What Really Killed Off the Woolly Mammoth?

What caused woolly mammoths to die-off so quickly? New evidence suggests an unfavorable climate may have drove them to extinction

With its peace accords up in the air, the Colombia's diverse ecosystems face an uncertain future. Shown here: the valley of Cocora near Salento, Colombia.

How Colombia’s Failed Peace Treaty Could Wreak Havoc on Its Diversity-Rich Ecosystems

A potential influx of legal and illegal mining leaves the country’s megadiverse landscapes—and the communities who depend on them—in jeopardy

Erich Fitzgerald and Tim Ziegler with a 3D model of Alfred's skull.

New Research

The Earliest Baleen Whales Literally Sucked

No offense to toothy whale ancestors

"I will never forget that you did this to me."

New Research

Dogs May Possess a Type of Memory Once Considered ‘Uniquely Human’

New research suggests that man’s best friend remembers more than we thought

Caribbean spiny lobster on a sea fan off the coast of Honduras

Proposed New Marine Reserve System Offers Rosy Outlook for Both the Lobster and the Lobster Fisherman

With the help of a supercomputer, Smithsonian scientists figure out how to help the lobster fishery off the coast of Honduras

The technique is sort of a combination of light microscopy, which bounces light off of objects, and electron microscopy, which bounces electrons off of objects.

A New Technique Brings Color to Electron Microscope Images of Cells

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego, have found a way to attach artificial color to biological structures

Watch This Mother Tick Lay 1,500 Eggs

The birthing process for a female tick is very involved. Once she’s matured, she can take up to 20 days to lay her eggs

Polar Bear Mom Protects Her Cubs From a Hungry Male

As they embark on their long summer migration, a polar bear mother and her cubs need frequent breaks, putting the cubs at risk

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Where Did Harriet Tubman Escape to and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Conforming to masculine norms can leave men isolated and unable to cope with the stresses of life.

New Research

Sexism Sucks for Everybody, Science Confirms

Adhering to masculine norms can be toxic for men, not to mention everybody else

Getting to the Bottom of How Apes Think

Great apes show an ability to discern what others are thinking that we once only attributed to humans

Two captive Przewalski’s horses at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's center in Fort Royal, Virginia

Future of Conservation

How Conservationists Use GPS to Track the Wildest Horses in the World

These horses’ wildness makes them unique. It also makes them uniquely difficult for researchers to monitor and track

Theropods, the dinosaurs Gates studied, hail from the Triassic period.

A Surprising New Theory of How Dinosaurs Got So Huge

Those species with adorned skulls increased in body size faster than those without

Today, the Marsh Collection is treasured for its inherent cultural value as well as its connection to the debates that framed the Smithsonian.

American Culture’s Unlikely Debt to a British Scientist

A fortuitous influx of cash launched the Smithsonian Institution and its earliest art collection

Before the recent reintroductions of P-horses, the last confirmed sighting in the wild was in 1969.

The Remarkable Comeback of Przewalski’s Horse

Once nearly extinct, the population of these wild horses has rebounded on the dusty steppes of Mongolia

Acelity scientists evaluate a new prototype at the company's Regenerative Medicine Laboratory in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

How Artificial Muscles Could Transform the Lives of Some Military Veterans

From pig muscle, scientists are developing an organic material that may help heal volumetric muscle loss

Spread the love.

New Book Clarifies Butter’s Spread and Chronicles Its Wars With Margarine

The story of milk agitated into greatness

Many scientists believe we are standing on the edge of an unprecedented era of extinction.

Age of Humans

Why Should Humans Care if We’re Entering the Sixth Mass Extinction?

In this episode of Generation Anthropocene, learn what a new era of extinction means for diverse species—including our own

Stunning Slo-Mo Footage of Hummingbirds Hovering in Air

The hovering technique of a hummingbird is one of the most mesmerizing sights to witness

Take heart: researchers are probing how the hard-hearted get that way, and whether they can be turned back.

New Research

How the Heart Hardens, Biologically

With age and injury, the soft tissues of the heart can turn to bone. Can this deadly process be reversed?

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