworldy figures appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

On June 7 the Sun unleashed an spectacular solar flare with a substantial coronal mass ejection. A large cloud of plasma mushroomed up, and while some parts fell back into the Sun, most rushed off into space. The first two segments of this video are seen through the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly aboard NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. The AIA was developed by Smithsonian scientists.

The post Spectacular June 7 solar flare seen through the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly aboard Solar Dynamics Observatory appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A short history of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

The post Lighthouse of the skies, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Animal care staff at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, are hand-rearing the pair of clouded leopard cubs born on March 28, increasing the chances that the cubs will be more successful at breeding later in their life.

The post Hand-rearing clouded leopard cubs at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Keepers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo perform an artificial insemination procedure on a pair of Stanley Cranes. A Stanley Crane chick was successfully hatched on May 23, 2011.

The post Bird keepers at the National Zoo demonstrate the art of artificially inseminating Stanley cranes appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

William Fitzhugh - Edward Nelson's 1877-1881 Western Alaskan Expedition

The post Smithsonian anthropologist William Fitzhugh speaks about Edward Nelson’s 1877-1881 Western Alaskan Expedition appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Kepler 11: A Six-Planet Sonata by Alex Parker, postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Smithsonian planetary geologists Sharon Purdy and Maria Banks explain how you can take your very own photo of Mars.

The post Scientists Maria Banks and Sharon Purdy explain how to take your own photo of Mars. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

One of Italy’s greatest treasures, Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex on the Flight of Birds, will be exhibited at the National Air and Space Museum from […]

The post da Vinci’s “Codex on the Flight of Birds” will be on view at Air and Space Museum, Sept. 13-Oct. 22. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The nation’s top bird science and conservation groups have come together to publish The State of the Birds 2014—the most comprehensive review of long-term trend […]

The post The State of the Birds: Q&A with Peter Marra appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Scientists from the Migratory Bird Center of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute are using transmitters to track the movements of shorebirds–the long-billed curlew, red knot, […]

The post Studying migratory connectivity of shorebirds on the Texas coast appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Identifying and understanding the migratory connectivity of birds throughout an entire annual cycle (not just the times of year they are in your back yard), […]

The post Video: Protecting songbirds by Better Understanding their Migratory connectivity appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Watch a keeper train the Zoo’s clouded leopard, Tai, for voluntary cheek swabs. The DNA from these cheek swabs is used to map the genealogy […]

The post Training a CLouded Leopard for Cheek Swabs appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell talks about the importance of bird conservation and why birds really matter. Step outside your house in the […]

The post Why Birds Really Matter: Sally Jewell appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Catherine McKenna, Canada’s Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, talks about the importance of bird conservation and why birds really matter. Step outside your […]

The post Why Birds Really Matter: Catherine McKenna appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

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 […]

The post Stephen Hawking Congratulates LIGO Team on its Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Jeopardy’s Clue Crew visits the Smithsonian’s National Zoo!

The post Jeopardy’s Clue Crew visits the National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.