Dancing with the flames.

Age of Humans

What the Evolution of Fire Can Teach Us About Climate Change

This Generation Anthropocene podcast looks at the history of fire and the ways the world changed once humans harnessed its power

His eyes are still closed, which is normal. Cubs’ eyes generally open when they are 6 to 8 weeks old.

Panda Cub Is Growing Cuter and a Little More Black and White (Video)

The National Zoo releases another video of the ten-day-old cub

The fossils, encased in rock and sediment, were collected from marine rocks that date to around six million years ago before the Isthmus of Panama formed and a seaway connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

New Species of Ancient Dolphin Shows How the Animals Moved From Seas to Rivers

The newly discovered fossil gives scientists a fresh glimpse into the evolution of ocean life

An autumn day at Denali.

Age of Humans

Seven Ways Alaska Is Seeing Climate Change In Action

From raging fires to migrating villages, the Frozen North offers some of the most compelling signs of rapid warming

Waves kicked up by Hurricane Dora pound a beachfront hotel in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1964.

Age of Humans

Tampa and Dubai May Be Due for Extreme “Grey Swan” Hurricanes

A new model combines historical data and physical modeling to find the risks of catastrophic storms in unexpected places

Ten years on, some of the scars that Katrina tore into coastal ecosystems persist, while others have healed. NASA's Landsat 8 satellite captured this image of the swamps and marshes that buffer New Orleans in August 2015.

Age of Humans

How Hurricane Katrina Redrew the Gulf Coast

While storms here are nothing new, human influence helped Katrina make Louisiana’s ecological problems worse

Early marine arthropods called trilobites disappeared—along with 90 percent of species in the ocean and 75 percent of those on land—at the end of the Permian period.

New Research

Massive Volcanic Eruptions Triggered Earth’s “Great Dying”

Geologists nailed down the timing of the ancient event and confirmed that it is a likely suspect in the Permian extinction

Could a New Nanomaterial Reduce Greenhouse Gases?

Berkeley researchers have developed a way to split carbon dioxide into oxygen and carbon monoxide using a nano-mesh

The male panda cub (upper right) is now 4.9 ounces, having gained almost a full ounce in the last 72 hours. The cub was sired by Tian Tian by artificial insemination.

It’s a Boy! The Panda Cub Was Fathered by the National Zoo’s Tian Tian (Video)

Zoo scientists say that their newly developed genetic test determined the sex of the panda

How hard is it to replicate results in psychology studies?

New Research

Scientists Replicated 100 Psychology Studies, and Fewer Than Half Got the Same Results

The massive project shows that reproducibility problems plague even top scientific journals

Does this look infected?

Life May Have Spread Through the Galaxy Like a Plague

If alien life is distributed in a pattern that mirrors epidemics, it could be strong support for the theory of panspermia

Knut, the star of the Berlin Zoo, died due to swelling in his brain.

New Research

Knut the Polar Bear’s Mysterious Death Finally Solved

The famed Berlin Zoo bear suffered from an autoimmune disease that until now has only been known to occur in humans

The Rama travel their coastal homeland with wooden dories and small motorboats, which would be eclipsed by megaships traversing the Nicaragua Canal.

Age of Humans

How an Indigenous Group Is Battling Construction of the Nicaragua Canal

The Rama community’s efforts offer a glimmer of hope for opponents of the canal project planned by a Chinese billionaire

The smaller of the two twin panda cubs has died.

Updated: One of the National Zoo’s Panda Cubs Has Died

The Zoo announced on August 26 that the smaller of its newborn twin panda cubs has died

Doomsday mushrooms?

Anthropocene

Death By Fungus, and Other Fun Facts About Fungal Friends and Foes

This Generation Anthropocene episode highlights oft overlooked organisms that may help us better understand human impacts

When Do Pandas Get Their Eye Patches?

A panda bear’s defining features are not present at birth. Caretakers at Smithsonian’s National Zoo explain when a panda’s eye patches start to appear

The smallest cub, which weighed just 86 grams at birth, is seen here being hand-reared with bottle formula feedings.

Panda Update: Giant Panda Mom Mei Xiang Won’t Exchange Care of Cubs

Smaller cub is receiving infant formula and fluids from Zoo veterinarians

A bat box stands over the Herdade do Esporão vineyard in Portugal.

Age of Humans

Winemakers Are Building Houses for Bats to Make Vineyards Greener

Attracting the right species can help get rid of vine-munching insects and allow farmers to cut back on pesticides

The white Kermode bear, a rare ursa sacred to local tribes, is now the center of a fierce battle to protect British Columbia’s rainforest.

Canada

This Rare, White Bear May Be the Key to Saving a Canadian Rainforest

The white Kermode bear of British Columbia is galvanizing First Nations people fighting to protect their homeland

Fast Forward

A Mouthguard That Could Measure Concussions

Professional football, rugby, and other contact sports could benefit from it

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