Halocoryza acapulcana Whitehead (Acapulco Saline Catarrh Beetle), described in 1966 by Donald R. Whitehead. This image is from a recent paper by Terry L. Erwin, […]

The post Halocoryza acapulcana Whitehead appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In a new study researchers from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics used DNA from coyote scat (feces) to trace the route that led some of the animals to colonize in Northern Virginia.

The post New genetic evidence confirms coyote migration route to Virginia and hybridization with wolves appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In a new paper, Avi Loeb, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and Edwin Turner, Princeton University, suggest a new technique for finding aliens: look for their city lights.

The post City lights could reveal E.T. civilization appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Suzan Murray, chief veterinary medical officer at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park, recently returned from Hanoi, where she led a team of scientists training pathologists from Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam to better sample, recognize and detect wildlife diseases in hopes of preventing emerging pandemic disease.

The post Q&A: National Zoo veterinarian Suzan Murray is working to halt pandemic disease in hotspots around the world appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Nearly 20 years after the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute became the first to produce an Eld’s deer fawn through artificial insemination, SCBI scientists have now contributed to the birth of the first Eld’s deer via in vitro fertilization.

The post First Eld’s deer born from in vitro fertilization with help of Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Researchers from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology and other partnering organizations spent two weeks at the end of November collecting sperm and embryonic cells during spawning from two species of coral and have built the first frozen repository for the Great Barrier Reef.

The post Smithsonian scientists help build first frozen repository of Great Barrier Reef coral appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A member of one of the world’s most endangered species—the brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli)—successfully hatched at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Bird House Dec. 11 at 10:25 a.m. The egg was laid Oct. 1 and keepers began looking for signs of the chick hatching starting in early December. The chick is the sixth kiwi successfully hatched at the National Zoo.

The post Kiwi chick hatching a success at the National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Astronomers using NASA's Kepler mission have detected two Earth-sized planets orbiting a distant star. This discovery marks a milestone in the hunt for alien worlds, since it brings scientists one step closer to their ultimate goal of finding a twin Earth.

The post Two Earth-sized planets discovered orbiting a distant Sun-like star appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

As a coastal archaeologist and expert in prehistoric and historic settlement sites in the Chesapeake Bay region, Darrin Lowery of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and University of Deleware, is carefully watching the effects of coastal erosion and rising sea levels on coastal archaeological sites.

The post Rising seas, development are altering prehistoric artifacts in the Chesapeake’s tidal zone appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The image shows one of the most active and turbulent regions of star birth in our galaxy, a region called Cygnus X.

The post New Spitzer Space Telescope image shows space nursery appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

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.

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.

The post Extremely rare Guam rails hatch at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Seven years ago, astronomers boggled when they found the first runaway star flying out of our Galaxy at a speed of 1.5 million miles per hour. Theorists wondered: Could the same thing happen to planets? New research shows that the answer is yes.

The post Planet starship: runaway planets zoom at a fraction of light speed appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The same device used to detect early warning signs of heart disease in humans will now benefit two male sub-adult gorillas at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.

The post Heart disease study to benefit lowland gorillas at the National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The young primate seems bright, alert, and increases its activity and independence day by day.

The post Howler monkey born at National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

For the last 1,000 days the Infrared Array Camera, aboard NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, has been operating continuously to probe the universe from its most distant regions to our local solar neighborhood.

The post Top 10 gallery celebrates the Infrared Array Camera aboard the Spitzer Space Telescope appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Supermassive black holes snack infrequently, making the recent discovery of a black hole in the act of feeding all the more exciting to astronomers.

The post Scientists catch black hole in a feeding frenzy appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The newly reported reconstruction of Amazonian prehistory by a Smithsonian scientist, Dolores R. Piperno, and her colleagues suggests that large areas of western Amazonia were sparsely inhabited.

The post Report paints a new picture of early human impact on the Amazon River Basin appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The most peculiar feature of this new turtle is its extremely circular shell, about the size and shape of a big car tire.

The post Prehistoric turtle was size and shape of a big car tire appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Two Cuban crocodiles were born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo on July 6 and 14 and they are among the most genetically valuable in the […]

The post Two rare Cuban crocodiles born at the National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Scientists determine there is more to the shape and length of bird bills than just how they “get the worm.”

The post New study determines bill size in birds varies according to climate appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Mei Xiang (may-SHONG), the National Zoo’s female giant panda, gave birth to a cub Sunday, Sept. 16, at 10:46 p.m.

The post Panda cub born at National Zoo to Mei Xiang appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo community mourns the loss of the giant panda cub born Sunday, Sept. 16.

