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Science / Our Planet

As above, so below.

The Hidden Underbelly of West Antarctica Is Melting

Warm currents are flowing under ice shelves, causing coastal losses that may let land-based glaciers slide into the sea

Scientists found deliberate scratching on a fossil Pseudodon, likely an engraving made by Homo erectus at Trinil in Indonesia.

New Research

Zigzags on a Shell From Java Are the Oldest Human Engravings

The early human Homo erectus also made the oldest known shell tools half a million years ago

2014 Holiday Gift Guide

Best Gifts of 2014 for Nature Lovers

Smithsonian editors, gardeners and scientists offer ideas to give the gifts that keep wildlife thriving

Jura 103

Art Meets Science

The Physics of Whisky’s Aesthetically Pleasing Residue

A photographer teamed up with scientists to figure out the fluid dynamics behind patterns left in whisky glasses

Hunting and gathering, Metro sapien-style, in Vancouver's Granville Island Public Market.

Anthropocene

Humans Are Becoming City-Dwelling “Metro Sapiens”

To achieve sustainability, the human species needs to embrace its urban side, argues public health researcher Jason Vargo

The dense metropolis of Tokyo sparkles like an urban playground at night.

Anthropocene

Are Megacities Friend or Foe in the Fight Against Climate Change?

Like the people who call them home, cities have the potential for good and bad when it comes to adapting to a warming world

The Mystery of Why This Dangerous Sand Dune Swallowed a Boy

When a boy suddenly disappeared into a sand dune, a scientist embarked on a quest to find out where he went

A New Canal Through Central America Could Have Devastating Consequences

The ramifications of the proposed route have environmentalists worried, and for good reason

A new, zero-power screening method might make testing for lead and other pollutants easier than ever.

Drop This Capsule Into a Stream and It Will Screen For Pollution

Researchers have developed a sensor (no batteries required) that creates a barcode indicating the amount of pollutants and their whereabouts in water

Everglades National Park is in critical condition due to poor water management, according to the IUCN.

A Third of Natural World Heritage Sites Are in Danger

From the Florida Everglades to Africa’s first national park, many crucial protected areas are in serious trouble

The nonprofit SkyTruth enlisted more than 200 volunteers to scan aerial imagery and pinpoint the locations of fracking wastewater ponds in Pennsylvania.

Tracking Frackers From the Sky

Citizen scientists eyeing Pennsylvania’s natural gas drillers in aerial images may help determine if there is a link between fracking and certain illnesses

Archaeologists Ben Potter and Josh Reuther, both of the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, excavate the burial pit at the Upward Sun River site.

Ice Age Babies Surrounded by Weapon Parts Found in Alaska

Unearthed at an ancient hunting camp in Alaska, the infant remains are offering clues to the burial rites of early Americans

An algae bloom off the coast of Maryland. Such blooms help create low-oxygen areas called dead zones as the algae respire or decompose.

Anthropocene

Ocean Dead Zones Are Getting Worse Globally Due to Climate Change

Warmer waters and other factors will cause nearly all areas of low oxygen to grow by the end of the century

Bill Nye enthusiastically greets students and faculty at Cal State Fullerton in California earlier this year.

Bill Nye on the Risks of Not Debating With Creationists

Bill Nye the Science Guy has a book out on evolution. Here’s what he has to say

Moon jellies (Aurelia aurita) drift in dark waters at the Sunshine International Aquarium in Tokyo.

Anthropocene

Big Moon Jelly Blooms Tied to New Dock Construction

A floating pier installed off Japan led to a four-fold increase in baby jellies, offering a solid link between structures and blooms

A levee meant to keep out the sea was no match for the 2011 tsunami that struck Japan.

Small Islands May Make Tsunami Danger Worse

While offshore islands usually protect coasts, simulations suggest they may amplify monster waves reaching the mainland

Bubbles from the divers' breathing aparatus collect on the belly of the ship.

Bermuda

What’s So Important About the Bottom of a Cargo Ship? A Smithsonian Dive Team Explains

Smithsonian photographer Laurie Penland details the exhausting, but rewarding, work of scraping invasive species off the hull of a boat

Crop irrigation in arid regions, such as California’s San Joaquin Valley, can lead to overly salty soils.

Anthropocene

Earth’s Soil Is Getting Too Salty for Crops to Grow

Buildup of salts on irrigated land has already degraded an area the size of France and is causing $27.3 billion annually in lost crops

A "Sea Devil" as depicted by Conrad Gessner in Historia Animalium, 2nd ed, 1604.

Halloween

Five “Real” Sea Monsters Brought to Life by Early Naturalists

From kraken to mermaids, some monsters are real—if you know how to look for them

A group of great tit birds (Parus major) perch on a dead tree stump during a snowfall in Poland.

Anthropocene

Ten Species That Are Evolving Due to the Changing Climate

From tropical corals to tawny owls, some species are already being pushed to evolve—but adaptation doesn’t guarantee survival

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