Australia

Pakistan, home of Deosai National Park, is one of the countries whose leaders signed the pledge to protect 30 percent of land and water.

These Conservation Stories Prove 2020 Was Not All Bad News

From the Smithsonian’s Earth Optimism team, comes a surprising list of successful efforts making a difference

Tasmanian devils nip at each other's faces while eating carcasses and during mating season, providing opportunities for infectious face cancer to spread.

Study Offers Hope for Tasmanian Devils, Once Thought Doomed by Infectious Cancer

In the late 1990s, one affected devil infected an average of 3.5 others, but now each only infects about one

A Japanese space capsule seen falling back to Earth over Australia. The capsule, released from the JAXA space probe Hayabusa2, contains samples of an asteroid called Ryugu that is located roughly 180 million miles from our planet.

Japan Retrieves Space Capsule Full of Asteroid Samples in Australia

The successful landing marks the completion of Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission, which studied the 3,000-foot-wide asteroid Ryugu

A keyhole wasp can block up an airplane's external sensor in as little as 30 minutes.

In Australia, Just One Wasp Can Ground an Airplane With a Strategically Placed Nest

Invasive keyhole wasps were building nests in the equipment pilots use to measure how fast they’re flying

A new book Incredible Archaeology: Inspiring Places From Our Human Past, out this month from Smithsonian Books, explores some of the world's most spectacular ancient wonders.

Twelve Ancient and Enduring Places Around the World

From Smithsonian Books, towering temples, dramatic works of art and early settlements that have stood the test of time

A new report finds platypus numbers are declining in Australia, prompting the authors of the report to call for the species to be listed as endangered.

Platypuses Lost 22% of Their Habitat Over Last 30 Years

The startling finding comes in a report that documents the iconic Australian animal’s decline and recommends increased legal protections

McCubbin's Found spent 115 years hidden beneath the surface of The Pioneer, a 1904 painting widely heralded as one of Australia's greatest masterpieces.

Missing Australian Masterpiece Spent 115 Years Hiding in Plain Sight

Impressionist Frederick McCubbin painted "The Pioneer" (1904) over an earlier work titled "Found"

The burial site is located inside of Makpan cave on the Indonesian island of Alor.

8,000 Years Ago, a Child in Indonesia Was Buried Without Their Arms and Legs

Ancient humans often modified the bones of their dead as part of funerary rituals

Platypuses' nocturnal nature made researchers suspect they might glow under ultraviolet light.

Platypuses Glow Green Under Ultraviolet Light

The web-footed monotremes join a small cast of fluorescent, nocturnal mammals

A team of scientists on board a research vessel were on a year-long expedition to map the seafloor surrounding Australia when they discovered the reef about 80 miles off the coast of Cape York, Queensland.

A Coral Reef Taller Than the Eiffel Tower Was Just Discovered Off the Coast of Australia

A team of scientists mapped the underwater landscape and its bustling sea life using a robot

“When you have sound, the dingoes will flinch. They’re a bit nervous but they don’t run away. But the wavy man, boy, they bolted," animal behavior researcher Bradley Smith tells Science magazine.

In Australia, Inflatable Tube Dancers Scare Dingoes Away From Livestock

At car dealerships, the 13-foot-tall flailing contraptions are meant to attract buyers. But on ranches, they scare off predators and protect the herd

Each bare patch of clay-crusted earth is about 13 feet across.

The Magical Mathematics Behind 'Fairy Circles'

Competing theories suggest that the patches come from termite activity, grass competition over water, or a combination of both

Conservation groups released Tasmanian devils in mainland Australia earlier this month, marking a major milestone in the process of restoring a species that has been missing for thousands of years.

For the First Time in 3,000 Years, Tasmanian Devils Return to Mainland Australia

The marsupial carnivores will roam the outback once again

This Maliwawa Figure shows a kangaroo or similar animal.

Newly Documented Aboriginal Rock Art Is 'Unlike Anything Seen Before'

The ancient paintings depict close relationships between humans and animals

A deadly Australian funnel-web spider bares its fangs.

Deadly Spiders Evolved Venom to Safely Search for Love

Male funnel-web spiders evolved deadly venom to protect themselves from vertebrate predators when they leave the safety of their burrows to find a mate

Some animals eat the leaves, but the venomous spines are certainly enough to discourage humans from getting too close.

How Venomous Australian Stinging Trees Cause So Much Pain

The trees may look fuzzy, but they’re covered in tiny needles that can cause months of pain

A photo of a highland wild dog in Papua, Indonesia. A new genetic study confirms that these wild dogs are in fact a surviving population of the New Guinea singing dog, which was thought to be extinct in the wild.

Thought to Be Extinct, New Guinea’s Singing Dogs Found Alive in the Wild

A new genetic study confirms that the unique dogs, thought to be extinct in the wild, still exist outside of human care

The newly discovered banana cultivation site

Traces of 2,000-Year-Old Banana Farm Found in Australia

The discovery contradicts conceptions of early Indigenous peoples as exclusively hunter gatherers

Critterpedia allows users to identify Australian spider and snake species with the snap of a photo.

This Australian App Is Like 'Shazam' for Spiders and Snakes

New AI tool will help users identify venomous species

Scientists have isolated the gene the makes the Australian fruit immune to a devastating disease plaguing American citrus.

How the Australian Finger Lime Could Save American Citrus

Scientists found the gene that makes finger limes impervious to a disease turning oranges green and bitter

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