The post New panda cub dies at National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The new Sant Director of the National Museum of Natural History, Kirk Johnson, had only been on the job for 26 days when he got […]

The post Female “spidernaut” settles into new home at Smithsonian’s Insect Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The newest additions at the Reptile Discovery Center at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are eight tentacled snakes, born Oct. 21 to parents that have not produced viable […]

The post Tentacled snakes born at the National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists and collaborators have found that the island scrub-jay’s population on Santa Cruz Island—its only habitat—is significantly smaller than previously believed […]

The post New count reveals scrub-jay on Santa Cruz Island is among rarest bird species in the U.S. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Two Andean bear cubs born at the National Zoo in the early morning of Dec. 13 to 6-year-old Billie Jean.

The post Two Andean bear cubs born Dec. 13 at National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

This artist’s illustration represents the variety of planets being detected by NASA’s Kepler spacecraft. A new analysis has determined the frequencies of planets of all […]

The post One in six stars has an Earth-sized planet appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

With the tap of a finger, keepers are introducing the Zoo’s six orangutans to iPads, which provide unique stimuli.

The post National Zoo orangutans turn high-tech with apps for apes appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

But how can the solar atmosphere get hotter, rather than colder, the farther you go from the Sun's surface? A suborbital rocket launched in July provides the answer.

The post HI-C adds big piece to the solar corona puzzle appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The process of freezing materials such as fertilized eggs – cryopreservation – provides researchers with a tool to repopulate endangered species.

The post Klondike, puppy born from a frozen embryo, fetches good news for endangered animals appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Astronomers using NASA's Kepler mission have detected two Earth-sized planets orbiting a distant star.

The post First earth-sized planets found appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

All bear species except for one live in either temperate or tropical woodlands. Only the polar bear is a stranger to the forest, living and […]

The post Polar bears in a warming world: Q&A with Don Moore of the National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

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 […]

The post Chandra X-ray Observatory turns up black hole bonanza in galaxy next door appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics have confirmed that the giant panda cub born at the National Zoo […]

The post National Zoo’s giant panda cub is a girl! appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Hellbenders, aquatic salamanders from the eastern United States, are surprisingly good at dealing with unpredictable weather. In a recent study published in the Journal of […]

The post Zoo scientists find sudden stream temperature changes boost hellbender immune systems appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Microbes that live in rice paddies, northern peat bogs and other previously unexpected environments are among the bacteria that can generate highly toxic methylmercury, researchers […]

The post Toxic methylmercury-producing microbes more widespread than realized appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute rung in 2014 with the hatching of the most endangered species in its collection—a Micronesian kingfisher—Jan. 1. The chick, whose […]

The post Micronesian kingfisher chick hatches at the National Zoo’s Conservation Biology Institute appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Authoritative, intelligent and always accompanied by a young assistant, television’s Mr. Wizard brought science to America’s kids from the 1950s through 1980s with experiments using […]

The post Smithsonian acquires archives of Mr. Wizard, Don Herbert appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., are celebrating the anniversary of the first birth of a Przewalski’s horse by artificial […]

The post First Przewalski’s horse born by artificial insemination birthday appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Today the Smithsonian launches its Transcription Center website to the public. The website is designed to leverage the power of crowds to help the Smithsonian […]

The post Volunteers needed for massive Smithsonian digitization project appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Would you want to explore the world searching for long lost creatures of our past? […]

The post Five amazing fossil finds that will make you want to be a fossil hunter appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In the wild, wide milk chocolate-brown stripes adorn the beautiful smooth, white shells of the chambered nautilus, a deep-diving mollusk from the Indo-Pacific Ocean. But […]

The post Nautilus shell deformity puzzles scientists appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

From bizarre bugs to penis spines on bats, our world is infinitely expanded when we look down the microscope! Check out the stories behind these […]

The post What is that?! Five Amazing Microscopic Images appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Have you ever had a pet that seemed just a little bit crazy or odd? Can you be sure that it was in control of […]

The post Crazy eyes and mind control – the power of parasites appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

You too can meet a kiwi! Micaela Jemison from Smithsonian Science takes us to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo where she gets up close and personal […]

The post Meet a Kiwi at the National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) may have detected the dusty hallmarks of an entire family of Pluto-size objects swarming around an adolescent […]

The post Swarms of Pluto-size objects kick up dust around adolescent star appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Astronomers announced today that they have found eight new planets in the “Goldilocks” zone of their stars, orbiting at a distance where liquid water can […]

The post Eight New Planets Found in “Goldilocks” Zone appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Tiny and transparent the marine crustacean Paraphronima gracilis sees the world through two large eyes that envelope its head like a high-tech space helmet. Now, […]

The post Bizarre ocean amphipod has 16 retinas in each eye appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Reptiles have a rough exterior that make them seem like they don’t need a lot of very specific care. The reality is quite the opposite. […]

The post Reptile rejuvenation at National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.