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National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

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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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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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Do Shade-Grown Coffee Farms Have a Higher Value Than Carbon Markets Recognize?

Coffee farms with mature shade trees store far more carbon than planting new trees can capture, a new study reveals.

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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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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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Meet the Small but Mighty Microbiomes

Trillions of microscopic bacteria play an important role in keeping animals healthy

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Scientists Are Using 3-D-Printing Technology to Ready Guam Kingfishers for Reintroduction to the Wild

'Test flights' using replica transmitters will help scientists select the best option for siheks

researcher Tremie Gregory climbs high up a tree in Peruvian Amazon rainforest to set up a camera trap

How Scientists Are Uncovering the Secrets of Life in the Rainforest Canopy

Camera trap photos show arboreal animals living hundreds of feet above the ground

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