Nature
Nature, or the natural world, encompasses the behavior and physiology of animals, plants and minerals
How to Cook Meals for the 2000 Animals at the National Zoo
Secretary Clough explains how the Zoo’s chefs prepare food for 400 different species
June 2013 |
By G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Why Fire Makes Us Human
Cooking may be more than just a part of your daily routine, it may be what made your brain as powerful as it is
June 2013 |
By Jerry Adler
Doctors Use a Dissolvable 3D-Printed Tracheal Splint to Save a Baby’s Life
An infant's collapsing airway now has a device holding it open; as his tissue strengthens, the splint will be absorbed into his body
May 22, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Once in a Blue Moon and Other Idioms That Don’t Make Scientific Sense
From "where there's smoke, there's fire" to "hard as nails," several sayings just don't pass scientific scrutiny
May 22, 2013 |
By Mohi Kumar
Heinrich Rohrer, Father of Nanotechnology, Dies at 79
Heinrich Rohrer, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics, passed away last week at the age of 79
May 22, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Bears That Have No Fish to Eat Eat Baby Elk Instead
The illegal introduction of lake trout in Yellowstone's lakes is having wide-reaching consequences
May 21, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Navy Dolphins Turn Up a Rare 19th-Century Torpedo
Called a Howell torpedo, the old military relic was a marvel in its day, and only 50 were ever made
May 21, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Princeton University Celebrates the Art of Science
In a new exhibition, the university showcases 43 images rooted in scientific research that force viewers to contemplate the definition of art
May 21, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
How Puking Could Save the Endangered Marbled Murrelet
For the marbled murrelet the conservation plan is a little unusual: making their predators vomit
May 21, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Scientists Finally Pinpoint the Pathogen That Caused the Irish Potato Famine
DNA analysis of 166-year-old potato plant leaves has revealed the disease strain that caused the starvation of millions
May 21, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Lizards Appear to Be Hardier Astronauts Than Mice
Russian scientists say that this experiment represents that longest period animals have ever spent alone in space and been recovered alive
May 20, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Wealthy Economic Liberals Actually Are Wimps
In the animal kingdom, larger males are likewise prone to hoard resources and defend larger territories than weaker competitors
May 20, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
André Fenton
New York University Neuroscientist, Biomedical Engineer & Entrepreneur
May 20, 2013 |
By Smithsonian Magazine's "Future Is Here" Conference
Invasive Crazy Ants Are Eating Up Invasive Fire Ants in the South
How ecosystems will function if fire ants suddenly disappear and are replaced by crazy ants remains an open but worrying question
May 17, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
The Past, Present, and Future of the Cuckoo Clock
From Orson Welles to Twitter, a look into the classic time-telling relic from your grandparents' attic
May 17, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
Solving Climbing’s Diversity Problem
Seventy-eight percent of the Americans who took part in activities outdoors last year were white
May 17, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Doctors Used to Use Live African Frogs As Pregnancy Tests
Now, those former test subjects may be spreading the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus around the world
May 16, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
So Long, Kepler: NASA’s Crack Exoplanet-Hunter Falls to Mechanical Failure
Kepler has changed our place in the universe, but now the four-year old satellite is down with a broken wheel
May 16, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
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
Peeping in on the Process of Turning Caterpillar to Butterfly
Previously, researchers hoping to learn about metamorphosis had to dissect the chrysalis, which killed the developing insect inside
May 15, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer


