An extinct group of lizardlike amphibians known as albanerpetontids boasts the earliest example of a slingshot-style tongue. This CT scan shows an exquisitely preserved 99-million-year-old albanerpetontid skull with its long, specialized tongue.

Scientists Find the World’s Oldest Chameleon-Like Tongue Preserved in Amber

A skull and soft tissue perfectly kept in resin show that an ancient amphibian had a tongue that was both fast and extendable

The Peruvian tern's desert camouflage makes it almost impossible to track, but that’s exactly what our research team set out to do.

Smithsonian Voices

Searching for the Invisible, Invincible Peruvian Tern

The Peruvian tern’s desert camouflage makes it almost impossible to track, but that’s exactly what the research team set out to do

This month's book picks include A Demon-Haunted Land, South to Freedom and The Light Ages.

Books of the Month

The Heiress Who Stole a Vermeer, Witchcraft in Post-WWII Germany and Other New Books to Read

These five November releases may have been lost in the news cycle

More ships are cruising through Arctic waters but when disaster strikes, there is little information on how it might affect the environment, and little preparation for quick action.

The Race to Study Arctic Waters

In the far north, researchers are scrambling to record baseline environmental data as communities brace for future shipping disasters

The area is home to about 500 residential eagles that attract visitors year-round, most especially in the fall when migrating birds up the count to historic highs of 3,000.

Behold the Largest Congregation of Bald Eagles in the United States

Every November, hundreds if not thousands of the birds of prey gather in Haines, Alaska, to feast on salmon

This mummified steppe bison was donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in the 1970s. Right now, museum audiences can see it online during a virtual tour.

Smithsonian Voices

How Bison Mummies Help Scientists to Ruminate on Ancient Climate

Bison mummies hold valuable information for researchers who want to understand how biodiversity evolved and responded to climate change.

A young man watches incoming presidential election results in 2016 on the giant screens of Times Square.

Anxious About Election Results? Here’s What’s Happening in Your Brain as You Wait

Scientists are learning more about the neuroscience of awaiting uncertain outcomes

Time-lapse of fruiting mushrooms

Watch an Amazing Time-Lapse of Growing Mushrooms

A mesmerizing 10,000-shot video captures the dramatic life cycles of several species

Damselfish typically live in the nooks and crannies of coral reefs. But do you have anything with more of an open concept?

If a Fish Could Build Its Own Home, What Would It Look Like?

By exposing fish to experimental constructions, scientists hope to find out if replicating coral reefs is really the way to go

Rattlesnakes can bite after death.

14 Fun Facts About Frightening Animals

From snakes that eat their prey alive to primates that inject their peers with flesh-rotting venom, these are the scariest deeds committed by critters

Halloween can be a particularly challenging time for families navigating life-threatening food allergies.

Allergic Reactions to Peanuts and Tree Nuts Spike 85 Percent on Halloween

Parents and children can avoid the dangers by taking key precautions and embracing alternative activities

The ogre-faced spider earns its name from its large eyes and mandibles.

How Ultra-Sensitive Hearing Allows Spiders to Cast a Net on Unsuspecting Prey

Sounds trigger the ogre-faced spider to backflip and shoot a silk trap on other insects

From leaf-engineering to complex social circles, there’s more to bats than flying and echolocation.

Smithsonian Voices

Five Reasons to Love Bats

Make Halloween the reason to learn to love and conserve these misunderstood mammals

Mary Fowkes, a pathologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, examines brain slices from an autopsy.

Covid-19

Why Autopsies Are Proving Crucial During Covid-19

Advances in medical imaging have reduced the need for the procedure, but it is leading to discoveries that may help with better treatments

Fireflies in a forest at night in Tennessee.

How Fireflies’ Dramatic Light Show Might Spark Advances in Robot Communication

Researchers say understanding the brilliant display could help them create groups of drones that operate without human control

The waxing gibbous Moon as we viewed it on December 3, 2011.

Smithsonian Voices

Is the Moon Fluffy?

Before spacecraft (and humans) set off to explore our nearest neighbor, these were some of the questions scientists were asking

Pier 26 in Tribeca is the first revitalized pier to open to the public in the Hudson River Park in ten years.

How New York City Is Reclaiming Its Piers

A renaissance in pier developments is reconnecting people to the city’s waterfront

A pelagornithid, likely the largest flying bird that ever lived, soared over the open ocean.

Scientists Reveal What May Be the Largest Flying Bird Ever

Researchers from California and China identified the 50-million-year-old bone of a giant bird that lived in Antarctica

Why does smaller size, like that of the anteater, benefit species in different environments, wondered one Smithsonian reader.

Why Are South American Animals Smaller Than Those on Other Continents?

You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts

An illustration of Legionella bacteria, the cause of Legionnaires' disease

Why Reports of Legionnaires’ Disease Are on the Rise in the United States

Though less common than in the past, Legionella bacteria and other dangerous pathogens still lurk in drinking water

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