https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/biology/RSS feed for BiologyenMon, 20 Jul 2026 20:11:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-unusual-looking-raccoon-nicknamed-jimothy-is-winning-hearts-across-the-internet-for-his-short-round-body-180989157/Jimothy has become a local celebrity in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood and likely has a rare congenital spine conditionMon, 20 Jul 2026 20:11:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-unusual-looking-raccoon-nicknamed-jimothy-is-winning-hearts-across-the-internet-for-his-short-round-body-180989157/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/poop-from-southern-right-whales-reveals-that-the-animals-might-be-more-resilient-to-climate-change-than-we-thought-180989131/Scientists long believed that these whales, which swim throughout the Southern Hemisphere, mainly feasted on krill and small crustaceans called copepods, which are disappearing from the warming ocean. A new study suggests that the cetaceans have a more varied, flexible dietMon, 20 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/poop-from-southern-right-whales-reveals-that-the-animals-might-be-more-resilient-to-climate-change-than-we-thought-180989131/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-orange-lipped-likweli-monkey-a-new-species-that-was-discovered-in-the-congo-rainforest-180989140/The creatures, which weigh about the same as a small dog, have spiky black hair, orange-cream skin around their mouths and a white patch on their rear ends. Scientists say that they're probably endangeredFri, 17 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-orange-lipped-likweli-monkey-a-new-species-that-was-discovered-in-the-congo-rainforest-180989140/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/giraffes-might-be-even-smarter-than-we-thought-some-can-solve-simple-math-problems-a-new-study-suggests-180989124/Two of four tested giraffes seemed to be able to mentally combine numbers to get one of their favorite treats: carrots. But all the animals failed at tasks involving subtraction or multiple calculationsThu, 16 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/giraffes-might-be-even-smarter-than-we-thought-some-can-solve-simple-math-problems-a-new-study-suggests-180989124/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-ranked-hundreds-of-spider-species-by-running-speed-australias-huge-hairy-brown-huntsman-came-out-on-top-180989132/The brown huntsman can sprint at a maximum speed of eight miles per hour, although it can only maintain that pace for a fraction of a second. The research will lead to a better understanding of the evolution and biomechanics of arachnidsWed, 15 Jul 2026 20:02:54 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-ranked-hundreds-of-spider-species-by-running-speed-australias-huge-hairy-brown-huntsman-came-out-on-top-180989132/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/heres-how-these-adorable-mice-can-live-at-an-extremely-high-elevation-where-no-other-mammal-is-known-to-survive-180989116/The Andean leaf-eared mouse has adaptations that help it generate body heat efficiently in frigid, low-oxygen conditions at 22,000 feet above sea level, according to a new studyTue, 14 Jul 2026 18:45:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/heres-how-these-adorable-mice-can-live-at-an-extremely-high-elevation-where-no-other-mammal-is-known-to-survive-180989116/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-culprit-behind-south-australias-deadly-algal-bloom-might-be-the-most-toxic-species-ever-tested-scientists-say-180989100/Karenia cristata, a rare type of microscopic algae that produces toxins that harm nerve cells, can be lethal at very low concentrationsFri, 10 Jul 2026 12:46:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-culprit-behind-south-australias-deadly-algal-bloom-might-be-the-most-toxic-species-ever-tested-scientists-say-180989100/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-just-learned-that-this-bat-eats-birds-midflight-a-renaissance-painter-may-have-known-about-it-hundreds-of-years-ago-180989096/Last fall, scientists reported the first known recordings of greater noctule bats hunting and feasting on songbirds during night flights. But a 17th-century artwork by Jan Brueghel the Elder seems to depict the species flying with feathered prey in its mouthThu, 09 Jul 2026 16:17:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-just-learned-that-this-bat-eats-birds-midflight-a-renaissance-painter-may-have-known-about-it-hundreds-of-years-ago-180989096/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-arctic-ocean-may-have-passed-a-crucial-tipping-point-that-could-harm-food-webs-and-worsen-climate-change-180989083/Sea ice loss seems to have triggered a decline in the nutrient nitrate, affecting the tiny organisms that form the foundations of marine food chains and absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide, according to a new studyWed, 08 Jul 2026 15:36:06 