South Asia | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/south-asia/RSS feed for South AsiaenTue, 07 Jul 2026 19:29:28 +0000Tall Trees Were Thought to Be More Vulnerable to Drought. But These Towering Plants in Southeast Asia Have Adapted to Move Water Efficientlyhttps://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/Happy, an Asian Elephant Who Demonstrated That Her Species Might Be Self-Aware, Dies at 55 at the Bronx Zoohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/happy-an-asian-elephant-who-demonstrated-that-her-species-might-be-self-aware-dies-at-55-at-the-bronx-zoo-180988861/In research reported about 20 years ago, Happy appeared to recognize herself in a mirror. She was later the subject of a failed lawsuit claiming that elephants should have certain fundamental human rightsFri, 29 May 2026 18:23:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/happy-an-asian-elephant-who-demonstrated-that-her-species-might-be-self-aware-dies-at-55-at-the-bronx-zoo-180988861/