The best defense is a good offense.

New Research

The Real Reason the Turtle Learned to Hide its Head Will Surprise You

Turtles retract their heads for protection, but new research suggests that ability evolved for an entirely different reason

A newly discovered katydid species uses drumming to communicate.

A New Age of Discovery Is Happening Right Now in the Remote Forests of Suriname

Today’s explorers and scientists are identifying new species at a rate that would’ve amazed Charles Darwin

Our global greenhouse gas emissions may not be any lower overall, but the historic treaty established a framework for an international plan of action.

Age of Humans

Twelve Years Ago, the Kyoto Protocol Set the Stage for Global Climate Change Policy

The predecessor of today’s Paris Agreement got us one step closer to an international plan of action on climate change

Thanks to this evolutionary novelty, a flexible joint in the skull of dragonfishes, the creatures are able to swallow prey that is almost as big as they are.

This Hinged Skull Helps Dragonfish Eat Prey Bigger Than Its Head

Scientists have discovered the world’s only group of fish that has this unbelievable ability

This Wild Pig Has Fangs That Can Pierce Its Own Skull

A male babirusa’s canines are an evolutionary mystery: They never stop growing

Wilson works to band waterfowl in the summer to help track the birds. Hunters that harvest banded birds will report their harvest to state wildlife officials.

Age of Humans

This Biologist Defies Gravity (and Glass Ceilings) to Document the Effects of Climate Change

As one of five American women in this role, Heather Wilson blends aviation and birds to bolster climate change records

British statesman and author Winston Churchill reads correspondence at his desk in 1933.

Think Big

“Are We Alone in the Universe?” Winston Churchill’s Lost Extraterrestrial Essay Says No

The famed British statesman approached the question of alien life with a scientist’s mind

Pandamonium

How to FedEx a Giant Panda

On February 21, the United States says #ByeByeBaoBao

Why the Assassin Bug More Than Lives Up to Its Name

The assassin bug’s deadly proboscis is both sword and siphon. It uses its sharp nose to pierce and inject toxins into its victims

The woolly arctic moth caterpillar produces alcohols that allow it to avoid freezing at temperatures reaching -70 degrees F.

Ask Smithsonian 2017

What Do Insects Do in Winter?

When winter comes, most bugs either migrate or time travel. But some get far more creative

A Great White Can Go Through 20,000 Teeth in Its Lifetime

While a great white shark’s 300 serrated teeth are an amazing hunting adaptation, what’s even more amazing is their replaceability

Think human dating is hard? Try being a panda.

Pandamonium

Why Panda Sex Isn’t Black and White

Reproductive experts weigh in on panda porn, panda Viagra and other biological myths

Could This Tiny Drone Covered in Sticky Goop Do the Work of Bees?

Well, it may not replace bees. But it’s a fun project nonetheless

In nature and in human history, cannibalism is actually quite mainstream. No humans were harmed in the making of this image, which is of Ribeye steak.

Fall in Love With Cannibalism This Valentine’s Day

Pair your red wine and chocolate hearts with another delicious accompaniment: cannibalism, in the form of a new book

Here’s How the Strongest Insect on the Planet Fights

Hercules beetles, as their name suggests, are immensely strong for their size

Still Life with Fruit, Oysters, and Wine by Everhart Kuhn, ca. 1865

Ask Smithsonian

Are Oysters an Aphrodisiac?

Sure, if you think so

After the defeat of Cleopatra's forces by Octavian (later Augustus, emperor of Rome), the Egyptian queen and her lover Marc Antony fled to Egypt. In Shakespeare's imagining, one of Cleopatra's greatest fears was the the horrid breath of the Romans. Shown here: "The Death of Cleopatra" by Reginald Arthur, 1892.

The History and Science Behind Your Terrible Breath

Persistent mouth-stink has been dousing the flames of passion for millennia. Why haven’t we come up with a cure?

The Extraordinary Life Cycle of a Hornet Colony

After a hornet queen lays hundreds of eggs, her workers set about feeding the larvae chewed-up prey. With tiny waists, the workers can’t digest solid food

On October 8, 2013, panda cub Bao Bao is examined by Zoo staff Juan Rodriguez and Brandie Smith.

Pandamonium

It’s Easy to Fall in Love With a Panda. But Do They Love Us Back?

Keepers admire them, but have no illusions. Pandas are solitary creatures

Panamanian golden frog (Atelopus zeteki)

Here’s Why You Should Never Kiss a Toad

A scientist at Smithsonian’s Tropical Research Institute helped catalog everything known about toxins in the skins of endangered frogs and toads

Page 156 of 453