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Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

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Two Oceans, One Country and 20 Times the Sharks

Fossil shark scales from Panama’s Caribbean and Pacific coasts show that the two seas never held the same number of sharks, and that borrowing a conservation target from one ocean could be wrong by an order of magnitude

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Your Photos Can Help Make Scientific Discoveries

Scientists combined iNaturalist photos and scientific observations to uncover the possible evolution of a very particular behavior: egg-caring in a group of arachnids

Ancient epidemics

Archaeologists Analyze How Diseases Impacted Indigenous Populations in the Americas During Colonial Times

A new study examines the history of smallpox epidemics brought to America by European colonists, the absence of archaeological evidence associated with those epidemics, and whether ancient DNA might offer new insights

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A Mountain Expedition in Panama to Test New Insect Monitoring Technology

A new, jungle-proof automated light trap for insect monitoring documented in Methods in Ecology and Evolution and Integrative and Comparative Biology. The Mothbox is like a mammal trail camera but designed for large-scale insect monitoring

Glitter and Globug

How Camera Traps at the Smithsonian’s Research Institute in Panama Inspired a New Generation of Tropical Scientists

The long-term mammal monitoring project on Barro Colorado Island is one of the most unique camera trap systems in the tropics and the first of its kind

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Connected Forests Favor More Diverse, Disease-Preventing Microbes

New research shows that forest connecting different types of habitats may help frogs fight a deadly amphibian fungus

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Smithsonian’s Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project Releases Panama’s Critically Endangered Golden Frogs Into the Wild

After disappearing from the wild due to a deadly fungal disease, the Panamanian golden frog is being reintroduced through the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project (PARC). In a recent trial, 100 captive-bred frogs were released to study rewilding strategies.

Ants in the spotlight

Ants in the Spotlight: The Hidden Gaps in Neotropical Ant Behavior Research

A recent study from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) reveals that, despite their outsized ecological impact, the diversity of ants in the American tropics and their behavior remain understudied

Brígida de Gracia

A New Species of Fossil Fish From Panama Named After STRI Ngäbe Researcher

An analysis of marine fossils from the Upper Miocene Chagres Formation in Panama, most belonging to the Myctophidae family, discovered four new species, one of which has been named in honor of Brigida de Gracia, the first Ngäbe marine paleontologist

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Leafcutter Ants Have Blind Spots, Just Like Truck Drivers

Scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama discovered that carrying oversized loads limits the ability to perceive the trail in leafcutter ants, akin to blind spots while we are driving

Bird Friendly

Smithsonian Bird Friendly Celebrates 25 Years, Setting the Gold Standard for Sustainable Coffee and Cocoa Production

What does it take to grow coffee in a way that is good for birds and other wildlife? The birth of the Bird Friendly certification program brought to reality an effort to make the coffee supply chain more sustainable and protect migratory birds and their habitats at the same time

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A Comparison of Colorful Hamlets From the Caribbean Challenges Ideas About How Species Arise

Scientists have been thinking about how new species evolve since Darwin wrote On The Origin of Species in 1859. The results presented here call into question some of the most common explanations of how species originate.

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Smithsonian Digitizes Pollen From 18,000 Plant Species for Paleontology Research, Allergy Medicine and More

Pollen from 18,000 tropical plants was digitized in Panama. The images will be used to train a machine-learning model to identify pollen grains, as part of the PollenGEO project

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Mutualism Under Pressure: New Research in Panama Shows a Plant's Ability to Keep Its Defender Ants Happy

Scientists discovered that swollen-thorn acacias invested more in ant rewards during a drought, suggesting that mutualistic interactions play a crucial role in the plant's survival, even during climate stress

Aaron O'Dea

Human Fishing Reshaped Caribbean Reef Food Webs, 7,000-Year-Old Exposed Fossilized Reefs Reveal

A groundbreaking study of 7,000-year-old exposed coral reef fossils reveals how human fishing has transformed Caribbean reef food webs: As sharks declined by 75 percent and fish preferred by humans became smaller, prey fish species flourished—doubling in numbers and growing larger. This unprecedented look into prehistoric reef communities shows how the loss of top predators cascaded through the entire food web, shifting the balance among coral reefs

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Frog Tadpoles That Grew Up In The City Developed Faster But Ended Up Being Smaller

Have you ever wondered how city life affects animals like frogs? A new study reveals that urban Túngara frog tadpoles develop faster —but end up being smaller — than tadpoles from forests, probably resulting in smaller adults. This might be an adaptation to warmer urban puddles with fewer predators or to constantly changing environmental conditions in the city

The forest breathes

Above the Tropical Forest Canopy, Sensors Capture the Fluxes of Gases Between the Trees and the Atmosphere

The air moving above the forest carries valuable information about how trees absorb carbon, and what may happen in the future as global temperatures rise

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Drawing Out the Secrets of Coral Reef Resilience to High Ocean Temperatures

Researchers compared DNA from corals and their symbiotic organisms from two sites along the Pacific coast of Panama to better understand how the different members of the coral holobiont influence their ability to tolerate temperature extremes

Capuchin monkeys have been monkey-napping baby howler monkeys

Monkey-Nappers! A Group of Capuchin Monkeys Caught on Camera With Abducted Baby Howler Monkeys

Observations of Coiba's tool-using immature capuchin monkeys show them carrying abducted infant howler monkeys. What is the reason for this behavior?

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Birds by Day, Bats by Night: Paired Long-Term Census of Bats and Birds Starts in Panama

Research teams studying bats and birds gather in Panama’s Soberanía National Park to celebrate the launch of a long-term census of bats designed to complement the bird census, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year

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