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.

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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.

Bruce Campbell, of the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, is at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, W. Va., to make a radar map of the Moon.

The post Smithsonian geophysicist Bruce Campbell explains his work of making a detailed radar map of the Moon appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

When animal care staff at the Smithsonian's National Zoo need to know when to breed their pandas or when to expect a cub they turn to the Endocrine (Hormones) Research Lab at the Zoo's Front Royal, Va. facility.

The post The science of panda cubs at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Dr. JoGayle Howard of the Smithsonian's National Zoo discusses her work to breed and study one of the world's most endangered cats, the clouded leopard. More about the National Zoo's work to save clouded leopards: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/SCBI/ReproductiveScience/ConsEn...
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/support/annualappeal/cloudedleo... ... (more info)

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Chip Clark came to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in 1973, with a degree in biology and an interest in photography. He has been a photographer on staff ever since, documenting thousands of specimens and exhibits, and accompanying scientists on research trips around the world. He died June 12, 2010. This video interview was made by Lauren Dare, an intern with the Smithsonian Institution Archives, on May 27, 2010, as part of an oral history project for the National Museum of Natural History's Centennial (2010-2011). To learn more about Chip Clark, see his page on the Centennial website-- www.mnh.si.edu/onehundredyears/profiles/Chip_Clark.html -- where you also can find more videos and stories about the people and the work of the NMNH.

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Researchers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo's new genetics lab use animal DNA to diagnose new diseases, discover new species help in conservation efforts and solve mysteries.

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The post “How Soil Savvy are You?, is featured in the exhibition “Dig It! The Secrets of Soil,” from the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Service appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Many years of research are celebrated in the December 2010 birth of two cheetah cubs at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

National Zoo Veterinarian Katharine Hope treats about 2,000 animals from 400 different species. She and her colleagues care for a variety of animals, from small baby flamingos to adult Asian elephants, so there's no such thing as an average day.

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The post Roland Kays, curator of mammals at the New York State Museum, discusses a new Smithsonian Website for sharing camera-trap images of wild animals 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.

A short history of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

The post Lighthouse of the skies, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Digging up early human and animal remains from the field in Africa, performing examination and publishing research about her findings, then enticing and educating the public about the implications are all in a week's work for Briana Pobiner.

The post Meet Our Scientist–Briana Pobiner, human origins researcher at the National Museum of Natural History appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Salamanders: The Hidden Jewels of Appalachia appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Keepers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo perform an artificial insemination procedure on a pair of Stanley Cranes. A Stanley Crane chick was successfully hatched on May 23, 2011.

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Tom Crouch, Senior curator in the National Air and Space Museum's Aeronautics Division, discusses Thaddeus Lowe and the birth of American aerial reconnaissance during the Civil War. This presentation was recorded on May 11, 2011 on the National Mall.

The post Tom Crouch, Senior curator in the National Air and Space Museum’s Aeronautics Division, discusses Thaddeus Lowe and the birth of American aerial reconnaissance appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Kari Bruwelheide, forensic anthropologist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, discusses how she came to work at the museum, the power of human remains and the information that bones can contain. She and her colleagues continue to discover new ways to interpret evidence from bones and burials.

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What's possibly the most calming yet nerve-racking job in the world? Come behind the scenes of the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art to find out!

The post Zen and the art of fine art conservation: Behind the scenes in the Freer Gallery’s art conservation lab appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Meet the Smithsonian's Matthew Carrano, curator of Dinosauria at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Matthew studies all things dinosaur, but focuses on the evolutionary history of predatory (meat eating) dinosaurs.

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School's nearly back in session, but the seven young lions at the Smithsonian's National Zoo have been working hard through the summer months!

The post Lion cub summer school: Instead of learning their ABCs, the National Zoo’s lion cubs are learning behaviors that will help animal care staff evaluate their health. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Meet Rachel Collin, a staff scientist and director of the Bocas Research Station at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Rachel studies the evolution of marine gastropods (snails) and oversees multiple disciplines of marine biology at the Collin Lab in Bocas del Toro.

The post Meet Our Scientist: Rachel Collin, an expert in the evolution and development of snails who is working in Panama appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Members of the Human Origins Program team at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History describe why they love their job.

The post Human Origins Program team members at the National Museum of Natural History on why they love their job appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

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.

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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.

The post Smithsonian anthropologist JoAllyn Archambault speaks about the outstanding research of 19th-century anthropologist James Mooney appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post The amazing story of adaptation and survival in our species, Homo sapiens. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Creating a dictionary: Gabriela Pérez Báez, Curator of Linguistics appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Pam Wintle, senior film archivist, describes the moving image collection of the Human Studies Film Archives appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Smithsonian conservators open 2001 Jim Thorpe Wheaties Box from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post With the recent hatching of two Cuban crocodiles, the National Zoo just got a little snappier! appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Speeding Up Science from Facebook Stories on Vimeo. In January 2011, Oregon State University ichthyologist Brian Sidlauskas led a research expedition into the little-known Cuyuni […]

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Clip from silent edited film "Bryson Jones Travelogue: Lure of the West" (ca. 1927) shows Mount Rushmore National Memorial under construction, including blasting off cliff face, scaffolding, men working, and the completed monument.

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Don your clean room clothing and take a glimpse into the Smithsonian's new Antarctic meteorite storage facility in Suitland, Md., where all of the Antarctic meteorites in the national collection are kept under tight security and tight airlocks.

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The post Samuel P. Langley, Secretary of the Smithsonian, and his development of the ill-fated Aerodrome A appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Belize’s South Water Caye Marine Reserve protects biodiversity of Belizean Barrier Reef appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

This scientific visualization is much more than a dizzying dance of whirling worlds. It shows 2,299 planets found by NASA’s Kepler planet-hunting spacecraft.

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The Smithsonian Libraries offer a vast amount of resources to the general public. This video gives you a peek into the amazing world of discovery […]

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Smithsonian planetary geologists Sharon Purdy and Maria Banks explain how you can take your very own photo of Mars.

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One of Italy’s greatest treasures, Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex on the Flight of Birds, will be exhibited at the National Air and Space Museum from […]

The post da Vinci’s “Codex on the Flight of Birds” will be on view at Air and Space Museum, Sept. 13-Oct. 22. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A robotic male frog attracts a female tungara frog in a sound chamber at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Gamboa, Panama, in the summer 2013. […]

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Click photo to take a tour of the 1903 Wright Flyer with Smithsonian X 3D Explorer. The Smithsonian X 3D Collection features objects from the […]

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Joseph Henry was one of America’s preeminent 19th-century scientists, a pioneer in the investigation of electromagnetism and other fields of study, and the first Secretary […]

The post Joseph Henry: Champion of American Science appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

What is it like to be the curator of Great Cats at the National Zoo? We interviewed Craig Saffoe to hear firsthand.

The post What is it like to be curator of Great Cats at the National Zoo? appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Meg studies intergroup competition in white‐faced capuchin monkeys by tracking them through radio telemetry collars and observing their behaviors.

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Learn how to use the Smithsonian Wild website to find amazing camera trap photos of mammals from around the world

The post Learn to use the Smithsonian Wild website of amazing animal photos! appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The nation’s top bird science and conservation groups have come together to publish The State of the Birds 2014—the most comprehensive review of long-term trend […]

The post The State of the Birds: Q&A with Peter Marra appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.