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Giant impact may explain origin of Martian moons Phobos and Deimos

The Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, may have been the result of a giant impact that sent rocks and debris into orbit around Mars, instead of asteroids that were captured by the planet’s gravity as previously thought.

The post Giant impact may explain origin of Martian moons Phobos and Deimos appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Exurban development is changing communities of birds in Eastern Forests

Despite the general perception of exurban development as environmentally preferable to urban sprawl, this is not necessarily correct. Housing development is detrimental for natural bird communities even at low housing levels.

The post Exurban development is changing communities of birds in Eastern Forests appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.





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Lemurs exhibit ability for social learning in zoo experiment

Subjects watched demonstrators for varying amounts of time. When given the pipe, each of the subjects in both groups opened the door on their first attempt using the method they had seen demonstrated.

The post Lemurs exhibit ability for social learning in zoo experiment appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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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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Luminosity of extreme galaxy most likely driven by star formation

Astronomers are piecing together the reasons for these huge energy outputs, while sorting out why our own galaxy is so modest. The two primary suspects are bursts of star formation that produce many hot young stars, and processes associated with accretion of material onto a supermassive black hole at a galaxy's nucleus.

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Tyrannosaurus rex more hyena than lion

But a new census of all dinosaur skeletons unearthed over a large area of Eastern Montana shows that Tyrannosaurus was too numerous to have subsisted solely on the dinosaurs it tracked and killed with its scythe-like teeth.

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Gulf of Mexico survey will benchmark diversity of ocean floor

Funded by BP through the Florida Institute of Oceanography, the scientists will make the 10-day trip aboard the institute’s 115-foot research vessel. The divers, scientists and photographers will document hard bottoms of Florida, from the Keys to the Panhandle, to gain a better understanding of these sponge- and coral-dominated communities

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Astronomers explore the rich chemistry surrounding an evolved star

Over 170 molecules have been detected in space, from simple diatomic molecules like CO to complex organic molecules with over 70 atoms, such as fullerene. […]

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X-ray stripes in exploded star may reveal highest energies of cosmic rays produced in our Galaxy

The discovery of a pattern of X-ray “stripes” in the remains of an exploded star may provide the first direct evidence that a cosmic event […]

The post X-ray stripes in exploded star may reveal highest energies of cosmic rays produced in our Galaxy appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.





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Evidence of asteroid mining in our galaxy may lead to the discovery of extraterrestrial civilizations

If intelligent and more advanced civilizations exist on other planets then its a good bet that some of these civilizations turned to asteroid mining long ago. If so, the hallmarks of their mining activities, such as unusual dirty halos of cast-off dust and debris around large asteroids, might be detectable from earth.

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Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics to own and operate ALMA Vertex Prototype Antenna

The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics has been selected by the National Science Foundation as the recipient of a 12-meter (39-foot) radio antenna designed for submillimeter-wavelength astronomy. The ALMA Vertex Prototype Antenna was one of three antennas built as prototypes for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, a 66-dish radio observatory currently being constructed in Chile.

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New type of exploding star discovered

For decades, astronomers divided supernovas into two groups: one from young stars that explode and one from old stars that explode. They now have evidence for a new, third type of supernova explosion whose source is still a mystery.

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Stunning high-resolution NASA images available online for public exhibits

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has made available to the public a new online collection of images that capture the excitement of planetary exploration and the journey to understand the origin and evolution of the solar system.

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Methods for calculating species extinction rates overestimate extinction, says Smithsonian scientist

The most widely used methods for calculating species extinction rates are "fundamentally flawed" and overestimate extinction rates by as much as 160 percent, life scientists report May 19 in the journal Nature.

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Lofty experiments with gliding ants reveals secrets of their unusual flight

One of the most challenging aspects of this research is simply studying these insects as they are falling, says Yanoviak, a tropical arthropod ecologist at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. Small body size, rapid descent, and the long distances that they can fall, make accurate data taking a challenge.

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Fossil skull of an extinct toothed whale excavated from Panamanian sediments

A scientist from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute uses a pick to dislodge the fossil skull of an extinct toothed whale from sediments on the […]

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Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and George Mason University expand partnership

Scientists and educators from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and George Mason University broke ground June 29 on a green-design conservation complex that embodies the concept of the living classroom.

The post Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and George Mason University expand partnership appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Scientists show that modern humans never co-existed with Homo erectus

New excavations in Indonesia and dating analyses by scientists at the Smithsonian and their colleagues show that modern humans never co-existed with Homo erectus.

The post Scientists show that modern humans never co-existed with <em>Homo erectus</em> appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Stellar eclipse gives glimpse of exoplanet: New data reveals a ‘super-Earth’ next door, astronomically speaking

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.




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Exoplanet aurora: An out-of-this-world sight

New research shows that aurorae on distant "hot Jupiters" could be 100-1000 times brighter than Earthly aurorae. They also would ripple from equator to poles (due to the planet's proximity to any stellar eruptions), treating the entire planet to an otherworldly spectacle.

The post Exoplanet aurora: An out-of-this-world sight appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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SERC sedge grass experiment mimics predicted global-change scenario

Ecologists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center measure the growth rate of sedge grass in a brackish Chesapeake Bay marsh. Fed a diet rich in […]

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Darkest known exoplanet, a Jupiter-sized gas giant, discovered

This Jupiter-sized world reflects less than one percent of the light that falls on it, making it blacker than any planet or moon in our solar system.

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Zoo celebrates birth of two Micronesian kingfishers, a species extinct in the wild

The Zoo’s Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., is celebrating the recent hatching of two Micronesian kingfisher (Todiramphus c. cinnamominus) chicks, a female and male, born July 25 and Aug. 20, respectively.

