Ask Smithsonian 2017

Could a Whale Accidentally Swallow You? It Is Possible

Whale sharks probably can’t fit you down their esophagus, but mariners claim that sperm whales have swallowed people in the past

None

Artificial Wetland Uses Bacteria to Clean Pharmaceuticals From Sewage

By harnessing bacteria to do the heavy lifting, a way to clean pharmaceuticals from waste water

None

With Biodesign, Life is Not Only the Subject of Art, But the Medium Too

Artists are borrowing from biology to create dazzling “biodesigns” that challenge our aesthetics—and our place in nature

None

Scientists Pluck Blind Shrimp and Other Strange Life Forms From World’s Deepest Hydrothermal Vent

More than three miles beneath the waves, the world’s deepest hydrothermal vent is home to ghostly creatures

None

Tasmanian Kelp Forests You Didn’t Know Existed Are Disappearing

Didn’t know there were kelp forests off of Tasmania? Apparently there are. And apparently they might not be there for long

None

What Kind of Dog Was Pavlov’s Dog?

Turns out, Pavlov wasn’t picky about which pooches he trained to salivate at the sound of the bell

None

Venus Fly Traps Glow Blue to Attract Their Prey

By emitting a faint blue glow, venus flytraps better attract their next meal

None

Researchers Treat Sinusitis the Same Way They Clean Ships

Yes, researchers think about your nose like a dirty ship hull that needs cleaning. But it does seem to work

Geneticists Think They Can Fix Tasteless Tomatoes

By identifying the genes that control the production of volatile chemicals, we could soon turn the bland tomato’s flavor back on

In Space, Infectious Diseases Reveal Their True Nature

It turns out that microgravity might reveal a thing or two about the nasty bacteria

None

Saving Top Predators Could Have a Climate Change Benefit, Too

Through their effect on the food web, shifting predator populations can change greenhouse gas levels

Chimpanzees Remember Things Faster Than You Do

Chimpanzees are several times stronger than us, generally healthier, and research suggests that they might have better memories too

Neuroscientists Have Created Mice That Can’t Sense Cold

The end goal is to help develop drugs that more thoroughly knock out the feeling of pain

None

Not Only Can Plants Talk to Each Other, They Listen More Closely to Their Relatives

Plants speak with chemical cues, and they listen more carefully to their close relatives

None

Tourists’ Photos Could Help Scientists Understand Whale Sharks

Every year, tourists take approximately a bazillion pictures. Most of them never wind up anywhere but someone’s hard drive, never seen again, but some of those pictures might actually be useful. Especially if they’re of whale sharks

None

These Sneaky Toxins Are Slipping Past Food Regulators

Chemical mask-wearing mycotoxins can slip past screening techniques

Researchers thought that male fish, affected by artificial hormones in waste water, were growing eggs. This turned out to not be true.

California’s Gender-Bending Fish Was Actually Just a Contamination Accident

Scientists thought male fish, exposed to artificial hormones, were growing eggs. They weren’t

A moose in Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve.

Minnesota’s Moose Are Missing, And No One Really Knows Why

Disease? Warm summers? No one knows for sure what is leading to the moose’s decline in this state

None

The Unsettling Beauty of Lethal Pathogens

British artist Luke Jerram’s handblown glass sculptures show the visual complexity and delicacy of E. coli, swine flu, malaria and other killing agents

Wisdom the Albatross with the chick she hatched last year.

At 62, the Oldest Bird in the World Is Still Hatching Chicks

Wisdom the 62 year-old albatross just hatched what is thought to be her 30 to 35th chick

Page 78 of 90