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New study proves the remora’s sucker disc is in fact a highly modified dorsal fin / Q&A with taxonomist David Johnson

The remora's sucker disc is "one of the most remarkable and most highly modified skeletal structures among vertebrates."

The post New study proves the remora’s sucker disc is in fact a highly modified dorsal fin / Q&A with taxonomist David Johnson appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Browsing suburbia: Virginia’s parceled-up farms and forests are ideal refuge for white-tailed deer

Forget the deep forest, “today the highest densities of deer in the state of Virginia are in suburbia,” says William McShea, ecologist and research scientist at the Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va.

The post Browsing suburbia: Virginia’s parceled-up farms and forests are ideal refuge for white-tailed deer appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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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
  • Space
  • astronomy
  • astrophysics
  • Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
  • Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory


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Forensic analysis of 17th-century human remains at Jamestown, Va., reveals evidence of survival cannibalism

Douglas Owsley, the division head for physical anthropology at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, presented today a forensic analysis of 17th-century human remains […]

The post Forensic analysis of 17th-century human remains at Jamestown, Va., reveals evidence of survival cannibalism appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Discovery: Turtle shells appeared 40 million years earlier than previously believed

Unique among Earth’s creatures, turtles are the only animals to form a shell on the outside of their bodies through a fusion of modified ribs, […]

The post Discovery: Turtle shells appeared 40 million years earlier than previously believed appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Suburban raccoons more social yet dominance behavior remains that of a solitary animal

Rooting through the garbage for a late-night snack or stealing food from the cat’s bowl, the suburban raccoon is a nocturnal, intelligent animal. Yet life […]

The post Suburban raccoons more social yet dominance behavior remains that of a solitary animal appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Success: Panama’s golden frog bred in captivity

The Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation project recently announced that the golden frog, a national icon on the brink of extinction, has been successfully raised […]

The post Success: Panama’s golden frog bred in captivity appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.






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Fiery-red coral species discovered in the Peruvian Pacific

A new coral species, Psammogorgia hookeri, has been collected by scuba divers from rocky ledges at depths to 25 meters in Peru’s Paracas National Reserve. The […]

The post Fiery-red coral species discovered in the Peruvian Pacific appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.





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Astronomers observe first direct evidence of Cosmic Inflation

Almost 14 billion years ago, the universe we inhabit burst into existence in an extraordinary event that initiated the Big Bang. In the first fleeting […]

The post Astronomers observe first direct evidence of Cosmic Inflation appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Astronomers create first realistic virtual universe

Move over Matrix, astronomers have done you one better. They have created the first realistic virtual universe using a computer simulation called “Illustris.” Illustris can […]

The post Astronomers create first realistic virtual universe appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Gemini reveals a gravitational wave source in hiding

Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity predicts that accelerated masses emit gravitational waves, or ripples in space-time. Even though gravitational waves have yet to be detected […]

The post Gemini reveals a gravitational wave source in hiding appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Bolivia’s golden bat: one of six new species found by the Smithsonian’s bat detective

If you love new animal species and have an Internet connection, chances are you have already seen the beautiful new golden bat species, Myotis midastactus. […]

The post Bolivia’s golden bat: one of six new species found by the Smithsonian’s bat detective appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Faithful crabs engage in risky behavior when opportunity arises

In theory, crabs of the species Planes major should stay true to their mates for life. Heterosexual pairs of these small crustaceans live on loggerhead […]

The post Faithful crabs engage in risky behavior when opportunity arises appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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The State of the Birds: Four critical habitats (videos)

Wetlands Wetlands are one of the habitats to benefit most from conservation. The North American Wetlands Conservation Act has enabled strategic conservation projects covering a […]

The post The State of the Birds: Four critical habitats (videos) appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Maybe it’s safer riding a rhino. Genet expert poses new ideas on the mammal’s hitchhiking behavior

When some of the world’s largest mammals come your way, most animals steer clear. Not the genet. The small cat-like carnivore was captured on film […]

The post Maybe it’s safer riding a rhino. Genet expert poses new ideas on the mammal’s hitchhiking behavior appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Diversity of resident crabs is key to coral survival

Imagine sitting down at your favorite restaurant when something under the table begins painfully pinching and snipping at your toes. This is basically how T. […]

The post Diversity of resident crabs is key to coral survival appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Rare rusty-patched bumble bee discovered in Virginia survey

The rusty-patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis), which has not been seen in the eastern United States in five years, has been found by a Smithsonian […]

The post Rare rusty-patched bumble bee discovered in Virginia survey appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Where did your favorite Thanksgiving Day food originate? Anthropology has the answer

Millions of people across the United States will sit down Nov. 27 to a traditional Thanksgiving meal, including turkey, potatoes, squash, corn and cranberries. These […]

The post Where did your favorite Thanksgiving Day food originate? Anthropology has the answer appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Poison Dart Frog Hatched in Captivity

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) scientists working as part of the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project hatched the […]

The post Poison Dart Frog Hatched in Captivity appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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New App adds Virtual Flesh to Victorian-era Bone exhibit

Point your smartphone at the skeleton of a vampire bat mounted in a museum case, wait a minute and you will see it wiggle, jump […]

The post New App adds Virtual Flesh to Victorian-era Bone exhibit appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Golden Frogs with Unique Skin Microbes Survive Frog-Killing Fungus

A new study published this week in the Proceedings of the Royal Society by scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) found unique communities […]

The post Golden Frogs with Unique Skin Microbes Survive Frog-Killing Fungus appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.





