The outbreak, and the travel bans and fears that come with it, have endangered long-running research projects

You’ve got questions, we’ve got experts

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

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.

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

Bringing historical context and scientific evidence as the pandemic unfolds

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

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

Dineobellator was a formidable predator and boasts the battle scars to prove it.

Debate over Earth’s oldest fossils fuels the search for our deepest origins

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

Find a hobby, for starters, and don't forget the mission, say scientists who have worked at remote research stations

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

Researchers suggest that the Humboldt squid uses bioluminescent backlighting for visual cues in the dark deep sea

Fragments of a comet likely hit Earth 12,800 years ago, and a little Paleolithic village in Syria might have suffered the impact

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

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

The containment practices of outbreaks past could have lessons for modern epidemics

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

From teaching curious museumgoers to adding creativity to the scientific process, art thrives at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History

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

Lendbreen, a pass high in the Norwegian mountains, was an important route from the Roman era until the late Middle Ages

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

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

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 Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III says: ‘It’s time to put our heads down, and work’

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

A new title from Smithsonian Books highlights the diversity of Earth's 10 to 100 million insect species

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