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

You've got questions. We've got experts

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

The story of what will happen in the coming decades and centuries is written in the geologic past

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

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

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

Marine biologist Cristina Mittermeier discovered that visual storytelling, rather than data sets, allowed her to be a better advocate for the ocean

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

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

When a European intellectual snubbed the U.S., the well-known artist excavated the giant fossil as evidence of the new Republic’s strength and power

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.

Repurposing existing medicines focused on known drug targets is likely to offer a more rapid hope of tackling COVID-19 than developing and manufacturing a vaccine, argue an international team of scientists.

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.

Researchers analyzed patient data from 10 countries. The team found a correlation between low vitamin D levels and hyperactive immune systems. Vitamin D strengths innate immunity and prevents overactive immune responses. The finding could explain several mysteries, including why children are unlikely to die from COVID-19.

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.

Researchers find evidence of piezoelectricity in lab-grown, two-dimensional flakes of molybdenum dioxide.

Researchers have developed a safe and accurate 3D imaging method to identify sperm cells moving at a high speed. The new method has the potential to significantly improve IVF treatments.