Science

Not Your Average Backyard Gardener

Ganna Walska pursued life with a passion, from husbands to opera to plants. Her legacy is Lotusland, an exotic California garden

March 1, 1997

An Orphanage for Some Big Babies

Daphne Sheldrick has turned her Nairobi home into a nursery and rehabilitation center for infant elephants who have lost their families

March 1997

Around the Mall & Beyond

An all-day Saturday seminar on spices - one of the many programs on the Mall, around the world, even in cyberspace, offered by the Smithsonian Associates

March 1997

If Rocks Were Worth Money, a Hilltop Farmer Could Get Rich Quick

March 1997

When Uncle Sam’s “Fish Cops” Reel in a Suspect, He’s Usually a Keeper

Agents of the National Marine Fisheries Service often work undercover gathering the evidence needed to make arrests stick

February 1, 1997

You Can Call Him ‘Cute’ or You Can Call Him ‘Hungry’

The much-maligned weasel is always on the lookout for something to eat, and the rest of us should be grateful he usually finds it

February 1, 1997

Phenomena, Comment and Notes

As scientists probe deeper into whether animals really have consciousness, questions arise. If they think, do we want to know what they think about us?

February 1997

Following the Footsteps of Fox and Bear

Naturalist-sleuth Susan Morse and her fellow conservationists at Keeping Track monitor wildlife in order to pinpoint critical habitat

January 1, 1997

Smithsonian Perspectives

In the ever-expanding field of anthropology, the Smithsonian still excels in research and exhibition

January 1997

When One of the National Zoo’s Gorillas Goes In For Tests, It’s Not Just Standard Operating-Room Procedure

By discovering heart disease early, echocardiograms have improved life; now Washington cardiologists are using them to help great apes at the National Zoo

January 1997

Feathered Fights of Fancy

No ordinary fowl, these birds have been bred for visual delight. For many an owner, they are just too pretty to eat

January 1997

The Berry and the Poison

Methyl bromide makes our fields fruitful; it will soon be banned, not because it’s toxic and it’s very toxic but because it attacks the ozone layer

December 1996

What’s in a Name? Sometimes More Than Meets the Eye

Jokes, puns, even insults — when it comes to deciding what to call newly discovered species, scientists don’t always go by the book

December 1, 1996

Around the Mall & Beyond

Since her arrival in September, baby Chitwan has charmed visitors and curators alike. This is the first birth of a rhino at the National Zoo since 1974

December 1996

Phenomena, Comment and Notes

Experiments at sea show we can cause phytoplankton to bloom in areas where it otherwise would not

December 1996

A Onetime Rancher Wages Lonely War to Save Rare Plants

Working alone, by hand, one man is turning 100 acres of alien trees into a refuge for Hawaii’s endangered botanical treasures

November 1, 1996

The Dogs That Go to Work, and Play, All Day — for Science

Geneticist Jasper Rine and his colleagues launched the Dog Genome Initiative to elucidate both canine genes and behavior

November 1, 1996

Phenomena, Comment & Notes

Most Americans believe science and technology make their lives better, two out of five are “very interested” in them, but not many know how they work

November 1996

Around the Mall & Beyond

NASM’s new “How Things Fly” gallery is hands-on to the max! At 50 visitor-operated displays, you can see and feel the basic principles of flight in action

November 1996

At the ‘Mayo Clinic for Animals,’ the Extraordinary Is Routine

New York’s renowned veterinary hospital takes on almost anything, from a constricted boa to a mite-infested mouse to an anemic iguana

October 1996