Tasked with curbing a 1907 outbreak, Esther Pohl emphasized the importance of clean, vermin-free environments

It’s been 180 years since Charles Wilkes voyaged to the Antarctic continent and his journey has never been more relevant

Past public health crises inspired innovations in infrastructure, education, fundraising and civic debate

The different hominid species, possibly including the oldest-known Homo erectus, existed in the region's hills and caves

One detects an active infection; another signals that the virus has already left the body. Both are critical for tracking the spread of disease

Fossil teeth uncovered in Peru reveal that an extinct family of primates, thought to have lived only in Africa, made it across the ocean

The Smithsonian's Earth Optimism Summit will now stream online starting this Earth Day; tune in and be inspired

These letters and journals offer insights on how to record one's thoughts amid a pandemic

The SARS-CoV-2 virus endures for days on plastic or metal but disintegrates soon after landing on copper surfaces. Here’s why

As a biological anthropologist focused on health, diseases are part of Sabrina Sholts' specialty

No one knows exactly how the nocturnal hunters manage their whisper-soft flight, yet it's inspiring the design of quieter airplanes, fans and wind turbines

A new study of ancient climate has a dire warning about today's dry conditions

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The fourth installment in our weekly series spotlights titles that may have been lost in the news amid the COVID-19 crisis

While the virus seems capable of infecting some pets and wild animals, these cases probably aren’t occurring often

An American doctor operating out of Philadelphia made clinical observations that where patients lived, not how they lived, was at the root of the problem

A new study posits that groundwater pressure might have been a tipping point for the magma system near the eruption

The two-day virtual event will bring scientists and many other experts to highlight success stories in conservation

The Global Mangrove Alliance has a goal of increasing the world’s mangrove cover by 20 percent over the next decade

Smithsonian's Earth Optimism Summit features CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir

The outbreak was far deadlier than COVID-19, but the empire survived

Celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Smithsonian's "David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins" with some of the biggest discoveries in human evolution

Spencer's ideas laid the groundwork for social Darwinism, but scholars say there was much more to the Victorian Age thinker than that

Meet the hugely influential polymath, who foretold of climate change and inspired artists, writers and even the founder of the Smithsonian

What lies inside the icy cavern seems more and more like a captive, rare animal, an Earth form that might soon be lost

A new book argues that controlling cancer is within reach if scientists are able to anticipate the evolution of resistance to traditional treatments

While COVID-19 stymies travel, help conserve those things—from cacti to manta rays—that will beckon you later

The sixth installment in our weekly series spotlights titles that may have been lost in the news amid the COVID-19 crisis

Computers, mobile phones and all other electronic devices contain thousands of transistors, linked together by thin films of metal. Scientists have developed a method that can use the electrons in a plasma to produce these films.

Over the past quarter-century, changes in Antarctic sea-ice cover have had profound impacts on life on the ocean floor.

Hydrogen is a possible next generation energy solution, and it can be produced from sunlight and water using photocatalysts. A research group has now developed a strategy that greatly increases the amount of hydrogen produced using hematite photocatalysts. In addition to boosting the high efficiency of what is thought to be the world's highest performing photoanode, this strategy will be applied to artificial photosynthesis and solar water-splitting technologies via university-industry collaborations.

What kind of an effect do trees have on aerosol particle concentrations in cities? Modelling carried out at the University of Helsinki revealed that the air was cleanest on the street level with three rows of trees of variable height situated along boulevard-type city street canyons.

An international research team has conducted the first in-depth, wide-scale study of the genomic history of ancient civilizations in the central Andes mountains and coast before European contact. The findings reveal early genetic distinctions between groups in nearby regions, population mixing within and beyond the Andes, surprising genetic continuity amid cultural upheaval, and ancestral cosmopolitanism among some of the region's most well-known ancient civilizations.

People with body integrity dysphoria (BID) often feel as though one of their healthy limbs isn't meant to be a part of their bodies. They may act as though the limb is missing or even seek its amputation 'to feel complete.' Now, researchers have found that these feelings that a limb doesn't belong are mirrored in the brains of people with this condition.

Measuring tiny differences in mass between different quantum states provides new insights into heavy atoms.

A new study y reveals surprising findings about the function of circadian network neurons that undergo daily structural change. The research could lead to a better understanding of how to address circadian rhythm disruptions in humans and facilitate preventing a host of associated health problems, including increased risk for cancer and metabolic syndrome.

New modeling of coronavirus behavior suggests that an intervention strategy based on shield immunity could reduce the risk of allowing the higher levels of human interaction needed to support expanded economic activity.

A restoration ecologist has a simple message for anyone who thinks planting 1 trillion trees will reverse the damage of climate change: 'We can't plant our way out of climate change.'

Educational status appears to have positive influence on a healthy diet, particularly in low income countries, according to new research examining European nutritional data.

For the first time, researchers have succeeded in creating strong coupling between quantum systems over a greater distance. They accomplished this with a novel method in which a laser loop connects the systems, enabling nearly lossless exchange of information and strong interaction between them. The physicists reported that the new method opens up new possibilities in quantum networks and quantum sensor technology.

In physics, thermalization, or the trend of sub-systems within a whole to gain a common temperature, is typically the norm. There are situations, however, where thermalization is slowed down or virtually suppressed; examples are when considering the dynamics of electron and nuclear spins in solids. Understanding why this happens and how it can be controlled is presently at the center of a broad effort, particularly for applications in the emerging field of quantum information technologies.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the ground-based Gemini Observatory in Hawaii have teamed up with the Juno spacecraft to probe the mightiest storms in the solar system, taking place more than 500 million miles away on the giant planet Jupiter.

Researchers discover what is happening at the cellular level when Castleman patients experience a cytokine storm.

Olanzapine, a generic drug used to treat nervous, emotional and mental conditions, also may help patients with advanced cancer successfully manage nausea and vomiting unrelated to chemotherapy.

Scientists have developed a method that combines different resolution levels in a computer simulation of biological membranes. Their algorithm backmaps a large-scale model that includes features, such as membrane curvature, to its corresponding coarse-grained molecular model. This has allowed them to zoom in on toxin-induced membrane budding and to simulate a full-sized mitochondrial lipid membrane. Their approach opens the way to whole-cell simulations at a molecular level.

Some plants, like soybean, are known to possess an innate defense machinery that helps them develop resistance against insects trying to feed on them. However, exactly how these plants recognize signals from insects has been unknown until now. Scientists have now uncovered the cellular pathway that helps these plants to sense danger signals and elicit a response, opening doors to a myriad of agricultural applications.

Millions of people around the world use acid suppressants called proton pump inhibitors for conditions like heartburn, gastritis and stomach ulcers. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden now report that how the long-term use of these drugs could increase the risk of developing dementia. Their results are published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia.

A new study finds that temperature and latitude do not appear to be associated with the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but school closures and other public health measures are having a positive effect.

Evidence continues to mount that the Neanderthals, who lived in Europe and Asia until about 40,000 years ago, were more sophisticated people than once thought. A new study shows that Neanderthals chose to use bones from specific animals to make a tool for specific purpose: working hides into leather.

In many fish species body size plays an important role in sexual selection. Large individuals are preferred mating partners because they can enhance offspring survival by providing better quality resources than small individuals. While large females and males are often favored by sexual selection, fishing targets and removes these reproductively superior individuals.