A mysterious nocturnal animal was leaving its tracks on the delicate mirrors of the telescopes at the Smithsonian's Whipple Observatory in Arizona. With a little ingenuity and a live trap, the mystery was solved. The visitor proved to be a ringtail cat, a member of the raccoon family.

The post Astronomers solve mystery of dusty foot trails crossing telescope mirrors appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

"The Antarctic Treaty Summit: Science-Policy Interactions in International Governance" will be convened at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3 2009. More information on this event can be found at the Web site: www.atsummit50.aq/

To assess legacy lessons about managing nearly 10% of the Earth "for peaceful purposes only"

Find out how you can be involved:

www.atsummit50.aq

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George Smith, a marine biologist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, explains his work of finding ways to prevent invasive species from being released in Baltimore Harbor in the ballast water of large ships.

The post Preventing ballast-water invasions of alien species appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Crab Nebula is one of the most studied objects in the night sky. First observed by Chinese astronomers in 1054 A.D., and possibly others, this supernova remnant and its neutron star have become favorite targets for amateur and professional astronomers alike. The Chandra X-Ray Observatory is operated for NASA by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Mass.

The post Chandra X-Ray Observatory podcast: The crab nebula appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Invasive plant species are threatening native species across the globe. Learn how scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Center in Panama are trying to fight one species of grass in Panama that is wreaking havoc on the country's tropical biodiversity.

The post Meet Our Scientist: Jefferson Hall – Invasive Plant Science appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Smithsonian ecologist John Parker discusses his work with white-tailed deer and invasive plant species appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Invasive Caribbean lionfish under scrutiny by Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute intern appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

"I'm getting paid to do what I like doing," says entomologist David Roubik. He loved nature and being outdoors when he was a kid, and now he does fieldwork in the tropical forests of Panama. He loves to travel, and his research takes him around the world. Can his work, then, be called a job?

The post Tropical Research Institute entomologist David Roubik talks about his life as a scientist based in Panama appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

As enjoyable as scientific work can be, says entomologist Dave Roubik, its greatest satisfactions are often long delayed. He gives the best example from his career: a seventeen-year study that finally helped to change our understanding of the notorious "killer bees."

The post Long-term killer bee study in tropics yields unexpected discovery: invasive killer bees are good for the native bees appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

This new PBS Newshour video takes a look at a new exhibit at the Air and Space Museum celebrating NASA's space art program.

The post PBS Newshour takes a look at the new National Air and Space Museum exhibition “NASA | ART: 50 Years of Exploration” appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Mark Torchin, a marine ecologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama, talks about how he studies the parasites of invasive marine animals such as snails. Much of his research focuses on biological invasions and the dynamics between the host, the parasites and the surrounding ecosystem.

The post Meet our Scientist–Mark Torchin tracks invasive marine species and their parasites in Panama appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

On June 7 the Sun unleashed an spectacular solar flare with a substantial coronal mass ejection. A large cloud of plasma mushroomed up, and while some parts fell back into the Sun, most rushed off into space. The first two segments of this video are seen through the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly aboard NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. The AIA was developed by Smithsonian scientists.

The post Spectacular June 7 solar flare seen through the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly aboard Solar Dynamics Observatory appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A short history of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

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It takes a Tlingit artist up to 2,000 hours, or 83 days, to weave just one ceremonial robe. Not surprisingly, this art form is practiced by a dedicated few including Tlingit artists Teri Rofkar and Shelly Laws of Alaska. In their presentation for the Smithsonian Spotlight series hosted by the Arctic Studies Center at the Anchorage Museum, Rofkar and Laws discuss the methods and cultural significance of robes, spruce root baskets and more.
For more information, go to http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/html/alaska.htm

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Jonathan Coddington, Curator of Spiders at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History describes how photography has transformed the study of arachnids.

The post How photography has transformed the study of spiders and their webs appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post How do paleontologists identify dinosaur teeth? Smithsonian Curator Matthew Carrano identifies Cretaceous dinosaur teeth from the Washington D.C. area. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Learn about the ash that comes from volcanoes with Dr. Liz Cottrell, a geologist from the National Museum of Natural History appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

William Fitzhugh - Edward Nelson's 1877-1881 Western Alaskan Expedition

The post Smithsonian anthropologist William Fitzhugh speaks about Edward Nelson’s 1877-1881 Western Alaskan Expedition appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post National Zoo gorillas participate in heart disease study appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post 3-D laser scanning is helping solve ancient mysteries at the Smithsonian appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post What will invasive round goby fish do to Great Lakes streams? Join SERC post doc Matt Kornis and find out. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post How do paleontologists reconstruct environments from the ancient past? appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Indo-Pacific lionfish, an invasive species, invade the Atlantic appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Kepler 11: A Six-Planet Sonata by Alex Parker, postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Bocas Research Station’s research assistant Arcadio Castillo ran into these curious looking fish babies while working close to the dock. After some investigation, we found […]

