Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/blog/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/RSS feed for Smithsonian Tropical Research InstituteenThu, 03 Sep 2026 14:50:00 +0000Studying the Holistic Health Habits of Tropical Batshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2026/09/03/studying-the-holistic-health-habits-of-tropical-bats/What do bats do when they feel ill? SELFCURE, a multi-disciplinary project taking place in Gamboa, Panama, tracks the behavior of tropical bats when immune-challenged to understand how they take care of themselves, and what lessons we can learn from themThu, 03 Sep 2026 14:50:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2026/09/03/studying-the-holistic-health-habits-of-tropical-bats/Climate Change Temperatures Can Modify Tiny Structures, Such as the Scales of the Dazzling Morpho Butterflieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2026/08/25/climate-change-temperatures-can-modify-tiny-structures-such-as-the-scales-of-the-dazzling-morpho-butterflies/Hot temperatures during development can alter the scales that create Morpho butterflies’ brilliant blue iridescence, leaving adults with duller colorsTue, 25 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2026/08/25/climate-change-temperatures-can-modify-tiny-structures-such-as-the-scales-of-the-dazzling-morpho-butterflies/Two Oceans, One Country and 20 Times the Sharkshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2026/08/14/two-oceans-one-country-and-twenty-times-the-sharks/Fossil shark scales from Panama’s Caribbean and Pacific coasts show that the two seas never held the same number of sharks and that borrowing a conservation target from one ocean could be wrong by an order of magnitudeFri, 14 Aug 2026 16:06:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2026/08/14/two-oceans-one-country-and-twenty-times-the-sharks/Smithsonian and NASA Collaborate to Understand Tropical Forests on Different Continentshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2026/08/13/smithsonian-and-nasa-collaborate-to-understand-tropical-forests-on-different-continents/Distinct climate histories across continents have shaped the nature of forest biomass around the worldThu, 13 Aug 2026 22:22:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2026/08/13/smithsonian-and-nasa-collaborate-to-understand-tropical-forests-on-different-continents/Your Photos Can Help Make Scientific Discoverieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2026/08/13/your-photos-can-help-make-scientific-discoveries/Scientists combined iNaturalist photos and scientific observations to uncover the possible evolution of a very particular behavior: egg-caring in a group of arachnidsThu, 13 Aug 2026 16:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2026/08/13/your-photos-can-help-make-scientific-discoveries/Archaeologists Analyze How Diseases Impacted Indigenous Populations in the Americas During Colonial Timeshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2026/08/07/archaeologists-analyze-how-diseases-impacted-indigenous-populations-in-the-americas-during-colonial-times/A new study examines the history of smallpox epidemics brought to America by European colonists, the absence of archaeological evidence associated with those epidemics and whether ancient DNA might offer new insightsFri, 07 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2026/08/07/archaeologists-analyze-how-diseases-impacted-indigenous-populations-in-the-americas-during-colonial-times/