The post Zoo celebrates birth of two Micronesian kingfishers, a species extinct in the wild appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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New 20-foot extinct species of crocodile discovered in Colombian coal mine

University of Florida and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute scientists describe a new 20-foot extinct species of crocodile discovered in the same Colombian coal mine with Titanoboa, the world’s largest snake.

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Research team to explore how microbial diversity defends against disease

Researchers who will study the microbial communities living on the skins of frogs that are surviving the fungal scourge of chytridiomycosis, deadly to the frogs.

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Fossil feathers from a Hawaiian cave help reveal lineage of extinct, flightless ibis

Ornithologists Carla Dove and Storrs Olson used 700- to 1,100-year-old feathers from a long extinct species of Hawaiian ibis to help determine the bird’s place in the ibis family tree. The feathers are the only known plumage of any of the prehistorically extinct birds that once inhabited the Hawaiian Islands.

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Digital technology allows Alexander Graham Bell’s 1880s disc recordings to be played again

In 2011, scholars from three institutions—National Museum of American History Curators Carlene Stephens and Shari Stout, Library of Congress Digital Conversion Specialist Peter Alyea and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Scientists Carl Haber and Earl Cornell—came together in a newly designed preservation laboratory at the Library of Congress to recover sound from those recordings made more than 100 years ago.

The post Digital technology allows Alexander Graham Bell’s 1880s disc recordings to be played again appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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New exhibition looks at fishes from the “Inside Out”

"X-Ray Vision: Fish Inside Out," is a new exhibition of striking x-rays that reveal the complex bone structure of fishes in the collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

The post New exhibition looks at fishes from the “Inside Out” appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Uganda park rangers with cell phones may help stop next world influenza epidemic

Today, Marra is helping launch an Animal Mortality Monitoring Program in Africa intended to serve as an early warning system for emerging infectious diseases that can pass from animal populations into the human population.

The post Uganda park rangers with cell phones may help stop next world influenza epidemic appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.



  • Q & A
  • Research News
  • Science & Nature
  • mammals
  • Migratory Bird Center
  • Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
  • Smithsonian's National Zoo

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Male spider’s sexual organs work fastest only when a female breaks them off

In fact, researchers have learned, the detached male pedipalps transfer more sperm faster after copulation is ended by the female rather than the male.

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Two new species of extinct camels discovered in Panama Canal excavations

The discovery of two new extinct camel species by scientists from the University of Florida and the Smithsonian is casting new light on the history of the tropics, a region containing more than half the world's biodiversity and some of its most important ecosystems.

The post Two new species of extinct camels discovered in Panama Canal excavations appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Extremely rare Guam rails hatch at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo

A baby boom is underway at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Two Guam rail (Gallirallus owstoni) chicks hatched March 3 and 4; they join six others in the Zoo’s collection—three of which live at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va.

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Remains of exploded star indicate supernova turned it inside out

A new X-ray study of the remains of an exploded star indicates that the supernova that disrupted the massive star may have turned it inside out in the process.

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Heliconius butterfly genome explains wing pattern diversity

More than 70 scientists from 9 institutions including the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, sequenced the entire genome of the butterfly genus Heliconius, a brightly colored favorite of collectors and scientists since the Victorian era.

The post Heliconius butterfly genome explains wing pattern diversity appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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2013 exhibition to celebrate first complete human genome sequence

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of researchers producing the first complete human genome sequence — the genetic blueprint of the human body — the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, will open a new high-tech, high-intensity exhibition in 2013.

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Alien Earths may have formed in Universe earlier than expected

New research by a team of astronomers found that planets smaller than Neptune are located around a wide variety of stars, including those with fewer heavy elements than the Sun.

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Female spiders produce mating plugs to prevent unwanted sex from males

They observed that no plugs were ever formed during mating trials, but instead, females exposed to many males produced the amorphous plugs during the egg-laying process.

The post Female spiders produce mating plugs to prevent unwanted sex from males appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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First detailed sex video of deep-sea squid resolves long-standing mysteries as to how these animals mate

Clearly visible connecting the dark-purple cephalopods was the white “terminal organ” or penis of the male, extending out through the male’s funnel.

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Common tropical bat uses echolocation with precision previously considered impossible, new experiments reveal

Using echolocation alone the bats found, identified and captured insects perched motionless and silent on the leaves of plants.

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Earth-like planets discovered right next door to Earth

Astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have found that six percent of red dwarf stars have habitable, Earth-sized planets and the closest could be just 13 light-years away!

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Russian Meteor Q&A with Smithsonian Expert Marc Fries

Marc Fries, a research associate in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, answers some basic questions about meteorites.

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New evidence of extraterrestrial life may come from dying stars

Even dying stars could host planets with life – and if such life exists, we might be able to detect it within the next decade. […]

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  • Science & Nature
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  • astronomy
  • astrophysics
  • Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
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Smithsonian scientists launch 100-year project to examine the future of forests

A century from now researchers will gather data from a forest in Maryland to see how, during the previous 100 years, varying levels of species […]

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“Hear My Voice”: Smithsonian identifies 130-year-old recording as Alexander Graham Bell’s voice

The inventions of Alexander Graham Bell—most famously the telephone but also methods of recording sound—have allowed people to hear each other’s voices for more than […]

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Exhibition: “Whales: From Bone to Book”

                  The Smithsonian Libraries will open its new exhibition “Whales: From Bone to Book” in the Smithsonian’s National Museum […]

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Chandra X-ray Observatory turns up black hole bonanza in galaxy next door

Using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, astronomers have discovered an unprecedented bonanza of black holes in the Andromeda Galaxy, one of the nearest galaxies […]

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