Former U.S. president Barack Obama goes book-shopping with his daughters in Washington, DC in 2015.

New Research

Liberals and Conservatives Read Totally Different Books About Science

The good news: Everyone likes dinosaurs

To develop the next big mass-market wine, winemakers first hone flavor using focus groups, then add approved flavoring and coloring additives to make the drink match up with what consumers want.

The Science Behind Your Cheap Wine

How advances in bottling, fermenting and taste-testing are democratizing a once-opaque liquid

Vanilla has risen to become one the most popular and costly spices in existence.

The Bittersweet Story of Vanilla

Today, less than 1 percent of vanilla flavoring comes from the vanilla flower. Is that a good thing?

Future of Conservation

Future of Conservation

A rare Eld's deer fawn was born at the National Zoo last fall.

Future of Conservation

Take a Walk on the Bright Side at the First Smithsonian Earth Optimism Summit

As an antidote to doom and gloom, a conference on Earth Day weekend, takes a look all the good that is being done

Ladybugs stop pests from eating our food and destroying crops.

Future of Conservation

Why Small Animals Are Huge for Conservation

The tiniest of creatures keep the fabric of our world together, but are often overlooked

Feuding Iguanas and Giant Rodents Rule This Cuban Island

In the Jardines de la Reina, an archipelago in the southern part of Cuba, two species have managed to co-exist in not-quite-harmony

The image shows a 6 mm long, 12.5 day old mouse embryo obtained with the Mesolens. The inset shows a blow-up of the eye region revealing the individual cell nuclei. It is possible to identify fine structures throughout the embryo such as the developing heart muscle fibers and fine details in the eye such as the corneal endothelium using the Mesolens.

Think Big

Let Us Now Praise the Invention of the Microscope

Early scientists wielded this revolutionary tool to study the invisible world of microbes, and even their own semen

Smithsonian researchers found that otters that use tools aren't closely related.

New Research

Unlike Dolphins, Sea Otters That Use Tools Are Not Closely Related

Rock-bashing in otters is a very old behavior

Lionfish Are a Plague. Can Training Sharks to Eat Them Work?

Lionfish, which are native to the Indo-Pacific but were accidentally introduced to the Caribbean, are decimating native fish species

The challenges of finding fruit may have driven the evolution of bigger brains in our primate ancestors

New Research

What Really Made Primate Brains So Big?

A new study suggests that fruit, not social relationships, could be the main driver of larger brains

Tools of diabetes treatment almost always include improved diet and regular exercise.

MIT Mathematician Develops an Algorithm to Help Treat Diabetes

The key to managing the disease, which afflicts 29 million people in the U.S., might be in big data

Sometimes when we say "you," we really mean "me"

New Research

When I Say “You” But Really Mean “Me”

In some cases, the use of the second-person pronoun could help us put distance between ourselves and negative emotions

In times of desperation, female sawtooth sharks have been known to reproduce sans males. For other species, solo reproduction is downright vanilla.

New Research

Meet Eight Species That Are Bending the Rules of Reproduction

Spice up your mating life with relationship tips from rock lizards, sharks and water fleas

Fascinating: How Transparent Glass Frogs Mate

First, the female collects water from a leaf in order to hydrate the eggs inside her. then releases them for the male to fertilize

One of the world's most iconic deserts was once lush and green. What happened?

New Research

What Really Turned the Sahara Desert From a Green Oasis Into a Wasteland?

10,000 years ago, this iconic desert was unrecognizable. A new hypothesis suggests that humans may have tipped the balance

Outside of the U.S., international whale capture is alive and well.

What Will It Take to End International Killer Whale Capture?

The West may have rejected whale captivity, but the painful relationship between humans and orcas is far from over

Elephants Can Afford to Be Picky About This Kind of Fruit

A single marula tree can provide up to 1.5 tons of fruit each season—as much as 90,000 fruits

These are actually tadpoles.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Now You Can Measure Male Fertility With a Smartphone App

A new device helps men monitor their sperm count from the comfort of their own home

Nearly blind, Typhlomys cinereus thrives in the high forests of southeastern China and Vietnam—with a little help from another sense.

New Research

This Echolocating Dormouse Could Reveal the Origins of One of Nature’s Coolest Superpowers

Mice, moths and even humans use clicks and echoes to “see” the world around them

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