Science | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/science-nature/RSS feed for ScienceenWed, 27 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000Where Do Butterflies Migrate From? Clues Can Be Found in Pollen on Their Bodieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/where-do-butterflies-migrate-from-clues-can-be-found-in-pollen-on-their-bodies-180985507/Trillions of insects move around the globe each year. Scientists are working on new ways to map those long-distance journeysWed, 27 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000Why Are Urban Turkeys Thriving?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-are-urban-turkeys-thriving-180985433/As many wild populations decline, some city dwellers flourish—and may become a source for reintroductions to rural areasMon, 25 Nov 2024 15:09:34 +0000A Deep Look Into the Wacky and Wild Lives of Earwigshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/deep-look-into-the-wacky-and-wild-lives-of-earwigs-180985482/The insects participate in elaborate courtships, are devoted parents, occasionally eat each other and have a gregarious natureFri, 22 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000From a Motorcycle Revving to a Pig Oinking, Eight Amazing Sounds Made by Frogshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/from-a-motorcycle-revving-to-a-pig-oinking-eight-amazing-sounds-made-by-frogs-180985495/All over the world, different types of frogs call out in various ways to warn others or attract matesThu, 21 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000Dedicated Scientists and Birdwatchers Tracked Down These Five ‘Lost’ Birdshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dedicated-scientists-birdwatchers-tracked-down-these-five-lost-birds-180985446/A worldwide search party is using 21st-century tools to uncover long-unseen species, one of which hadn't been found since the 19th centuryThu, 21 Nov 2024 12:00:00 +0000The Hero Who Convinced His Fellow Ornithologists of the Obvious: Stop Shooting Rare Birds and Watch Them Insteadhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/hero-convinced-fellow-ornithologists-obvious-stop-shooting-birds-watch-them-instead-180985445/Too late to save the ivory-billed woodpecker, Arthur Allen changed science forever with his seemingly simple ideaWed, 20 Nov 2024 14:00:00 +0000How the Arrival of an Endangered Bird Indicates What’s Possible for the L.A. Riverhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-the-arrival-of-an-endangered-bird-indicates-whats-possible-for-the-la-river-180985390/Could the waterway that the city was built around make a comeback?Tue, 19 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000The Andes’ Translucent Glass Frogs Need to Be Seen to Be Savedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/andes-translucent-glass-frogs-need-be-seen-saved-180985438/The amphibians are at the mercy of mining operations that are destroying their ecosystems, but local communities throughout South America are fighting backMon, 18 Nov 2024 14:00:00 +0000How Frogs Are Kicking Back Against a Lethal Fungushttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-frogs-are-kicking-back-against-a-lethal-fungus-180985431/Scientists are seeing signs of resistance to the infections that have been wiping out the world’s amphibian populations—and they're developing methods to fight the pathogenThu, 14 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000How to Make a Mammal in Nine Evolutionary Stepshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-to-make-a-mammal-in-nine-evolutionary-steps-180985289/From the formation of inner ear bones to the rise of hair to cover our bodies, these developments made us distinct from other animalsTue, 12 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000This Parasitic Fungus Turns Flies Into Zombie Insectshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/this-parasitic-fungus-turns-flies-into-zombie-insects-180985401/The pathogen takes over the brains of its hosts and controls them for its own sinister endsFri, 08 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000Hurricane Helene Battered the 'Salamander Capital of the World' With Floods and Landslides. Will the Beloved Amphibians Survive the Aftermath?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/hurricane-helene-battered-salamander-capital-world-floods-landslides-will-beloved-amphibians-survive-aftermath-180985396/The storm decimated a region rich with dozens of species already struggling with habitat loss and diseaseThu, 07 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000The Six Most Amazing Discoveries We’ve Made About Neptunehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-six-most-amazing-discoveries-weve-made-about-neptune-180985333/Despite the lack of a dedicated mission to the planet, scientists have learned plenty through ground observations and space telescopesTue, 05 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000Can Fungi Save This Endangered Hawaiian Tree?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/can-fungi-save-this-endangered-hawaiian-tree-180985171/By inoculating greenhouse na’u seedlings with mycorrhizal fungi, researchers hope to boost survival odds when the plants are returned to the wildWed, 30 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000Is Depression Contagious?