https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/extinction/RSS feed for ExtinctionenFri, 29 May 2026 21:00:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/four-rare-guam-kingfisher-chicks-hatch-at-virginia-facility-making-an-incredibly-valuable-addition-to-the-small-population-of-extinct-in-the-wild-birds-180988863/The species, also known as the sihek, was wiped out from its native Guam and kept alive in captivity. Conservationists released some birds on Palmyra Atoll in 2024, and they have been thriving so farFri, 29 May 2026 21:00:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/four-rare-guam-kingfisher-chicks-hatch-at-virginia-facility-making-an-incredibly-valuable-addition-to-the-small-population-of-extinct-in-the-wild-birds-180988863/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/de-extinction-company-says-it-hatched-chicks-from-artificial-eggs-paving-the-way-for-resurrecting-dodos-and-other-bygone-birds-180988766/Colossal Biosciences announced that 26 live baby chickens have emerged from 3D-printed honeycomb structures. But the company does not plan to detail the system in a paper, and its mission has faced criticismTue, 19 May 2026 20:09:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/de-extinction-company-says-it-hatched-chicks-from-artificial-eggs-paving-the-way-for-resurrecting-dodos-and-other-bygone-birds-180988766/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-rare-dove-hatchlings-are-a-source-of-hope-for-the-extinct-in-the-wild-birds-and-a-step-forward-in-the-ambitious-project-to-save-them-180988730/The Socorro dove has not been recorded in the wild since 1972, but that could change within only a few years, conservationists say, thanks to a long-term reintroduction effortFri, 15 May 2026 15:07:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-rare-dove-hatchlings-are-a-source-of-hope-for-the-extinct-in-the-wild-birds-and-a-step-forward-in-the-ambitious-project-to-save-them-180988730/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-homo-sapiens-really-outsmart-neanderthals-different-skull-shapes-didnt-necessarily-mean-unequal-brain-capacity-new-research-shows-180988738/A study from U.S. and Chinese researchers suggests Neanderthals and early modern humans probably had similar cognitive abilitiesWed, 13 May 2026 21:29:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-homo-sapiens-really-outsmart-neanderthals-different-skull-shapes-didnt-necessarily-mean-unequal-brain-capacity-new-research-shows-180988738/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-bountiful-berry-harvest-put-these-chunky-endangered-parrots-in-the-mood-now-scientists-are-celebrating-a-breeding-bonanza-180988510/New Zealand's kakapo have laid 256 eggs, and around 100 of them have hatched, providing a bright spot in a decades-long conservation effort. The official chick count won't be confirmed until the youngest birds are about 5 months oldFri, 17 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-bountiful-berry-harvest-put-these-chunky-endangered-parrots-in-the-mood-now-scientists-are-celebrating-a-breeding-bonanza-180988510/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/as-their-antarctic-habitat-melts-away-emperor-penguins-are-now-considered-an-endangered-species-180988520/The International Union for Conservation of Nature predicts that the birds' population could be cut in half by the 2080s. The organization also changed the statuses of Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant sealsThu, 09 Apr 2026 20:35:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/as-their-antarctic-habitat-melts-away-emperor-penguins-are-now-considered-an-endangered-species-180988520/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/earths-smells-are-disappearing-because-of-climate-change-and-its-a-vast-cultural-loss-180988496/A triple threat of pollution, extinction and warming temperatures is altering the way the planet smells. Scientists are only beginning to understand the stakes for humansWed, 08 Apr 2026 12:57:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/earths-smells-are-disappearing-because-of-climate-change-and-its-a-vast-cultural-loss-180988496/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/la-brea-tar-pits-sucking-visitors-millennia-paleontologits-still-finding-out-what-lies-within-ooze-180988404/In Los Angeles, scientists are delighted to decode one of the richest fossil records on EarthTue, 07 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/la-brea-tar-pits-sucking-visitors-millennia-paleontologits-still-finding-out-what-lies-within-ooze-180988404/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rock-art-suggests-the-tasmanian-tiger-may-have-survived-on-mainland-australia-longer-than-previously-thought-180988472/Archaeologists think some of the paintings may be less than 1,000 years old, even though the animals were thought to have disappeared from the continent roughly 3,000 years agoFri, 03 Apr 2026 17:58:54 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rock-art-suggests-the-tasmanian-tiger-may-have-survived-on-mainland-australia-longer-than-previously-thought-180988472/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-snorkeling-scientists-stumbled-upon-an-surprising-trove-of-fossils-in-a-texas-water-cave-180988464/They found remains of animals that have never been uncovered in Central Texas. The fossils hint that the region was warm, moist and forested 100,000 years agoWed, 01 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-snorkeling-scientists-stumbled-upon-an-surprising-trove-of-fossils-in-a-texas-water-cave-180988464/