The green-and-white banner from an Illinois high school recalls the first Earth Day 50 years ago

Yes, most infectious diseases are seasonal. But waiting for COVID-19 to wane on its own is a bad idea

Apollo 15 Command Module Pilot Alfred "Al" Worden, an aviator, engineer and storyteller passed away on March 18, 2020

With the COVID-19 coronavirus causing a global pandemic, a look back at the scientists who figured out viruses and their relationship to disease

The curious set of numbers shows up in nature and also in human activities.

An early childhood education expert provides tips about how to explain the ongoing pandemic to children

Though COVID-19 likely makes recovered patients immune, experts aren't sure how long protection lasts

So-called gynandromorphs are rare, but they can teach us a lot about development and evolution

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

Researchers see promise in recruiting red siskin pet traders as conservation partners

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

The pandemic has left many unable to leave harbor, creating a window for fishing grounds to recover from years of overfishing

Congratulations to first-time mother Echo the cheetah!

False information about the pandemic is rampant; here’s how experts say you can identify what news to trust and what might be faulty

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

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

Paleontologists seek the ancestors that could explain how bats became the only flying mammals.

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

On April 22, 1970, Americans pledged environmental action for the planet. Here’s what scientists and we, the global community, have done since

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

The famous impact 66 million years ago kicked up soot into the atmosphere that played an even bigger role in blocking sunlight than experts had realized

The bird, decimated by poachers and smugglers, is making a big comeback in the Central American rainforest

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

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

The newfound 'invisible' object is only 1,000 light years from home

According to many observations, certain virus infections may play a part in the autoimmune attack that leads to type 1 diabetes. Researchers have now produced a vaccine for these viruses in the hope that it could provide protection against the disease.

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.

The extent to which Brazilian soy production and trade contribute to climate change depends largely on the location where soybeans are grown, according to a new study. In some municipalities, carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the export of soybean and derivatives are more than 200 times higher than in others.

The geologic record is exactly that: a record. The strata of rock tell scientists about past environments, much like pages in an encyclopedia. Except this reference book has more pages missing than it has remaining. So geologists are tasked not only with understanding what is there, but also with figuring out what's not, and where it went.

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

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.

A new method for reliably identifying the presence of beer or other malted foodstuffs in archaeological finds is described in a new study.

A manually constructed 3D atlas offers a cellular-level view of the entire mouse brain. This reference brain, called the Allen Mouse Brain Common Coordinate Framework (CCFv3), is derived from serial two-photon tomography images of 1,675 mice.

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.

Scientists have presented a non-contact method for detecting the state of charge and any defects in lithium-ion batteries.

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

Researchers have identified the single gene that determines how Cape honey bees reproduce without ever having sex. One gene, GB45239 on chromosome 11, is responsible for virgin births.

A lipid metabolism enzyme controls brain stem cell activity and lifelong brain development. If the enzyme does not work correctly, it causes learning and memory deficits in humans and mice, as researchers have discovered. Regulating stem cell activity via lipid metabolism could lead to new treatments for brain diseases.

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

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.

Treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients with anticoagulants -- blood thinners that slow down clotting -- may improve their chances of survival, researchers report. The study could provide new insight on how to treat and manage coronavirus patients once they are admitted to the hospital.

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.

New machine learning methods bring insights into how lithium ion batteries degrade, and show it's more complicated than many thought.

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.

The brain has a powerful ability to remember and connect events separated in time. And now, in a new study in mice, scientists have shed light on how the brain can form such enduring links.