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Smart News - Keeping You Current

New Research

Invasive Crazy Ants Are Eating Up Invasive Fire Ants in the South

Cool Finds

Solving Climbing’s Diversity Problem

New Research

Doctors Used to Use Live African Frogs As Pregnancy Tests

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Editors' Picks

Miniature African Forest Elephants Could Be Extinct in 10 Years

Ivory poachers slashed the population of the small elephants by 62 percent in the past decade--future losses at those rates will doom the species

Jane Goodall Reveals Her Lifelong Fascination With…Plants?

After studying chimpanzees for decades, the celebrated scientist turns her penetrating gaze on another life-form

Brian Skerry Has the World’s Best Job: Ocean Photographer

The freelancer’s new exhibit at the Natural History Museum captures the beauty, and fragility, of sea life

Science Beats

Endangered Ocean Creatures Beyond the Cute and Cuddly

Marine species threatened with extinction aren't just whales, seals and turtles--they include fish, corals, mollusks, birds, and a lone seagrass
May 17, 2013 | By Emily Frost

Page 1 of 13
California Condors

Why the Endangered Species Act Is Broken, and How to Fix It

On the landmark species-saving law’s 40th anniversary, environmental historian Peter Alagona explains why it doesn’t quite work, and offers a path toward recovery
May 16, 2013 | By Matt Kettmann

Earthworms in Your Garden May Help Prevent Invasive Slugs from Devouring Plants

In the lab, the presence of earthworms can reduce the number of leaves damaged by slugs by 60 percent, a new study finds
May 16, 2013 | By Mohi Kumar

Amazing Sea Butterflies Are the Ocean’s Canary in the Coal Mine

These delicate and stunning creatures are offering Smithsonian scientists a warning sign for the world's waters turning more acidic
May 14, 2013 | By Hannah Waters

Nitrogen-cooled tissue samples

What Genomic Research Can Tell Us About the Earth's Biodiversity

Smithsonian scientists are gathering wildlife tissue samples from around the world to build the largest museum-based repository of such specimens
June 2013 | By Joseph Stromberg

Solving an Alligator Mystery May Help Humans Regrow Lost Teeth

A gator can replace all of its teeth up to 50 times--learning what triggers these new teeth to grow may someday keep us from needing dentures
May 13, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

Baby Weddell Seals Have the Most Adult-Like Brains in the Animal Kingdom

The newborn seal pups possess the most well-developed brains compared to other mammals, but that advantage comes with a cost
May 09, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

How Does Science Help Pandas Make More Panda Babies?

A behind-the-scenes look at the ways the National Zoo assists Washington's most famous sexually frustrated bear couple
May 08, 2013 | By Paul Bisceglio

PHOTOS Baby’s First Romp: Andean Cubs Play in the Rain

With their new yard baby-proofed, the two cubs took the outside for a day in the rain before their public debut Saturday
May 07, 2013 | By Leah Binkovitz

Breaking News: Bozie the Elephant to Join National Zoo

A new Asian Elephant will soon arrive at the National Zoo, on loan from the Baton Rogue Zoo
May 03, 2013 | By Paul Bisceglio

UPDATE: Sloth Bear Cub Has a New Name

The National Zoo's sloth bear cub is now called Hank
May 01, 2013 | By Leah Binkovitz

Exploring the World’s Most Imperiled Rivers

Agriculture, pollution and hydroelectric development threaten many great rivers. See them while they still flow, via raft, kayak, canoe—or bicycle
May 01, 2013 | By Alastair Bland

Baby Sand Tiger Sharks Devour Their Siblings While Still in the Womb

This seemingly horrific reproduction strategy may be a way for females to better control which males sire her offspring
April 30, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

Saving the Cao Vit Gibbon, the Second Rarest Ape in the World

Setting aside additional protected areas and creating forest corridors could help this Asian primate bounce back from just 110 individuals
April 26, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

14 Fun Facts About Penguins

Which penguin swims the fastest? Do penguins have teeth? Why do penguins sneeze? How is penguin poop useful?
April 25, 2013 | By Hannah Waters

Hiking with Your Dog This Summer May Be Harder Than You Think

If you've entertained ideas of boundless romping in the woods with your pet, you may be in for a serious letdown, as more and more parks have cracked down on man's best friend
April 24, 2013 | By Alastair Bland

For Some Species, You Really Are What You Eat

Flamingos, shrimp and many other animals use chemical compounds found in their diets to color their exteriors
April 24, 2013 | By Marina Koren

Which Primate Is the Most Likely Source of the Next Pandemic?

To help anticipate the next outbreak of an emerging infectious disease, scientists scrutinize our closest relatives in the animal kingdom
April 22, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

From Sea to Shining Sea: Great Ways to Explore Canada

The latest Gallup poll results are in—and Americans love Canada more than any other nation. Here are six ways to experience the greatest scenery of America's neighbor to the north
April 22, 2013 | By Alastair Bland

Intriguing Science Art From the University of Wisconsin

From a fish's dyed nerves to vapor strewn across the planet, images submitted to a contest at the university offer new perspectives of the natural world
April 19, 2013 | By Megan Gambino

10 Things We’ve Learned About the Earth Since Last Earth Day

Pigeon-eating catfish, Antarctic trash, and more: A list of surprising, alarming and exciting discoveries about our planet from the past year
April 19, 2013 | By Joseph Stromberg

DNA Sequencing Reveals that Coelacanths Weren’t the Missing Link Between Sea and Land

The rare fish's genome is slowly evolving—and contrary to prior speculation, it probably isn't the common ancestor of all land animals
April 17, 2013 | By Joseph Stromberg

Sequestration to Cause Closures, Secretary Clough Testifies

Gallery closings, fewer exhibitions and reduced educational offerings are some of the impacts he listed before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
April 17, 2013 | By Leah Binkovitz

Where Have the Trees of Guam Gone?

Scientists are investigating whether the obliteration of the island's bird species is thinning the tree canopy and could ultimately alter the forests' structure
April 11, 2013 | By Claire Martin

Bean Leaves Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite by Using Tiny, Impaling Spikes

Researchers hope to design a new bedbug eradication method based upon a folk remedy of trapping the bloodsuckers as they creep
April 09, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next »

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