Bears | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/bears/RSS feed for BearsenThu, 19 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +0000How Do Researchers Identify Individual Bears in the Wild? They Could Soon Do It Through A.I. Facial Recognition Technologyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-do-researchers-identify-individual-bears-in-the-wild-they-could-soon-do-it-through-ai-facial-recognition-technology-180988219/Such tools could help scientists track population sizes or recognize aggressive animals that have attacked humansThu, 19 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-do-researchers-identify-individual-bears-in-the-wild-they-could-soon-do-it-through-ai-facial-recognition-technology-180988219/See 24 Astounding Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest—and Vote for Your Favoritehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-24-astounding-images-from-the-wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-contest-180988138/The public will choose the winner of the People’s Choice award in a vote that runs from February 4 to March 18Wed, 04 Feb 2026 20:41:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-24-astounding-images-from-the-wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-contest-180988138/Some Polar Bears Have Been Getting Chunkier—Despite Losing Their Main Hunting Grounds to Climate Changehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/some-polar-bears-have-been-getting-chunkier-despite-losing-their-maine-hunting-grounds-to-climate-change-180988125/The fuzzy white predators of Svalbard, Norway, have been getting fatter over the past two decades, possibly by changing their diets and hunting strategies, a new study suggestsTue, 03 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/some-polar-bears-have-been-getting-chunkier-despite-losing-their-maine-hunting-grounds-to-climate-change-180988125/Researchers Say This Paleolithic Teenage Boy Died a Slow Death After a Bear Mauled Himhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-say-this-paleolithic-teenage-boy-died-a-slow-death-after-a-bear-mauled-him-180988111/A new analysis of “il Principe,” an ancient, decorated skeleton found in northwest Italy, confirms that the child died up to three days after being brutally attackedFri, 30 Jan 2026 18:41:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-say-this-paleolithic-teenage-boy-died-a-slow-death-after-a-bear-mauled-him-180988111/Meet the National Zoo’s Adorable 1-Month-Old Sloth Bear Cubs—the First Born There in More Than a Decadehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-national-zoos-adorable-one-month-old-sloth-bear-cubs-the-first-born-there-in-more-than-a-decade-180987957/The cubs will spend the next few months with their mother before debuting to the publicTue, 06 Jan 2026 21:09:13 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-national-zoos-adorable-one-month-old-sloth-bear-cubs-the-first-born-there-in-more-than-a-decade-180987957/After Living Alongside Humans for Millennia, These Italian Brown Bears Have Evolved to Become Less Aggressivehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-living-alongside-humans-for-millennia-these-italian-brown-bears-have-evolved-to-become-less-aggressive-180987929/Researchers found genetic differences that likely resulted from humans killing aggressive bears, leaving docile individuals to breed and pass along their genes to offspringTue, 30 Dec 2025 14:55:55 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-living-alongside-humans-for-millennia-these-italian-brown-bears-have-evolved-to-become-less-aggressive-180987929/Eight Fascinating Scientific Discoveries From 2025 That Could Lead to New Inventionshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/eight-fascinating-scientific-discoveries-from-2025-that-could-lead-to-new-inventions-180987916/By studying the natural world, scientists find blueprints for innovations that can improve human lives—in the genes of a shark, the fur of a polar bear and the flipper of an extinct reptileTue, 30 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/eight-fascinating-scientific-discoveries-from-2025-that-could-lead-to-new-inventions-180987916/This Mama Polar Bear Adopted a Young Cub—and You Can Track the Family as They Wander Around the Hudson Bayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-mama-polar-bear-adopted-a-young-cub-and-you-can-track-the-family-as-they-wander-around-the-hudson-bay-180987906/The rare event marks the 13th known instance of adoption within this well-studied group of polar bears living in the western Hudson Bay areaMon, 22 Dec 2025 14:45:54 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-mama-polar-bear-adopted-a-young-cub-and-you-can-track-the-family-as-they-wander-around-the-hudson-bay-180987906/This 'Clock' Could Warn of Hidden Stresses to Animals, Offering a Long-Sought Signal That a Population Is Nearing Collapsehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/this-clock-could-warn-of-hidden-stresses-to-animals-offering-a-long-sought-signal-that-a-population-is-nearing-collapse-180987450/The epigenetic clock measures biological age and could help scientists assess the health of polar bears, dolphins, baboons and other threatened creatures "while recovery is still possible"Tue, 07 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/this-clock-could-warn-of-hidden-stresses-to-animals-offering-a-long-sought-signal-that-a-population-is-nearing-collapse-180987450/After Two Years as Runner-Up, Chunk Is Finally Crowned Winner of Fat Bear Weekhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-two-years-as-runner-up-chunk-is-finally-crowned-winner-of-fat-bear-week-180987428/The brown bear heavyweight persevered through a jaw injury this year that will permanently hinder his ability to fight and huntWed, 01 Oct 2025 20:17:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-two-years-as-runner-up-chunk-is-finally-crowned-winner-of-fat-bear-week-180987428/