New Research

China’s Lunar Rover Discovered a New Kind of Moon Rock

The Yutu Rover has discovered a type of basalt unlike anything else ever found on the moon

Our Top Ten Stories of 2015

From treasures buried in glaciers to the racial history of a vanished city in Oregon, here are the most-read stories on Smithsonian.com this year

This photo of two short-nosed sea snakes alerted researchers to the species' survival, even though they were thought to be extinct for 15 years.

They’re Back: Supposedly Extinct Sea Snakes Have Been Found in Australia

Nearly 15 years later and about 1,000 miles away from the last sighting, the snakes could be making a comeback

Yellow and red are the primary colors in this double rainbow.

Not All Rainbows Have Every Color

Depending on the angle of the sun, ROY G. BIV don't all necessarily appear

How Do Hardworking Hummingbirds Keep Cool?

Special “windows” in the feathers covering their tiny bodies prevent overheating while hovering and flying

A cichlid fish swims in Lake Tanganyika. New research has shown new cichlid species coming to be in a much smaller crater lake in Tanzania.

Darwin's “Puddle” Could Show How New Species Emerge in Close Quarters

A genetic study of cichlid fish in a small crater lake seems to support a debated evolutionary concept

These Parrots Use Pebbles as Tools to Grind up Seashells

Polly want a mineral supplement?

A beach closed during Lake Erie’s 2014 toxic algal bloom

Toxic Algae Blooms in Lake Erie Could Become the New Normal

Plans to reduce fertilizer runoff may not be enough to counter the blooms when climate change is taken into account

Shockingly, Pandas That Like Each Other Have More Babies Together

The deceptively simple discovery could revolutionize panda breeding

Does that book feel more like a doorstop? It's part of a growing trend.

Bestselling Books Are Getting Longer

But are they getting better?

A black-and-white snub-nosed monkey

Monkeys Like Full Red Lips, Too

In snub-nosed monkeys, male lips plump up and redden as they age, likely to signify reproductive availability and social status

The young researchers noted a sharp increase in silly science published during the British Medical Journal's Christmas issue.

Scientists Increasingly Describe Their Research As "Astounding"

The eyebrow-raising finding is just one of several papers published in the British Medical Journal's traditionally lighthearted Christmas issue

Rainbow Collars Could Help Keep Cats From Wiping Out Birds

This colorful trick may stop Fluffy from murdering local songbirds

Is Global Warming Changing How Fast the Earth Spins?

New research suggests that as glaciers melt, the planet's axis is shifting

NASA astronauts Scott Kelly (left) and Terry Virts (right) work on a day’s task on board the International Space Station

How Much Space Do Astronauts Need?

The answer could help design spacecraft for one day taking people on the months-long trip to Mars

Genetically-Modified Mosquitoes Could Help Fight Malaria

Two research groups offer two different solutions to one big problem

Robot, baby. Baby, robot.

New Robots Could Learn Like Children

A research team is teaching artificial minds to imitate and innovate like kids do during play

Surprising bright spots lurking in Ceres’ Occator crater, as spotted by the Dawn spacecraft

We Finally May Know the Cause of Ceres’ Bright Spots

It's not aliens

A scientist says a multispectral analysis of the Mona Lisa shows hidden portraits beneath the famous painting.

A French Scientist Says the Mona Lisa is Hiding a Portrait of Another Woman

Some art experts, however, are skeptical

The informally named al-Idrisi mountains meet the smooth surface of Sputnik Planum in this image.

New Images Capture Pluto’s Mountains, Badlands and Craters in Breathtaking Detail

These images are "the best close-ups of Pluto that humans may see for decades," according to NASA

Page 138 of 241