The post Toadfish (Batrachoididae) babies in Bocas del Toro, Panama appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The National Air and Space Museum’s 2014 Trophy Award Winner for Current Achievement goes to the Dawn Flight Team. The Dawn team has successfully performed […]

The post The Dawn Flight Team – 2014 NASM Trophy Winner appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

On Monday, June 23, Asian elephants Swarna, Maharani and Kumala finished their 30-day quarantine and made their public debut at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. This […]

The post Asian elephant journey: Calgary to National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

When two red panda babies are born in critical condition at Smithsonian’s National Zoo, caretakers make the crucial decision to raise them by hand.

The post Raising red pandas by hand at the National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Yellowstone National Park is one of the world’s most protected ecosystems. But that’s still not enough to keep its grizzly bears completely safe. Click here […]

The post Mass Extinction: Life at the brink appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Smithsonian has launched an ambitious project to scan millions of items and make them available to the world on a searchable database. CBS reporter […]

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Scientists from the Migratory Bird Center of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute are using transmitters to track the movements of shorebirds–the long-billed curlew, red knot, […]

The post Studying migratory connectivity of shorebirds on the Texas coast appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

NASA’s Kepler mission is responsible for history’s first detection of Earth-sized planets orbiting other suns in their temperate “habitable zones.” The team in charge of […]

The post NASA’s Kepler mission receives National Air and Space Museum’s highest group honor appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

What is the average blood pressure of a geriatric sloth bear? Asia Trail keeper Stacey Tabellario is hoping to learn exactly that, as she trains […]

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Food is an important element of Basque life. In the Ostatua Kitchen tent at the Smithsonian’s 2016 Folklife Festival, chefs from two Basque culinary schools […]

The post Basque Country & Cheese appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Peter Sefton, D.C. Preservation League trustee, reflects on how Washington, D.C. has changed in recent years. (Anacostia Community Museum video series)  

The post Reflections on a changing Washington, D.C. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Elastic has created some of the most intriguing title sequences in recent television history. Directed by Patrick Clair (Australian b. 1982), the opening credits for […]

The post Elastic – Opening Credits: True Detective appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Judy Garland’s iconic ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz” are one of the most popular attractions at the National Museum of American History. But […]

The post Crowdfunding campaign to restore Ruby Slippers surpasses mark appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Jennifer Trask engages nature as both medium and subject matter, combining unexpected materials such as bone, vertebrae, butterfly wings, resin, metal, and antique frame fragments […]

The post Jennifer Trask – Visions and Revisions: Renwick Invitational 2016 appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Aukeran is a professional dance troupe from Basque country founded in 1997 by Edu Muruamendiaraz. The beautiful and graceful professional dancers have backgrounds in both […]

The post Basque Dance Troupe “Aukeran” at Smithsonian Folklife Festival appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Join Dr. Elizabeth Cottrell as she explores the volcanoes of Alaska’s Western Aleutian Islands.

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Did you know the Smithsonian’s museum support center is home to the largest collection of whale bones EVER? Madeline Sofia from Joe’s Big Idea takes […]

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More than 154 million treasures fill the Smithsonian’s vaults, but where public view ends, Sidedoor begins. With the help of biologists, artists, historians, archaeologists, zookeepers […]

The post Sidedoor Season Two appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Ashkii, a North American river otter, at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park

The post Ashkii, a North American river otter, at the National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Tuvan ensemble Alash demonstrates various traditional throat singing styles that they use in their music. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings video.

The post Alash demonstrates throat singing styles appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Aymar Ccopacatty (Aymara), NMAI Artist Leadership Program (ALP) participant, tells his personal story of the environmental impact on Puno, Peru, of all-too-commonly discarded commercial plastic […]

The post Knitting plastic Wiphalas in Peru appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, curator of arachnids and myriapods Hannah Wood has examined and analyzed hundreds of pelican spiders both in the field […]

The post Pelican spiders: Ancient assassins that eat their own kind appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

  Find your passion,” says veteran Astronaut Peggy Whitson. The Iowa native holds the record for time in space by an American. Learn all about […]

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New on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings: This official music video is for “Ripest of Apples” by Anna & Elizabeth, from the new album ‘The Invisible Comes […]

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 When Emma Lawton was 29 she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. As a graphic designer, drawing is a huge part of her life but […]

The post Emma Watch & Parkinson’s disease appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.