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-arctic-ocean-may-have-passed-a-crucial-tipping-point-that-could-harm-food-webs-and-worsen-climate-change-180989083/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sperm-whales-living-in-the-eastern-mediterranean-sea-seem-to-have-developed-a-distinct-dialect-from-those-in-the-west-180989084/All Mediterranean sperm whales were thought to be part of one cultural group, identifiable by a unique pattern of clicks, or a coda. But sound recordings suggest that eastern creatures use a sped-up version of the western whales' codaWed, 08 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sperm-whales-living-in-the-eastern-mediterranean-sea-seem-to-have-developed-a-distinct-dialect-from-those-in-the-west-180989084/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tall-trees-were-thought-to-be-more-vulnerable-to-drought-but-these-towering-plants-in-southeast-asia-have-adapted-to-move-water-efficiently-180989075/A new study found that enormous dipterocarp trees have special adaptations to transport water up to their highest limbs, challenging the assumption that they would more easily succumb to dry conditionsTue, 07 Jul 2026 19:29:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tall-trees-were-thought-to-be-more-vulnerable-to-drought-but-these-towering-plants-in-southeast-asia-have-adapted-to-move-water-efficiently-180989075/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-theyve-made-cells-that-feed-grow-and-reproduce-bringing-them-one-step-closer-to-building-life-from-scratch-180989070/The human-made cells show many hallmarks of life, but they can't make all their necessary internal structures or divide for very many generationsThu, 02 Jul 2026 19:53:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-theyve-made-cells-that-feed-grow-and-reproduce-bringing-them-one-step-closer-to-building-life-from-scratch-180989070/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-male-fruit-flies-have-sperm-that-are-nearly-as-long-as-their-bodies-heres-how-the-cells-dont-become-a-tangled-mess-180989054/Males of the species Drosophila melanogaster pack thousands of almost two-millimeter-long sperm cells into significantly smaller storage organs. A new study reveals how they move in an orderly mannerWed, 01 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-male-fruit-flies-have-sperm-that-are-nearly-as-long-as-their-bodies-heres-how-the-cells-dont-become-a-tangled-mess-180989054/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mars-rover-spots-complex-carbon-on-the-red-planet-marking-yet-another-detection-of-a-building-block-of-life-180989043/Along with other recent discoveries, the new finding from Perseverance boosts the case that Mars once hosted conditions that could support living things—but it isn’t a definitive sign of ancient organismsTue, 30 Jun 2026 13:38:51 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mars-rover-spots-complex-carbon-on-the-red-planet-marking-yet-another-detection-of-a-building-block-of-life-180989043/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gray-whales-are-getting-struck-by-ships-in-san-francisco-bay-could-this-new-ai-powered-tech-save-them-180989009/The recently launched system involves two thermal cameras that can detect gray whales up to four miles away, giving ships enough time to slow down or change course—and avoid running into the marine mammalsThu, 25 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gray-whales-are-getting-struck-by-ships-in-san-francisco-bay-could-this-new-ai-powered-tech-save-them-180989009/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-newly-discovered-spider-builds-a-unique-web-that-sends-ants-catapulting-through-the-air-180989003/Flung prey can reach speeds of up to 14.4 feet per second, or a little less than ten miles per hour. An insect will land in the spider's main web about a foot above the spring-loaded trapWed, 24 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-newly-discovered-spider-builds-a-unique-web-that-sends-ants-catapulting-through-the-air-180989003/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/can-printed-skin-heal-burns-and-prevent-scars-180989000/Inks created with a patient’s own cells may one day help the body regrow tissuesWed, 24 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/can-printed-skin-heal-burns-and-prevent-scars-180989000/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-butterflies-can-live-25-times-longer-than-their-relatives-they-might-provide-insights-into-healthy-aging-in-humans-180988993/Their unusual diet of pollen—rather than nectar—might partially explain why members of the Heliconius genus live so long, up to nearly a yearTue, 23 Jun 2026 15:47:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-butterflies-can-live-25-times-longer-than-their-relatives-they-might-provide-insights-into-healthy-aging-in-humans-180988993/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/female-dolphins-seem-to-remember-which-males-were-aggressive-during-mating-season-and-may-try-to-avoid-them-180988994/When researchers played underwater recordings of pushy males, females that were capable of becoming pregnant swam away from the soundsTue, 23 