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Science

Lake Waiau in Hawaii shrunk to the size of a pond in just a few years. Scientists still aren't sure why the lake began to dry up.

A World of Vanishing Lakes

From the Dead Sea to a Louisiana lake that was sucked into the Earth, the stories behind the disappearances are varied

Winter Olympics

Can a Statistical Model Accurately Predict Olympic Medal Counts?

Data miners have developed models that predict countries’ medal counts by looking solely at stats like latitude and GDP

Bombus flavifrons worker visiting a columbine in Grant Teton National Park

Bumblebees Can Fly Into Thin Air

Once thought to be unimpressive fliers, bumblebees may be able to summit Mount Everest, new research suggests

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Why Does This Indonesian Volcano Burn Bright Blue?

Olivier Grunewald’s dramatic photos showcase blue flames—not blue lava—that result from burning sulfur

Typical entombment poses of some of the Jehol Biota’s animals (a Psittacosaurus (a) and primitive crow-like birds (b and c))—the same poses displayed by other victims of erupting volcanoes throughout history.

New Research

The “Pompeii of Animals” Shows Dinosaurs, Mammals and Early Birds in Their Death Throes

A lethal volcanic explosion is identified as the culprit behind a mysterious mass death of creatures that took place around 125 million years ago

Tar sands are mined in Western Canada's Athabasca fields.

Mining Tar Sands Produces Much More Air Pollution Than We Thought

Research shows that emissions of a class of air pollutants are two to three orders of magnitude higher than previously calculated

Brendan's Bag

Art Meets Science

X-Ray Art: A Deeper Look at Everyday Objects

Brit Hugh Turvey adds his artistic touch to x-rays of suitcases, old shirts and a host of other subjects

The Holmes of BBC/Masterpiece's Sherlock, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, uses a mnemonic device straight out of ancient Greece—the mind palace.

The Secrets of Sherlock’s Mind Palace

The BBC/Masterpiece sleuth employs a memory technique invented by the ancient Greeks

Blood Falls seeps from the end of the Taylor Glacier into Lake Bonney.

Antarctica’s Blood Red Waterfall

On the southern edge of the world, a waterfall runs red as blood

Super Bowl

14 Fun Facts About Broncos

Number six: Horses once had three toes

An osprey, commonly called a sea hawk.

Super Bowl

14 Fun Facts About Sea Hawks

Number one: There’s no such thing as a “seahawk”

Narcotics operators are responsible for this stretch of deforestation, locating in a protected areas in Honduras.

New Research

As Drug Traffickers Move In, Tropical Forests Fall

Deforestation in Central America goes hand-in-hand with narcotics operations, which replace forests with airstrips, roads and money-laundering farms

Super Bowl

The Science of the First Cold Weather Super Bowl

Science shows that the cold weather will make it harder for players to grip the ball, avoid slipping and hear each other over the roar of the crowd

Barro Colorado Island, on the Panama Canal, is home to at least 74 bat species. A group of German researchers is studying them all to understand the spread of diseases.

A Night in the Forest Capturing Bats

Our intrepid reporter joins tropical bat researchers in the field one night and gains some appreciation for their fangs

Australia has a long record of devastating tropical cyclones, such as Yasi, which made landfall in Queensland in February 2011. But a new study finds such storms to be on the decline.

Australian Cyclone Activity Hits Record Low Levels

Climate change may explain the recent drop, scientists say

A scientist examines a 1500-year-old tooth from a Justinian plague victim in the lab.

Bubonic Plague Family Tree Sheds Light on the Risk of New Outbreaks

The Black Death and the Justinian Plague arose separately from the same pathogen. Could a new strain emerge in the future?

The frozen brain of famous memory patient H.M., shown during the slicing process.

A Postmortem of the Most Famous Brain in Neuroscience History

Patient H.M.’s brain has been sliced and digitized, leading to new insights for scientists

A computer simulation of how the Hope Diamond likely appeared when it was owned by King Louis XIV of France. The sunburst inside the stone results from specially-cut facets on its back, which produce a translucent area that conveys the color of the diamond's gold mounting.

New Research

The Hope Diamond Was Once a Symbol for Louis XIV, the Sun King

New research indicates that the stone was once specially cut to produce an image of a sun when mounted on a gold background

In Selfmade, microbiologist Christina Agapakis and scent artist Sissel Tolaas made cheese from bacteria collected from people's mouths and toes.

Art Meets Science

Cheese Made From Bacteria Between Your Toes and Other Bizarre Bio Art

With groundbreaking (and controversial) projects, artists are starting a conversation about the future of synthetic biology

Hugh, a manatee, undergoes training at Mote Marine Laboratory, learning to touch his nose to a plastic target.

A New Paradigm for Animal Research: Let Them Participate

In labs around the country, researchers are realizing that in many cases, it’s easier to work with animals than against them

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