Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/blog/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/RSS feed for Smithsonian Tropical Research InstituteenFri, 14 Aug 2026 16:06:30 +0000Two 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/The effects of climate on forest biomass differs among forests on with different histories on a continental scaleThu, 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/Does Helping Your Mom Pay Off? Queen Bee Pheromones Help Daughters Decide Whether to Stay or Leave the Nesthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2026/07/29/does-helping-your-mom-pay-off-queen-bee-pheromones-help-daughters-decide-whether-to-stay-or-leave-the-nest/Queen pheromones in Megalopta bees tell daughters when it's worth sacrificing their fertility to help their momWed, 29 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2026/07/29/does-helping-your-mom-pay-off-queen-bee-pheromones-help-daughters-decide-whether-to-stay-or-leave-the-nest/A Mountain Expedition in Panama to Test New Insect Monitoring Technologyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2026/07/28/a-mountain-expedition-in-panama-to-test-new-insect-monitoring-technology/A new, jungle-proof automated light trap for insect monitoring documented in Methods in Ecology and Evolution and Integrative and Comparative Biology. The Mothbox is like a mammal trail camera but designed for large-scale insect monitoringTue, 28 Jul 2026 15:01:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2026/07/28/a-mountain-expedition-in-panama-to-test-new-insect-monitoring-technology/