Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News / Smart News Science

"I'm swimmering! For science!"

New Research

How Baby Sea Turtles on Treadmills Can Help Researchers Understand Wild Turtle Survival

No doubt it’s adorable, but the study offers clues into the impact of disorienting light pollution on the reptiles’ health

Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer stands with the taxidermied remains of her groundbreaking discovery.

In the 1930s, This Natural History Curator Discovered a Living Fossil–Well, Sort of

Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer was convinced she’d found something special in a pile of fish, but it took some time for her discovery to be recognized

English dolphins gliding through their home turf

Cool Finds

England Has Its Own Pod of Dolphins

Researchers discover that the group of 28 animals are actually local residents, not just visitors

New Research

Scientists Record the Thunderous Call of the Loudest Known Fish

The Gulf corvina’s collective mating call is so powerful that it can damage the hearing of sea lions and dolphins

The dino print, before it was smashed

Trending Today

Vandals Shatter 115-Million-Year Old Dino Track in Australia

Believed to be from a rare polar dinosaur, the damage was discovered by a school class visiting Bunurong Marine National Park

Artists rendering of the Dragonfly craft exploring Titan

Trending Today

NASA Unveils Finalists for Its Next New Frontiers Mission

In 2025, the agency will either try to grab a piece of a comet or send a space-helicopter drone to the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan

None

Art Meets Science

Millions of Historic Images Pay Tribute to the Diversity of Life on Earth

Bask in the infinitely strange wonder of our planet with these gorgeous biodiversity galleries

The rock from the Apex Chert in which the fossils were found

New Research

At 3.5 Billion Years Old, Are These the Oldest Fossils?

A new analysis of this decades-old find suggests that they were indeed once biological life—but not all are convinced

The newly lifted funding ban allows for more research of viruses like influenza, SARS, and MERS. But critics worry it's a risky step.

The Next Pandemic

NIH Lifts Ban on Funding High-Risk Virus Research

Manipulating viruses could help prepare the U.S. for future pandemics, but it could also risk starting the next outbreak

Artists rendering of ‘Oumuamua

New Research

Unusual Interstellar Visitor Could Be Shard of Ice

A new study of ‘Oumuamua suggests it’s water ice covered with 20 inches of dry carbon compounds

The original Thames beater (top) compared to the replica made by a carpenter (bottom).

Researchers Whack Fake Skulls to Learn About Neolithic Weapons

Was the ‘Thames Beater’ used to kill? Four crushed model skulls say yes

This laughing doormouse chuckled its way into the winning spot of the "On the Land" category.

Award Winning Images Capture the Goofiness of the Animal Kingdom

Enjoy these masterpieces in animal silliness

A Falcon 9 launch vehicle takes flight during a resupply mission on June 3, 2017. This was the first time that a Dragon spacecraft has been reused.

SpaceX Successfully Launches a Fully Recycled Mission to the Space Station

A previously flown rocket will launch a previously flown spacecraft to the space station

New Research

Shadows of Saturn’s Rings Mess With Its Upper Atmosphere

The Cassini probe’s final swoops through the rings found that they impact the planet’s ionosphere

New Research

Dinosaurs Were Around Before Saturn Had Rings

Data from the Cassini space probe suggests that the rings may be as young as 150 million years old

None

New Research

New Map Reveals What Lies Below Greenland’s Ice

This map of ‘naked’ Greenland is the most detailed yet and can help in refining climate predictions

Ounce for ounce, this bird is worth more than gold.

New Research

How the Arrival of One Bird Brought $223,000 to a Pennsylvanian Town

The rare black-backed oriole showed up outside Reading, Pennsylvania, and birdwatchers flocked to the scene

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai soon after its formation in 2015

New Research

How the Rapidly Changing Shape of This New Island Could Teach Us About Mars

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai has lasted longer than it should, and the processes that formed the island are of interest to NASA

New Research

The Physics Behind the Layers in Your Latte

Layered lattes are a cool trick, but the science of why it happens could help in manufacturing and even studying the ocean

Birdwatch for Science This Holiday Season

Get outdoors for the Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count

Page 333 of 537