Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries
Celebrate the Beloved Yet Threatened Polar Bear With These 15 Photos
These amazing images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest show the Arctic animals at their fierce but adorable best
Hurricane Helene Battered the ‘Salamander Capital of the World’ With Floods and Landslides. Will the Beloved Amphibians Survive the Aftermath?
The storm decimated a region rich with dozens of species already struggling with habitat loss and disease
Can Fungi Save This Endangered Hawaiian Tree?
By inoculating greenhouse na’u seedlings with mycorrhizal fungi, researchers hope to boost survival odds when the plants are returned to the wild
From Prolonging Wallaby Pregnancies to Disorienting Hatchling Turtles, 11 Ways Artificial Lights Affect Animals
From the busy cities to ocean waters, our need to illuminate the world has had some strange and tragic consequences
Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries
Go Chasing Waterfalls With These 15 Awe-Inspiring Images
See photographs of the beautiful natural wonders from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest
Meet the Italian ‘Fruit Detective’ Who Investigates Centuries-Old Paintings for Clues About Produce That Has Disappeared From the Kitchen Table
Renaissance paintings, medieval archives, cloistered orchards—how one Italian scientist is uncovering secrets that could help combat a growing agricultural crisis
What It’s Like to Experience Polar Night in the World’s Northernmost Town
Eight years into living in Longyearbyen, on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, I embrace the seasonal plunge into total darkness
What 30 Years of Studying the New England Woods Reveals About the Colors of Changing Leaves
An ecologist’s long walks and detailed observations allowed him to chronicle the shifts in an iconic habitat and grow a once-overlooked branch of science
Could Eelgrass Be the Next Big Bio-Based Building Material?
On the island of Laeso in Denmark, one man is reviving the lost art of eelgrass thatching and, in doing so, bringing attention to a plant that has great potential
How Did Two Bowhead Whales That Were 60 Miles Apart Sync Their Diving?
Researchers suspect the marine mammals may have been communicating across the vast distance
Divers in Mexico’s Underwater Caves Get a Glimpse of Rarely Seen Artifacts, Fossils and Human Remains
Cenotes in the Yucatán Peninsula are time capsules preserving remnants of Maya culture and fossils of extinct megafauna
Is Wildfire Smoke Causing Birds to Tend to Empty Nests?
New studies suggest smoke from western megafires may be damaging bird health and leading to strange behavior
Just How Much Can We Trust A.I. to Predict Extreme Weather?
Computer scientist and meteorologist Amy McGovern has studied the technology for two decades, and she weighs in with some answers
In a Landmark Study, Scientists Discover Just How Much Earth’s Temperature Has Changed Over Nearly 500 Million Years
Researchers show the average surface temperature on our planet has shifted between 51.8 to 96.8 degrees Fahrenheit
When a Glacial Dam Burst, an Alaskan Town Was Hit With a Sudden Flood
From Alaska to Peru and the Himalayas, glacial lakes are suddenly breaking free and causing deaths and millions of dollars in damages
Inside the Effort to Save Earth’s Biocrusts
Think twice before stepping on that crunchy top layer of soil. It may be a vital ecosystem that you can help protect
The Race to Save Mezcal From the World
Climate change, corporate money, soaring demand—can Mexico’s local agave growers find a viable path for a beloved beverage?
In Miami, the Nation’s First Chief Heat Officer Charts a Course for Surviving on a Warming Planet
By building a broad coalition of partners across the political spectrum, the Florida metropolis is doing all that it can to keep the city cool
This World War I Prisoner of War Solved the Mystery of the Ice Ages
Serbian scientist Milutin Milanković changed our understanding of Earth’s climate—and did a key part of his work while detained by Austro-Hungarian forces
As Hurricanes Bear Down and Get Stronger, Can a $34 Billion Plan Save Texas?
A massive project prompted by the wildly destructive Hurricane Ike offers a solutions-based preview of our climate future
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