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National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

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How X-Rays, Plastic Cups and Spools of String Help National Zoo Researchers Find Wild Box Turtle Nests

To figure out why Eastern box turtle numbers are dropping across Virginia, Smithsonian researchers are turning to some surprisingly low-tech tricks.

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Museum Specimens Help Solve a Century-Old Mystery in Hawaiian Bird Evolution

A new genomic study from Smithsonian scientists traces the honeycreepers' explosive diversification to the formation of O'ahu millions of years ago, offering fresh insight into a group of birds now facing one of the steepest extinction rates in the world.

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We Can Freeze Human Reproductive Cells. Can We Do the Same for Red Wolves?

With only a few hundred red wolves left, Smithsonian scientist Jennifer Nagashima is pioneering new ways to preserve their genetic diversity

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Why Firefighters Burned Down an Old Building on the National Zoo’s Science Campus

When faced with the challenge of an aging facility, staff at the Zoo's science campus found a creative solution to its closure.

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Flirting Like a Panda: Spring Sparks for Bao Li and Qing Bao at the National Zoo

A sure sign of spring is when giant pandas show interest in one another. Watch how Bao Li and Qing Bao "flirt" in this update!

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To Help Save Wildlife, Ecologists Learn A.I. Skills at the National Zoo’s Science Campus

In a unique class hosted at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, early-career ecologists learned to apply emerging technologies to power conservation breakthroughs.

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Hope Returns to Panama’s Forests With the Rediscovery of Four Missing Frog Species

Smithsonian researcher Brian Gratwicke and colleagues describe how acoustic technology aided the remarkable rediscovery of four amphibian populations thought to have vanished from Panama’s mountain forests.

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How Human Health Technology Is Improving Orangutan Welfare at the National Zoo

Redd’s daily treatment reveals how orangutans with chronic respiratory diseases are adapting to use certain medical tools designed for humans.

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Small Stories, Big Science: 2025 in Review at the Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute

A collection of short highlights from our year in conservation science work.

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New DNA Monitoring Tool Enables Scientists to Identify Specific Animals by Their Feces

Scientists from the Smithsonian have successfully used swift fox droppings to identify individual animals and collect other data vital to monitoring a reintroduced population in Montana.

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'Little Critters' Drop-In Program Lets the Smallest National Zoo Visitors Play Hands-On With Nature

At the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Little Critters: Nature Play area, young children and their caregivers can have fun with free, nature-based play activities

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Leaf-Tailed Gecko Treated With Chemotherapy Regimen at National Zoo

Veterinarians performed the innovative treatment on a 4-year-old Henkel's leaf-tailed gecko, a species at the fringes of zoo medicine.

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Meet the Eastern Red-Backed Salamander, A Tiny Environmental Hero

Next time you’re walking through fallen leaves in a forest, keep an eye out for the Eastern red-backed salamander—a small woodland creature with a huge role to play.

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As Climate Change and Pollution Imperil Coral Reefs, Scientists Are Deep-Freezing Corals to Repopulate Future Oceans

Just as the world’s zoos breed critically endangered animals in captivity to repopulate the wild, scientists are building a global effort to freeze corals for reef restoration.

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The Love Lives of Ducks Make for Great Drama

Breeding season at the National Zoo's Bird House can create some spectacular behavior

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How Genomic Science Solved a Cheetah Cub Paternity Mystery

When Echo's five cubs were born last fall, their exact lineage was unclear. A genetic analysis conducted by Smithsonian scientists revealed the truth.

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Rain, Rivers and Radiotrackers: Releasing Captive-Bred Harlequin Frogs Into the Wild

A team of scientists ventured deep into the rain-soaked Panamanian forest on a mission to restore wild populations of a critically-endangered amphibian.

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A High-Tech Approach to Giraffe Conservation

An average wild giraffe has a home range of about 140 square miles—nearly equivalent to the surface area of Philadelphia. So how do scientists track and study them?

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A New Leap in the Fight to Save Frogs

Scientists identify best practices for reintroduction of endangered and extinct amphibians in a new publication.

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After An Insect Detox, Can Once-Poisonous Frogs Get Their Spice Back?

Poison frogs living in human care aren’t poisonous, thanks to a “detox” diet of mild insects, like crickets and fruit flies. Can adding alkaloids to a frog’s diet help it regain its toxins and get its “spice” back?

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