The list covers findings in biology, justice and human rights, the environment, and more.

Planet Positive

Fifty Things We’ve Learned About the Earth Since the First Earth Day

On April 22, 1970, Americans pledged environmental action for the planet. Here’s what scientists and we, the global community, have done since

The first physician to definitively distinguish typhus and typhoid was American doctor William Wood Gerhard.

Covid-19

What an 1836 Typhus Outbreak Taught the Medical World About Epidemics

An American doctor operating out of Philadelphia made clinical observations that where patients lived, not how they lived, was at the root of the problem

Reconstruction of Palaeochiropteryx

Why Bats Are One of Evolution’s Greatest Puzzles

Paleontologists seek the ancestors that could explain how bats became the only flying mammals.

Research suggests humans can occasionally pass the new coronavirus to cats. But felines are very unlikely to be a source of transmission back to humans.

Covid-19

Why the New Coronavirus Affects Some Animals, but Not Others

While the virus seems capable of infecting some pets and wild animals, these cases probably aren’t occurring often

This week's selections include The Betrayal of the Duchess, Anonymous Is a Woman and Nerve.

Books of the Month

The Science of Fear, the Royal Scandal That Made France Modern and Other New Books to Read

The fourth installment in our weekly series spotlights titles that may have been lost in the news amid the COVID-19 crisis

Eugene V. Debs was in a West Virginia penitentiary when he lost the 1920 presidential election.

Has Anyone Ever Run for President While in Prison? And More Questions From Our Readers

You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts

In the Catalina Mountains in southern Arizona, forests struggle to keep up with recent increases in drought and wildfire activity, which are expected to continue due to human-caused climate change.

The American West May Be Entering a ‘Megadrought’ Worse Than Any in Historical Record

A new study of ancient climate has a dire warning about today’s dry conditions

Artifacts from the Lendbreen site

Treasure Trove of Artifacts Illustrates Life in a Lost Viking Mountain Pass

Lendbreen, a pass high in the Norwegian mountains, was an important route from the Roman era until the late Middle Ages

Owl-inspired innovations can reduce noise by as much as 10 decibels, similar to the difference in noise between a passing truck and a passing car.

To Silence Wind Turbines and Airplanes, Engineers Are Studying Owl Wings

No one knows exactly how the nocturnal hunters manage their whisper-soft flight, yet it’s inspiring the design of quieter airplanes, fans and wind turbines

Karen Osborn, invertebrate zoologist and curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, uses photography to help people better understand the hard-to-see marine animals she studies, like this deep-sea jellyfish Voragonema pedunculata.

Smithsonian Voices

Why Science Needs Art

From teaching curious museumgoers to adding creativity to the scientific process, art thrives at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History

"I'm looking at connections between human, animal and environmental health to understand how human impact on ecosystems can affect us," says Sabrina Sholts.

Smithsonian Voices

Here’s Why This Smithsonian Scientist Studies Ancient Pathogens

As a biological anthropologist focused on health, diseases are part of Sabrina Sholts’ specialty

Copper wire

Covid-19

Copper’s Virus-Killing Powers Were Known Even to the Ancients

The SARS-CoV-2 virus endures for days on plastic or metal but disintegrates soon after landing on copper surfaces. Here’s why

Though much has changed since 1918, the sentiments shared in writings from this earlier pandemic are likely to resonate with modern readers.

Covid-19

What We Can Learn From 1918 Influenza Diaries

These letters and journals offer insights on how to record one’s thoughts amid a pandemic

The epidemic claimed the lives of some 8 million pigs by spring of 2014.

Covid-19

A Coronavirus Spread Through U.S. Pigs in 2013. Here’s How It Was Stopped

The containment practices of outbreaks past could have lessons for modern epidemics

Good news is out there, if you look for it. For instance, just this month scientists announced that we are on our way to recovering oceans by 2050.

Smithsonian Voices

Here’s How to Find Optimism in This Moment of Fear and Uncertainty

The Smithsonian’s Earth Optimism Summit will now stream online starting this Earth Day; tune in and be inspired

Paleontologists crossing the Rio Yurúa in Amazonian Perú, with the Santa Rosa fossil site in the background.

More Than 30 Million Years Ago, Monkeys Rafted Across the Atlantic to South America

Fossil teeth uncovered in Peru reveal that an extinct family of primates, thought to have lived only in Africa, made it across the ocean

Almost a fourth of Americans have shared fake news at one point or another, according to a Pew survey from 2016, so it's important to be skeptical as you're browsing the web or watching TV.

Covid-19

How to Avoid Misinformation About COVID-19

False information about the pandemic is rampant; here’s how experts say you can identify what news to trust and what might be faulty

Echo, a five-year-old cheetah and first-time mother, gave birth to four cubs on April 8.

Watch Live as the National Zoo’s Cheetah Gives Birth to a Litter of Cubs

Congratulations to first-time mother Echo the cheetah!

Menhaden fishing

Covid-19

With Boats Stuck in Harbor Because of COVID-19, Will Fish Bounce Back?

The pandemic has left many unable to leave harbor, creating a window for fishing grounds to recover from years of overfishing

A nurse conducts a swab test for SARS-CoV-2 in Chessington, England.

Covid-19

Breaking Down the Two Tests That Could Help Contain the COVID-19 Pandemic

One detects an active infection; another signals that the virus has already left the body. Both are critical for tracking the spread of disease

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