Rain Forests
Leaping Frogs on Leap Day
In honor of Leap Day 2012, learn a bit about how frogs leap
February 29, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
How Much the Hope Diamond is Worth and Other Questions From Our Readers
From American art, history and culture, air and space technology, contemporary art, Asian art and any of the sciences from astronomy to zoology, we'll find an answer
February 07, 2012 |
By Aviva Shen
The Devastating Costs of the Amazon Gold Rush
Spurred by rising global demand for the metal, miners are destroying invaluable rainforest in Peru's Amazon basin
February 2012 |
By Donovan Webster
Ancient Popcorn Unearthed in Peru
New discoveries indicate people were eating our favorite movie snack far longer ago than we thought
January 27, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Corals Crawling With Crustaceans
Smithsonian scientist Laetitia Plaisance talks about her recent study and its finding that coral reefs support even more biodiversity that we thought
November 10, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
Six-Million-Year-Old Whale Fossil Discovered by NMNH Researchers in Panama
This story has been temporarily removed as it is undergoing further review. Please explore other ocean-related content here.
July 12, 2011 |
By Smithsonian Staff
A Mega-Dam Dilemma in the Amazon
A huge dam on Peru's Inambari River will bring much-needed development to the region. But at what cost?
March 2011 |
By Clay Risen
STRI Tracks Mountain on the Move in Colombia
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a UNESCO world heritage site just 26 miles off the Caribbean coast of Colombia, is the tallest coastal mountain in the world. It's peak towers at 18,942 feet, and it hosts 36 different streams and rivers.No human force—be it faith or muscle—could move such a mounta...
September 28, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Three New Frog Species Face an Uncertain Future
According to Andrew Crawford, a former postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and a current researcher at the Universidad de los Andes, the amphibian skin disease chytridiomycosis (known as chytrid) has already eliminated nearly 100 different frog species in Panam...
August 23, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Brain Food for Busy Bees
In Panama, at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's new neurobiology laboratory, researchers are studying how the brain of the tropical sweat bee Megalopta genalis relates to the behavior of the species' social queens and solitary queens. The study is helping scientists make large strides i...
April 01, 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
Wildlife Trafficking
A reporter follows the lucrative, illicit and heartrending trade in stolen wild animals deep into Ecuador's rain forest
December 2009 |
By Charles Bergman
Dispatch from Panama: Getting In the Mood
ATM blogger Megan Gambino spent a week in Panama reporting on research taking place at two locations—Barro Colorado Island and Bocas del Toro—of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). Read on in this final dispatch to follow her day-to-day adventures.Day 5 and Day 6: Coral Spawning!B...
September 16, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
Dispatch from Panama: Bocas del Toro
ATM blogger Megan Gambino spent a week in Panama reporting on research taking place at two locations—Barro Colorado Island and Bocas del Toro—of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). Read on to follow her day-to-day adventures.Day 3: Arriving at BocasToday I left Panama City for ...
September 15, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
Dispatch from Panama: Hanging Out with the Bat Lady
ATM blogger Megan Gambino is spending this week in Panama reporting on research taking place at two locations—Barro Colorado Island and Bocas del Toro—of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). Read on in this dispatch and in future installments to follow her day-to-day adventures.Day 1...
September 11, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
Dispatch from Panama: Arriving at STRI
ATM blogger Megan Gambino is spending this week in Panama reporting on research taking place at two locations—Barro Colorado Island and Bocas del Toro—of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). Read on in this dispatch and in future installments to follow her day-to-day adventures.Day 1...
September 09, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
Scientists Race to Salvage Fossils Before Panama Canal Expansion
There was a time when North and South America did not share a land border. Instead, a large river separated the two land masses. The animals and plants on the continents kept to themselves mostly, with the exception of the birds that refused to call any one place home.Then, 15 million years ago, th...
June 24, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
Smile! Elusive Jaguar Caught on Camera in Panama
Dry season on Barro Colorodo Island brings sun and low humidity to the plants, animals and researchers that dwell on this scientific nature reserve in the middle of the Panama Canal.Just the right conditions for scientists Jackie and Greg Willis to take their their annual 62-mile walk to count the ...
April 30, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
What's So Hot About Chili Peppers?
An American ecologist travels through the Bolivian forest to answer burning questions about the spice
April 2009 |
By Brendan Borrell
Around the Web: Name That Fish
Blennies aren't the prettiest of nature's creatures. About as long as a roll of quarters, with big eyes and a gaping mouth, the fish are loved by scientists for their ecology more than their beauty. With over 800 species across the oceans, they are one of the world's most diverse fish families. By ...
January 27, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
Smithsonian Scientists Unearth Problems with Biofuel Crops
For a while after scientists (and Al Gore!) first started talking about global warming, it seemed like biofuels might be the magic solution to our energy needs.Made from corn, sugarcane, palm oil, soybeans and various other organic matter, biofuels burn "clean," which means that they don't contribu...
December 11, 2008 |
By Anika Gupta