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/female-dolphins-seem-to-remember-which-males-were-aggressive-during-mating-season-and-may-try-to-avoid-them-180988994/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fish-and-humans-share-surprisingly-similar-sleep-habits-including-daytime-naps-180988985/A recent study suggests that zebrafish have four sleep substates, just like humans do—and one of them is akin to an afternoon snoozeMon, 22 Jun 2026 20:35:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fish-and-humans-share-surprisingly-similar-sleep-habits-including-daytime-naps-180988985/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-devoted-dads-across-the-animal-kingdom-will-warm-your-heart-this-fathers-day-180988987/From foxes that bring home dinner to fish that keep watch over their young, male animals across several species take an active role in building nests and caring for their babiesThu, 18 Jun 2026 20:53:12 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-devoted-dads-across-the-animal-kingdom-will-warm-your-heart-this-fathers-day-180988987/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-find-a-mathematical-pattern-used-in-city-planning-hidden-in-the-leaves-of-a-common-houseplant-180988978/The major veins of Chinese money plant leaves form what's called a Voronoi diagram. It might be caused by a plant-growth hormone that emanates in waves from developing leaves' poresThu, 18 Jun 2026 16:02:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-find-a-mathematical-pattern-used-in-city-planning-hidden-in-the-leaves-of-a-common-houseplant-180988978/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nearly-all-plants-depend-on-tiny-underground-fungi-the-microbes-vast-global-networks-were-just-mapped-for-the-first-time-180988955/If lined up end to end, the thin, tubular threads that make up the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks in Earth’s topsoil could stretch between our planet and the sun almost one billion timesThu, 18 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nearly-all-plants-depend-on-tiny-underground-fungi-the-microbes-vast-global-networks-were-just-mapped-for-the-first-time-180988955/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-a-new-species-of-walking-shark-in-papua-new-guinea-they-suspect-its-at-risk-of-going-extinct-180988977/The creature belongs to a unique group of sharks whose members can use their strong pectoral fins like legs to get aroundWed, 17 Jun 2026 20:41:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-a-new-species-of-walking-shark-in-papua-new-guinea-they-suspect-its-at-risk-of-going-extinct-180988977/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-first-ever-photographs-of-cozumels-elusive-dwarf-fox-one-of-the-rarest-canids-in-the-world-180988961/No one had seen the creatures in more than two decades, leading scientists to wonder whether they'd gone extinct. That changed in September 2023Tue, 16 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-first-ever-photographs-of-cozumels-elusive-dwarf-fox-one-of-the-rarest-canids-in-the-world-180988961/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/venus-flytraps-snap-their-traps-shut-in-less-than-a-second-scientists-say-theyve-discovered-how-the-predatory-plants-are-so-fast-180988949/The walls of cells in the leaves' outer layer suddenly soften, allowing the structures to hinge into a closed position, according to a new studyMon, 15 Jun 2026 20:06:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/venus-flytraps-snap-their-traps-shut-in-less-than-a-second-scientists-say-theyve-discovered-how-the-predatory-plants-are-so-fast-180988949/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ugliest-shark-on-the-planet-see-the-elusive-goblin-shark-filmed-for-the-first-time-in-its-deep-sea-habitat-180988950/Scientists spotted the enigmatic creatures in 2019 and again in 2024, marking the first times they've been observed alive in the wild. The sightings drastically expand the animals' known geographic and depth rangeMon, 15 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ugliest-shark-on-the-planet-see-the-elusive-goblin-shark-filmed-for-the-first-time-in-its-deep-sea-habitat-180988950/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-the-worlds-largest-deepest-whale-graveyard-where-cetacean-remains-have-been-piling-up-for-five-million-years-180988942/The massive necropolis, located deep in the southeastern Indian Ocean, is teeming with marine life supported by the whale carcasses, including many suspected new speciesFri, 12 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-the-worlds-largest-deepest-whale-graveyard-where-cetacean-remains-have-been-piling-up-for-five-million-years-180988942/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/stupid-hot-heat-waves-muddle-the-minds-of-animals-and-humans-as-confusion-and-aggression-seem-to-rise-with-the-temperature-180988902/Wide-ranging research suggests that as temperatures increase, some creatures pick fights while others struggle to learn. The findings hint at consequences that may ripple through ecosystemsFri, 05 Jun 2026 