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Video from Solar Dynamics Observatory wows museum visitors

Tucked in the shadow of the towering Skylab exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, there’s an inferno raging. Lucky for all of […]

The post Video from Solar Dynamics Observatory wows museum visitors appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Marks 50 Years of Making a Difference

The world’s coasts are home to more than 70 percent of the human population and experience intense development as a result. The rate of environmental […]

The post Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Marks 50 Years of Making a Difference appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Digitized, Searchable Archives Help Revive ‘Sleeping’ Languages

Like other kids at summer camp, a group of youngsters in the cities of Miami, Okla. and Fort Wayne, Ind. play games, work on crafts […]

The post Digitized, Searchable Archives Help Revive ‘Sleeping’ Languages appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Warming may shrink ancient range of heat loving desert lizard

The Mojave Desert and Death Valley are among the hottest, driest places in North America. So how might climate change impact a resilient reptile that […]

The post Warming may shrink ancient range of heat loving desert lizard appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Survey pinpoints where toxic mercury accumulates in world environments

Here’s some good news that should hit you in the gut. A team of scientists searching thousands of environments for bacteria that produce the deadly […]

The post Survey pinpoints where toxic mercury accumulates in world environments appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Smithsonian-Cornell Partnership produces First Domestic Puppies by In Vitro Fertilization

After decades of attempts, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) scientists and researchers at Cornell University have become the first to successfully use in vitro fertilization […]

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VERITAS Detects Gamma Rays from Galaxy Halfway Across the Visible Universe

In April 2015, after traveling for about half the age of the universe, a flood of powerful gamma rays from a distant galaxy slammed into […]

The post VERITAS Detects Gamma Rays from Galaxy Halfway Across the Visible Universe appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Smithsonian Scientists Trace Anthropocene Roots to Early Human Activity

A new analysis of the fossil record by scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History has revealed that the structure of plant and […]

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Globular Clusters Could Nurture Interstellar Civilizations

Globular star clusters are extraordinary in almost every way. They’re densely packed, holding a million stars in a ball only about 100 light-years across on […]

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Astronomers complete First Search for Visible Light Associated with Gravitational Waves

Einstein’s general theory of relativity predicts the emission of gravitational waves by massive celestial bodies moving though space-time. For the past century gravitational waves have […]

The post Astronomers complete First Search for Visible Light Associated with Gravitational Waves appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.






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Bats Use Second Sense to Hunt Prey in Noisy Environments

Like many predators, the fringe-lipped bat primarily uses its hearing to find its prey, but with human-generated noise on the rise, scientists are examining how […]

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Tiny ocean crustaceans wear invisibility cloak of living bacteria

Crustaceans that thrive in the vastness of the open ocean have no place to hide from their predators. Consequently, many creatures that live at depths […]

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1905 Thanksgiving Menu

Thanksgiving Menu, 1905 Smithsonian Snapshot celebrates the Thanksgiving season with this 1905 Thanksgiving menu by George Elbert Burr from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. In […]

The post 1905 Thanksgiving Menu appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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John Glenn Portrait on View at National Portrait Gallery

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery celebrates the accomplishments of astronaut and Senator John Glenn (1921-2016) with a watercolor and graphite portrait by Henry C. Caselli […]

The post John Glenn Portrait on View at National Portrait Gallery appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Whale tagging in Southeast Pacific provides data for species protection

Whales from both poles migrate long distances to breed in tropical waters. Smithsonian scientist Hector M. Guzman and Fernando Félix at the Salinas Whale Museum […]

The post Whale tagging in Southeast Pacific provides data for species protection appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.




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Study determines microscopic water bears will be Earth’s last survivors

The world’s most indestructible species, the tardigrade, an eight-legged micro-animal, also known as the water bear, will survive until the Sun dies, according to a […]

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In search for life, ultraviolet light may be ultra important

In everyday life, ultraviolet, or UV, light earns a bad reputation for being responsible for sunburns and other harmful effects on humans. However, research suggests […]

The post In search for life, ultraviolet light may be ultra important appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.



  • Science & Nature
  • Space
  • Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
  • Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory


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Astronomers see light show associated with gravitational waves

This animation shows how binary neutron stars warp space-time to create gravitational waves, then collide and explode into a visible kilonova, which can be detected […]

The post Astronomers see light show associated with gravitational waves appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.



  • Research News
  • Science & Nature
  • Space
  • Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
  • Center for Earth and Planetary Studies
  • Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

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What does candied, microwaved sperm have to do with saving endangered species?

Today’s cutting-edge laboratories rely on ultra-cold refrigeration to keep delicate cells like sperm viable for use in the future. But a new technique using microwaves […]

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  • Animals
  • Research News
  • Science & Nature
  • Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
  • Smithsonian's National Zoo

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Happy Thanksgiving! Here are 25 fun turkey-related objects in Smithsonian collections!

“Probably no genus of birds in the American avifauna has received the amount of attention that has been bestowed upon the turkeys…there has been no […]

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  • Animals
  • History & Culture
  • Science & Nature

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These newly discovered pelican spiders will make you want to visit Madagascar

In 1854, a curious-looking spider was found preserved in 50 million-year-old amber. With an elongated neck-like structure and long mouthparts that protruded from the “head” […]

The post These newly discovered pelican spiders will make you want to visit Madagascar appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.



  • Animals
  • Science & Nature
  • National Museum of Natural History