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/is-depression-contagious-180985310/The science about whether mental health conditions can spread socially is uncertain, but exposure to an affected peer can drive awarenessTue, 29 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000From Prolonging Wallaby Pregnancies to Disorienting Hatchling Turtles, 11 Ways Artificial Lights Affect Animalshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/from-prolonging-wallaby-pregnancies-to-disorienting-hatchling-turtles-11-ways-artificial-lights-affect-animals-180985253/From the busy cities to ocean waters, our need to illuminate the world has had some strange and tragic consequencesMon, 28 Oct 2024 16:00:00 +0000After Decades of Searching, Are Physicists Closing In on Dark Matter?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/after-decades-of-searching-are-physicists-closing-in-on-dark-matter-180985246/With no conclusive laboratory results, researchers are turning to other methods to find the elusive substanceFri, 25 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000Even as A.I. Technology Races Ahead, the Prehistoric Science of Wildlife Tracking Is Making a Comebackhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/even-ai-technology-races-ahead-old-school-prehistoric-science-wildlife-tracking-making-comeback-180985229/Humans perfected how to identify wild animals over millennia, and now biologists are rediscovering the exceptional worth of the tracks and marks left behindWed, 23 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000The Seven Most Amazing Discoveries We’ve Made About Plutohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-seven-most-amazing-discoveries-weve-made-about-pluto-180985089/Though technically not a planet, it has as rich geology as any of its planetary siblings in the solar systemTue, 22 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000How Scientists’ Tender Loving Care Could Save This Endangered Penguin Specieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-scientists-tender-loving-care-could-save-this-endangered-penguin-species-180985230/From fish smoothies to oral antibiotics, researchers are taking matters into their own hands in a radical effort to save New Zealand’s yellow-eyed penguinsMon, 21 Oct 2024 11:00:00 +0000Here's How Weather Balloons Can Harm Marine Animalshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/heres-how-weather-balloons-can-harm-marine-animals-180985276/Latex balloons designed to collect high-altitude data can become a threat after they burstFri, 18 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000Can Lynx Be Saved in the Balkans?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/can-lynx-be-saved-in-the-balkans-180985200/A small team of local scientists are fighting rapid industrialization, misinformation and more to save Europe’s iconic catThu, 17 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000NASA Launches Europa Clipper to Search for Signs of Life on Jupiter’s Moonhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/nasa-launches-europa-clipper-to-search-for-signs-of-life-on-jupiters-moon-180985262/The huge spacecraft is headed toward the icy moon Europa, where it will use an array of instruments to survey for geologic activity, magnetism and moreMon, 14 Oct 2024 16:16:52 +0000What 30 Years of Studying the New England Woods Reveals About the Colors of Changing Leaveshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-30-years-studying-new-england-woods-reveals-about-colors-changing-leaves-180985234/An ecologist’s long walks and detailed observations allowed him to chronicle the shifts in an iconic habitat and grow a once-overlooked branch of scienceFri, 11 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000Uncovering the Secrets Behind Hummingbirds' Extreme Lifestylehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/uncovering-the-secrets-behind-hummingbirds-extreme-lifestyle-180985186/Here's how the aerial acrobats are able to survive on a nearly all-sugar diet, fly higher than many helicopters can and migrate over the open oceanWed, 09 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000Can a Mother’s Mental Health Impact a Baby in the Womb?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/can-a-mothers-mental-health-impact-a-baby-in-the-womb-180985158/Growing research indicates a pregnant woman’s stress level and overall mental well-being can affect fetal and child development, yet access to prenatal mental health care remains inadequateWed, 09 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000The Chonky Superstar of Fat Bear Week Is Missing, and the Competition Won't Be the Same Without Himhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/chonky-superstar-fat-bear-week-is-missing-competition-wont-be-same-without-him-180985185/While other bears battled over fish in a prime spot, Otis would sit off to the side and wait for the fish to come to him. But so far this year, he hasn’t been spotted in Katmai National Park and PreserveThu, 03 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000How Did Two Bowhead Whales That Were 60 Miles Apart Sync Their Diving?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-did-two-bowhead-whales-that-were-60-miles-apart-sync-their-diving-180985132/Researchers suspect the marine mammals may have been communicating across the vast distanceWed, 02 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000Is Wildfire Smoke Causing Birds to Tend to Empty Nests?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/is-wildfire-smoke-causing-birds-to-tend-to-empty-nests-180985131/New studies suggest smoke from western megafires may be damaging bird health and leading to strange behaviorMon, 30 Sep 2024 13:09:31 +0000