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Science / Wildlife

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Behind the Scenes, Birds of a Feather, Studied Together

From early studies from Audobon to gifts from Ethiopian kings, the specimens in this collection each have a story

Who do you think is the bigger threat in this picture?

A Turn in the Tide for Sharks and Their Public Image

Nearly 40 years after Jaws gave sharks a bad rap, the fish are the ones that need saving, not the beachgoers

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Sloth Cub Hank Says Hello at the National Zoo

At six months, the Zoo’s first sloth cub in seven years made his public debut

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Scientists Use Snails to Trace Stone Age Trade Routes in Europe

Why is a snail variety found only in Ireland and the Pyrenees? DNA analysis suggests that it hitched a boat ride with early travelers

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The Surprisingly Colorful Salamanders of Appalachia

The region’s cool forests and plentiful rivers make it home to more salamander species than any other part of the world

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This Castle’s Toilet Still Holds Parasites From Crusaders’ Feces

The presence of whipworm and roundworm eggs suggest that crusaders were especially predisposed to death by malnutrition

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Unborn Turtles Actively Regulate Their Own Temperature

Before hatching, a baby turtle can deliberately move between warm and cool patches within its egg—a behavior that may help determine its gender

Do cats always land on their feet? Scientists figured out the answers to this and other pressing questions once and for all.

Do Cats Always Land on Their Feet? (and Other Absurd Scientific Studies)

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Scientists figured the answers to this and other pressing questions once and for all

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The Vibrant Patterns of Portuguese Men-of-War

Beachgoers despise the stinging animals, but photographer Aaron Ansarov finds surreal beauty in them

White-tailed deer making do in a harsh winter wonderland.

Deer May Be Peeing Themselves Out of Their Favorite Winter Habitats

Special patches of trees shield deer from harsh winter weather, but deer urine stimulates growth of competitive plants in those havens

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Warming, Rising Acidity and Pollution: Top Threats to the Ocean

Since the last World Oceans Day, we’ve documented trash in the deep sea, sea snails with acid-weakened shells, high ocean temperatures and more

The way a baby chimpanzee gestures to her mother resembles how a human infant interacts with its mother.

Gestures of Human and Ape Infants Are More Similar Than You Might Expect

Comparing the body language of baby chimps, bonobos and humans suggests that gesticulation came first in the evolution of speaking

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Scientists Discover the Genetic Reason Why Birds Don’t Have Penises

Developing bird embryos do have penis precursors, it turns out, but a genetic signal causes the penis cells to die off during gestation

This European lobster (Homarus gammarus) can live at least 50 years in the wild.

Don’t Listen to the Buzz: Lobsters Aren’t Actually Immortal

Contrary to memes circulating online, lobsters can’t live forever—but they do keep growing and growing until they die

Nitrogen-cooled tissue samples will represent half the life on earth.

Cracking the Code of the Human Genome

What Genomic Research Can Tell Us About the Earth’s Biodiversity

Smithsonian scientists are gathering wildlife tissue samples from around the world to build the largest museum-based repository

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When Large Birds Disappear, Rainforests Suffer

A century after toucans and toucanets disappeared from patches of Brazilian jungle, trees have evolved to have smaller, weaker seeds

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What Animal Sounds Look Like

Mark Fischer, a software developer in California, turns data from recordings of whales, dolphins and birds into psychedelic art

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Save the Amazon, Increase Malaria

People in Brazil living close to forests are 25 times more likely to catch malaria than those living near places where all the trees have been cut down

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Say Hello to Bozie, the National Zoo’s New Elephant

She arrives at the National Zoo today from Baton Rouge

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Once in a Blue Moon and Other Idioms That Don’t Make Scientific Sense

From “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” to “hard as nails,” several sayings just don’t pass scientific scrutiny

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