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Surprising Science

A new study finds that across cultures, time and space, we consistently see more conflict as temperatures rise and rainfall becomes more erratic.

Climate Change Could Increase Armed Conflicts By 50 Percent Worldwide

A new study finds that across cultures, time and space, we consistently see more violence as temperatures rise and rainfall becomes more erratic

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VIDEO: Mantis Shrimp vs. Octopus

Watch as the popular crustacean gets snared by its predator’s tentacles. Will it survive?

A tiger in the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary in India

Forest Corridors Help Link Tiger Populations in India

Some tigers trek the human-filled landscape between nature preserves to find mates, but such opportunities to ensure genetic diversity are getting rarer

New research suggests that an apple might be the safer choice for pregnant eating.

Could Over-Snacking While Pregnant Predispose Children to Be Obese?

Women who constantly binge on junk food while pregnant might pass their penchant for sweet and fatty food on to their children, a new study suggests

Nuclear power produces a great deal of energy–and waste.

Energy Innovation

Is Shale the Answer to America’s Nuclear Waste Woes?

With the plans for a Yucca Mountain waste repository scrapped, scientists suggest that clay-rich rocks could permanently house spent nuclear fuel

Blue fluorescence spreads through a dying nematode worm, revealing the passage of death through its body over the hour and a half prior to the organism’s complete expiration.

A Glowing Blue Death Wave Envelops Roundworms Before They Expire

Studying nematodes as life leaves them may lead to insights into exactly how death travels through the body, and, perhaps, whether we can delay it

New work suggests that dolphins each have their own distinctive whistle, and respond to hearing their sound made by calling right back.

Do Dolphins Use Whistles to Call Themselves by Unique Names?

Audio experiments show that the marine mammals each have their own whistle, and respond to hearing their distinct whistle by calling right back

Although their perception of color is limited, new research suggests that dogs routinely discriminate between objects based on their hue.

New Study Shows That Dogs Use Color Vision After All

Although their perception of color is limited, dogs discriminate between objects based on their hue—a finding that may change the way dogs are trained

ARBIMON—a system of distributed recording stations and centralized analysis software—was used to track populations of the endangered plains coqui frog, in Puerto Rico.

A New Technology Can Remotely Analyze an Ecosystem’s Species By its Sound

By distributing networks of microphones to wetlands and forests around the world, biologists could track biodiversity in a whole new way

Close inspection showed that a T. rex tooth was lodged in a hadrosaur’s vertebrae, the result of an ancient attack gone awry.

Caught in the Act: Scientists Find A T. Rex Tooth Stuck in a Hadrosaur Tail

The ancient attack proves once and for all that the T. Rex was a hunter, not just a scavenger

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Ask Smithsonian 2017

Wait, Have I Been Here Before? The Curious Case of Déjà Vu

Although the strange sensation’s cause remains unknown, scientists are searching for ways to induce that nagging feeling of familiarity

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Scientists Get Best View Yet of the Structure of Glass

The amorphous solid holds many mysteries, but a new study using a high-powered microscope shows that atoms in glass are organized into distorted shapes

A community of glass sponges under Antarctica’s ice.

Glass Sponges Move In As Antarctic Ice Shelves Melt

Typically slow-growing glass sponge communities are popping up quickly now that disappearing shelf ice has changed ocean conditions around Antarctica

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These Decapitated Worms Regrow Old Memories Along with New Heads

New experiments show that beheaded flatworms can retain trained behaviors after their brains regenerate

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Powering the 21st Century

Tour the Country’s Energy Infrastructure Through A New Interactive Map

Examining the network of power plants, transmission wires, and pipelines gives new insights into the inner workings of the electrical grid

Harnessing the swift tides of the Pentland Firth, a waterway along Scotland’s Northern coast, could generate enough electricity to meet half of the country’s needs.

Energy Innovation

Is Scotland the “Saudi Arabia” of Tidal Power?

The Pentland Firth, a seaway along Scotland’s Northern coast, could generate enough electricity to meet half of the country’s needs, new research finds

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This New Device Can Sterilize Medical Tools Using Solar Power Alone

An invention called the solarclave could help prevent millions of annual infections that result from improperly cleaned medical equipment

New research shows that unlike any other small mammal, bats stretch their tendons to store and release energy.

Amazing High Speed X-Ray Videos Reveal How Bats Take Flight

Unlike any other small mammal, bats stretch their tendons to store and release energy, helping the creatures launch into the air

Being a Lifelong Bookworm May Keep You Sharp in Old Age

Reading, writing and other mental exercises, if habitual from an early age, can slow down the age-related decline in mental capacity

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VIDEO: Functional Liver Tissue Can Now Be Grown From Stem Cells

By mixing different types of stem cells in petri dishes, researchers created liver “buds” that effectively filtered blood when implanted in mice

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