Made from starch and gelatin, the biodegradable sponges remove as much as 90 percent of microplastics in tap water and seawater
Scientists are using the latest in DNA fingerprinting to combat the multibillion-dollar business of trafficking plants and animals
Volunteers with Friends of the Elephant Seal educate tourists to prevent conflicts, inspire awe and keep the marine mammals safe
Groups of hominins might have successfully scavenged large kills, new modeling finds
After a spate of orca attacks spooked the fish, they have now been found
The invertebrates create elaborate structures to escape danger and shimmer in synchronized performances to confuse predators
Astronomers have long debated what kind of chemistry might serve as a bona fide alien biosignature
Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries
These highlights from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest feature our close “cousins”
Entrepreneurs are using jewelry, fragrances and clothing to demonstrate what’s possible with repurposed carbon—and environmentalists have questions
A summer of news reports about orca, otter and bird “attacks” has the public wondering if trying to understand animal behavior in human terms is misguided
A reimagined tool called BirdCast is helping birders, scientists and even farmers
After paleontologists cracked the secrets of the ancient flying reptiles, researchers are thinking about how to harness their methods
Twenty years of habitat restoration has helped the once critically endangered Azores bullfinch
Researchers are finding signs of multiple phases of sleep all over the animal kingdom, including some that look very much like REM
Washed up in a rare stranding event, the newly collected specimen will offer rich exploration for researchers
Conservationists are inserting beehives as deterrents around farms and building craft breweries that reward farmers for pachyderm-friendly practices
Entomologist Doug Tallamy explains how doing so can help insects and birds
For these ambitious scientists in the rainforests of Ecuador, helping the environment has never tasted so sweet
Scientists in California are working with communities—and a suite of tools—to better monitor air quality
A brief history of road ecology, the scientific discipline that is helping us understand our impact on the environment and how to diminish it
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