17:52:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/stupid-hot-heat-waves-muddle-the-minds-of-animals-and-humans-as-confusion-and-aggression-seem-to-rise-with-the-temperature-180988902/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-have-been-studying-these-salamanders-for-more-than-250-years-they-just-discovered-the-creatures-glow-under-uv-light-180988900/Fire salamanders—one of Europe's most well-researched amphibians—are biofluorescent, which means they can absorb light from an external source at one wavelength, then re-emit it at anotherFri, 05 Jun 2026 15:09:20 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-have-been-studying-these-salamanders-for-more-than-250-years-they-just-discovered-the-creatures-glow-under-uv-light-180988900/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-determines-royalty-among-honeybees-not-just-a-distinct-diet-queens-also-need-specially-built-regal-chambers-a-study-suggests-180988899/The peanut-shaped compartments where future queens grow up seem to play an important role in development. The wax has chemical and physical differences from that in other parts of the hiveFri, 05 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-determines-royalty-among-honeybees-not-just-a-distinct-diet-queens-also-need-specially-built-regal-chambers-a-study-suggests-180988899/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-do-pigeons-find-their-way-home-new-research-suggests-the-birds-remarkable-navigational-skills-come-from-their-livers-180988884/The birds might use the organs' iron-rich immune cells as internal compasses on overcast days, when they must rely on Earth’s magnetic field, instead of the sun’s light cues, for navigationTue, 02 Jun 2026 21:21:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-do-pigeons-find-their-way-home-new-research-suggests-the-birds-remarkable-navigational-skills-come-from-their-livers-180988884/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-theyve-discovered-little-lab-zombies-seemingly-immortal-tissue-taken-from-sea-cucumbers-180988880/Chunks removed from the marine creatures more than three years ago haven't degraded and show signs of biological activity, raising questions about what it means to be aliveTue, 02 Jun 2026 19:56:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-theyve-discovered-little-lab-zombies-seemingly-immortal-tissue-taken-from-sea-cucumbers-180988880/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/playful-youngster-see-the-rare-endangered-przewalskis-horse-born-at-the-bronx-zoo-180988873/The foal was born on April 21 and is now romping around with the rest of the herd in the zoo's seasonal Wild Asia Monorail exhibit. It belongs to a species whose members are often considered the last truly wild horsesMon, 01 Jun 2026 21:32:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/playful-youngster-see-the-rare-endangered-przewalskis-horse-born-at-the-bronx-zoo-180988873/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-used-ai-to-redesign-a-microbes-machinery-to-function-without-a-key-ingredient-of-life-180988802/Although the researchers did not create an entire cell that could function without a crucial building block, the findings represent a big step in synthetic biology and provide a glimpse at how Earth’s earliest organisms may have livedWed, 27 May 2026 15:46:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-used-ai-to-redesign-a-microbes-machinery-to-function-without-a-key-ingredient-of-life-180988802/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/daddy-longlegs-seem-to-hunt-frogs-in-south-america-revealing-the-gangly-arachnids-as-long-overlooked-predators-180988810/A new study suggests that harvestmen actively attack the slippery amphibians, rather than just scavenging them. The findings hint that the spineless creatures have a more complex relationship with vertebrates than previously thoughtWed, 27 May 2026 13:00:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/daddy-longlegs-seem-to-hunt-frogs-in-south-america-revealing-the-gangly-arachnids-as-long-overlooked-predators-180988810/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-mere-presence-of-humans-not-just-our-changes-to-the-land-can-alter-wild-animals-behaviors-a-new-study-suggests-180988793/Researchers examined GPS tracking data from thousands of animals representing 37 species and anonymized cellphone location data from 2020, a year of Covid-19 lockdowns, and the previous yearTue, 26 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-mere-presence-of-humans-not-just-our-changes-to-the-land-can-alter-wild-animals-behaviors-a-new-study-suggests-180988793/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/belugas-can-recognize-themselves-in-mirrors-joining-a-short-list-of-non-human-species-that-show-signs-of-self-awareness-180988783/The researchers hope that this new understanding of cognition in the toothed whales will increase human empathy and concern for the animals, leading to more efforts to protect themFri, 22 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/belugas-can-recognize-themselves-in-mirrors-joining-a-short-list-of-non-human-species-that-show-signs-of-self-awareness-180988783/