Climate Change

The Moai sculptures on Rapa Nui are at risk of collapsing into the ocean as coastal erosion continues.

New Tool Tracks Climate Change's Impact on World Heritage Sites

The online portal showcases the craggy cliffs surrounding Edinburgh Castle, Easter Island's famed sculptures and other cultural heritage hotspots

European honeybees are used by commercial beekeepers worldwide to pollinate crops and produce honey.

These Bees Fight Varroa Mites With Help From Special Engineered Bacteria

Honeybees with engineered microbiomes were more likely to survive both mites and the viruses they carry

Olive oils for sale at The Spanish Table at Seattle's Pike Place Market.

Is Paying a Premium for European Foods Worth It?

New tariffs on certain wines, spirits, olive oil and cheeses from Europe have us wondering how much place really factors into taste

Changing temperatures affect how quickly wine grapes ripen, how sweet they are, and how much acid they have, all of which influences the quality of the end product.

English Sparkling Wines Challenge the Supremacy of Champagne, France—Thanks to Climate Change

As average temperatures rise and extreme weather events become more common, vintners are forced to adapt year to year

Researchers monitored the decay of feral pig carcasses to understand what happens to ecosystems where many animals have died at once

To Study Mass Die-Offs, Scientists Dumped 15 Tons of Feral Pig Carcasses Into a Field

The rotting, putrefying bodies flooded with insects, attracted scavengers and devastated local plants and microbes

"Tardigrades are definitely not the almost indestructible organism,” says Ricardo Neves.

High Temperatures Might Be Water Bears’ Achilles Heel

Tardigrades are known for their resilience, but a new study shows they can’t bear hours in the heat

Adult mayflies following an emergence on Lake Erie.

Massive Mayfly Swarms Are Getting Smaller—and That's Bad News for Aquatic Ecosystems

The drop is a sign that the insects’ populations are threatened, which could negatively affect the animals that feed on them

A Jamaican fruit bat (Artibeus jamaicensis), one of the species that contributed to the guano researchers used to study the climates of the past.

Ancient Bat Guano Reveals Thousands of Years of Human Impact on the Environment

Like sediment cores, ice samples and tree rings, bat excrement can be used to study the climate of the past

Kelsey Rose Juliana, one of 21 plaintiffs in Juliana v. United States, speaks at a rally in Portland, Oregon on Tuesday, June 4, 2019. That day, three federal judges heard arguments for the case.

Appeals Court Dismisses Kids’ Climate Case

The court conceded that the case was compelling but concluded that "such relief is beyond our constitutional power."

In 2019, the average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 0.95 degrees Celsius (1.71 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 20th century average.

The 2010s Were the Hottest Decade on Record. What Happens Next?

The news hasn’t come as a surprise to climate scientists, but all urge immediate action

A Chinese paddlefish specimen made in 1990 is seen on display at the Museum of Hydrobiological Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan, China. The Chinese paddlefish's sharp, protruding snout made it one of the largest freshwater species in the world.

The Chinese Paddlefish, Which Lived for 200 Million Years, Is Now Extinct

New research concludes the freshwater species likely disappeared between 2005 and 2010 due to human activity

Sweden's 1,200-year-old Rök stone is inscribed with more than 700 runes, some of which may discuss climate change.

Viking Runestone May Trace Its Roots to Fear of Extreme Weather

Sweden’s Rök stone, raised by a father commemorating his recently deceased son, may contain allusions to an impending period of catastrophic cold

An intentionally lit controlled fire burns intensely near Tomerong, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, in an effort to contain a larger fire nearby.

More Than One Billion Animals Have Been Killed in Australia’s Wildfires, Scientist Estimates

Some researchers believe the number could be ‘a very conservative figure’

Iron-rich dust launched into the air by winds swirls around the Southern Ocean. Understanding how iron’s chemistry shifts during its journey from earth to air to sea will be important for developing better climate models.

The Complicated Role of Iron in Ocean Health and Climate Change

Iron dust may have played a significant role in the last ice age, and it could be an important factor in mitigating future global temperature increases

The irony of trucking fake snow into a city that typically has to spend millions on snow removal was not lost on locals in Moscow.

Moscow Brought in Fake Snow for New Year's Eve Festivities to Counter an Unseasonably Warm December

A lack of festive atmosphere isn't the only issue; the city's snowless New Year's points to the serious effects of climate change on Russia

These are ten of the biggest strides made by scientists in the last ten years.

The Top Ten Scientific Discoveries of the Decade

Breakthroughs include measuring the true nature of the universe, finding new species of human ancestors, and unlocking new ways to fight disease

Presenting Smithsonian magazine's top ten stories of 2019

Our Top Ten Stories of 2019

From a 16-million-year-old tree to Confederate soldiers’ diaries, voracious snakes and England’s warrior king, these were the most-read stories of 2019

Exposed stone-built features in shallow water at the archaeological site of Tel Hreiz.

Oldest Known Seawall Discovered Along Submerged Mediterranean Villages

Archaeologists believe the 7,000-year-old structure was intended to protect settlements as sea levels rose

Thousands of brooding octopuses were discovered in 2018 on the ocean floor off the coast of California.

Eighteen Things We've Learned About the Oceans in the Last Decade

In the past 10 years, the world's oceans have faced new challenges, revealed new wonders, and provided a roadmap for future conservation

The Ten Best Science Books of 2019

New titles explore the workings of the human body, the lives of animals big and small, the past and future of planet earth and how it's all connected

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