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Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Smithsonian Voices

Illustration from the graphic novel 'Martina and the Bridge of Time' by Aaron O'Dea and Ian Cooke Tapia. (Ian Cooke Tapia)

A Young Comic Book Heroine Travels Through Panama’s Deep History

'Martina and the Bridge of Time'' tells the story of the Isthmus’ formation and evolution through the adventures of a young Panamanian girl

Vanessa Crooks | March 31, 2021

The purple-flowered crown of Dipteryx oleifera, one of the biggest trees on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, towers above the forest. Big trees may be most exposed to the effects of climate change: more frequent and severe drought, and the high winds and lightning of monster storms.
(Evan Gora)

How Will the Biggest Tropical Trees Respond to Climate Change?

The death of these giants would have a major impact on the forest, but because they are few and far between, almost nothing is known about what causes them to die

Elisabeth King | March 30, 2021

Cranium of an individual recovered from beneath the Cathedral of Panama Viejo. (Javier Rivera Sandoval, ArtEmpire)

An 'oral' history: Archaeologists search for the origin of dental modification in Panama

A new study asks when and how the Ngäbe indigenous group began to practice dental modification

Vanessa Crooks | March 26, 2021

Bryophytes in the tropics are threatened due to lack of information and research. (Jorge Alemán, STRI)

Tiny Plants in a Big Changing World

Bryophytes are an important part of our environment, but in the tropics, there's still much to learn about them.

Vanessa Crooks | March 8, 2021
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