Science

The first #BlackBirdersWeek celebrates Black birders and nature enthusiasts while inspiring more conservation-curious to join their community.

Smithsonian Voices

Meet the Organizers of #BlackBirdersWeek

Many of us had shared experiences of racism while being black outdoors, say Ashley Gary, Sheridan Alford, Chelsea Connor and Joseph Saunders

Researchers found that the less likely a student’s gender and racial groups were to be represented in their field, the more likely they were to introduce novel conceptual linkages in their work.

Deep Biases Prevent Diverse Talent From Advancing

A new study indicates that underrepresented students in science-related fields are innovating at high rates—but not reaping commensurate rewards

As erosion reshapes England’s Jurassic Coast, ancient fossils are revealed.

Virtual Travel

Why the Jurassic Coast Is One of the Best Fossil-Collecting Sites on Earth

Along a famed stretch of English coastline, amateurs and professionals collect 200-million-year-old treasures before they are reclaimed by the waves

And adult magicicada cicada requires 17 years to complete development.

Cicadas Are Delightful Weirdos You Should Learn to Love

As Brood IX takes flight for the first time in 17 years, cicada lovers have their ears open.

An animal care staff member at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium feeds some Magellanic penguins.

Covid-19

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Maintaining Tourist Sites During COVID-19

Despite closures, essential workers are the ones holding down the fort at these popular travel destinations

A wooden paddle with a nail-studded leather face was used in Alabama in 1899 to perforate mail in preparation for fumigation as a precaution against yellow fever.

Mail Handlers Used to Poke Holes in Envelopes to Battle Germs and Viruses

The postal service and scientists say there’s no need to sanitize the mail today

Artist's impression of Utahraptor

The Continuously Evolving Picture of the World's Largest Raptor

Utahraptor is an official state dinosaur and an NBA mascot's inspiration. Understanding it has been anything but simple

Fumigation was used on library book collections in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when book-borrowing was seen as a possible disease vector.

Ask Smithsonian

How Do Libraries Clean Books? And More Questions From Our Readers

You've got question. We've got experts

Smithsonian Geologist Liz Cottrell answers your questions in the second season of the National Museum of Natural History’s YouTube series, “The Dr. Is In.”

Smithsonian Voices

What Is Hotter Than the Sun?

Get the facts from Smithsonian geologist Liz Cottrell in the latest episode of "The Doctor Is In."

Vial and packaging for the 1957 H2N2 vaccine, at the National Museum of American History. Producing the inoculation required hundreds of thousands of fertilized chicken eggs per day.

Covid-19

How the U.S. Fought the 1957 Flu Pandemic

The story of the medical researcher whose quick action protected millions of Americans from a new contagion

Artist impression of Allosaurus

Carnivorous Dinosaurs Like Allosaurus Were Cannibals

Tooth-marked bones show that huge flesh-eaters had no qualms about chomping their own kind when times got tough

Your questions answered by Smithsonian Geologist Liz Cottrell in season two of "The Dr. Is In."

Smithsonian Voices

Smithsonian Volcano Expert Answers Questions on Topics Ranging From Yellowstone's 'Big One' to Skunk Pee

Geologist Liz Cottrell answers your questions in the second season of the National Museum of Natural History’s YouTube series, 'The Dr. Is In'

Commercial crew astronauts Bob Behnken (left) and Doug Hurley (right) stand in front of a SpaceX Dragon mock-up at the Johnson Space Center.

Smithsonian Voices

The Storied History Behind Saturday's Planned SpaceX Launch

Smithsonian curator Jennifer Levasseur examines NASA's relationship with spacecraft contractors

A young koala recovers at the wildlife park hospital.

Planet Positive

The Great Koala Rescue Operation

Raging bushfires. Devastated wildlife. And the compassionate souls who went to the rescue

A scanning electron microscope image of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Covid-19

Why Immunity to the Novel Coronavirus Is So Complicated

Some immune responses may be enough to make a person impervious to reinfection, but scientists don't yet know how the human body reacts to this new virus

Paratype of Florida's rare blue calamintha bee (male)

Blue Bee Feared to Be Extinct Is Found in Florida

First discovered in 2011, the rare species reappeared recently after nearly a decade of eluding scientists' watch

The Asian Giant Hornet, Vespa mandarinia, can grow up to two inches long and is a species not native to North America. The National Insect Collection, co-curated by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), houses one of the first specimens collected in North America

Smithsonian Voices

Here's Why the Invasive Asian Giant Hornet’s Identification Is Actually a Scientific Success Story

Notorious 'Murder' hornet finds home in Smithsonian collections

The Covid-19 pandemic has skyrocketed the demand for new strains of mice to help scientists understand the progression of the disease, test existing drugs, find new therapeutic targets and develop vaccines.

Covid-19

Building a Mouse Squad Against COVID-19

A Maine laboratory is on the verge of supplying a much-needed animal for SARS-CoV-2 research

“Footprints give us information about anatomy and group dynamics that you just can’t get from bones,” says the Smithsonian's Briana Pobiner.

Ancient Toes and Soles of Fossilized Footprints Now 3-D Digitized for the Ages

New research suggests that for the prehistoric foragers that walked this path, labor was divided between men and women

Could 2020 be America's Year of the Bidet?

Covid-19

The Bottom Line About Bidets

Amid toilet paper shortages, many Americans are making the switch—but does all the fuss about bidets really hold water?

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