Biology
Denver’s Street-Smart Prairie Dogs
Researchers explore why members of one species are thriving in urban areas while rural populations dwindle
October 02, 2009 |
By Morgan E. Heim
Cracking the DNA Code
On a small island near Washington, D.C., Smithsonian researchers have found a genetic code that could revolutionize botany
August 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
The Cahaba: A River of Riches
An unsung Alabama waterway is one of the most biologically diverse places in the nation, home to rare flora and fauna
August 2009 |
By Michelle Nijhuis
The Culture of Being Rude
A new biological theory states that cultural behavior is not just a regional quirk, but a defense against the spread of disease
August 03, 2009 |
By Rob Dunn
High Hopes for a New Kind of Gene
Scientists believe that microRNA may lead to breakthroughs in diagnosing and treating cancer
July 2009 |
By Sylvia Pagán Westphal
Day 1: Seeing Kenya from the Sky
Despite many travel delays, Smithsonian Secretary Clough arrives in Kenya ready to study the African wildlife at the Mpala Ranch
June 16, 2009 |
By G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Penguin Dispatch 1: Arriving in Punta Tombo, Argentina
The winter residents of Punta Tombo fly in steadily over the course of a few days, eventually swarming the small land mass
June 04, 2009 |
By Eric Wagner
Penguin Dispatch 2: The Scientists of Punta Tombo
For over 25 years, researcher Dee Boersma has been coming with students in tow to Punta Tombo to study the penguins
June 04, 2009 |
By Eric Wagner
Penguin Dispatch 3: Penguin Wrangling
Handling and tagging a penguin can be no easy task, leaving oneself open to a vicious and potentially dangerous beak attack
June 04, 2009 |
By Eric Wagner
Penguin Dispatch 4: How to Study a Penguin Egg
Females guard their eggs closely, so scientists must tread carefully when temporarily extracting the eggs for research
June 04, 2009 |
By Eric Wagner
Penguin Dispatch 5: Picking the Cutest Newborn Chick
By late-November, many eggs are hatching and cute, tennis-ball sized grey chicks emerge, begging for food from their parents
June 04, 2009 |
By Eric Wagner
Penguin Dispatch 6: The First Trip into the Ocean
Only two months into their lives, the chicks, with their now stronger flippers, take their first dive from the water’s edge
June 04, 2009 |
By Eric Wagner
Penguin Dispatch 7: Turbo, the Penguin Who Loved Humans
One Magellanic penguin rejected his own species and instead of fearing the scientists, he befriended and lived with them
June 04, 2009 |
By Eric Wagner
Brain Cells for Socializing
Does an obscure nerve cell help explain what gorillas, elephants, whales—and people—have in common?
June 2009 |
By Ingfei Chen
Flowers Writ Large
With his Botanica Magnifica, podiatrist-turned-photographer Jonathan Singer captures flowers on the grandest of scales
May 21, 2009 |
By Megan Gambino
In Search of the Mysterious Narwhal
Ballerina turned biologist Kristin Laidre gives her all to study the elusive, deep-diving, ice-loving whale known as the "unicorn of the sea"
May 2009 |
By Abigail Tucker
Feeding the Animals at the National Zoo
After hiring the first animal nutritionist 30 years ago, the National Zoo prepares specific, well-balanced meals for each animal
April 08, 2009 |
By Joseph Caputo
Evolution in Black and White
The alternative color forms of some animals are providing new insights into how animals adapt and evolve
February 10, 2009 |
By Sean B. Carroll
The Perils of Bird-Plane Collisions
When airlines want to investigate dangerous bird strikes against planes, they turn to the head of the Smithsonian’s Feather Identification Lab
January 16, 2009 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Gene Therapy in a New Light
A husband-and-wife team's experimental genetic treatment for blindness is renewing hopes for a controversial field of medicine
January 2009 |
By Jocelyn Kaiser
