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Conservation

The museum's restoration includes necessary updates to conservation workshops and archive spaces.

Madrid’s Renewed and Expanded Sorolla Museum Lets the Paintings of the Spanish ‘Master of Light’ Re-emerge Into Public View

Dedicated to the works of Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, the museum is centered around his historic home and studio. The first phase of its yearslong renovation is complete, featuring expanded exhibition spaces

Dams block the flow of a river to hold water in a reservoir, which can be used for agriculture, recreation, household needs or industry. The flow of water through a dam can generate hydroelectric power. Aging dams are being dismantled across the country, restoring the natural flow to rivers.

Dam Removals Are Bringing Fish Back Across the Northeastern United States, Striking Down One Tiny Barrier at a Time

While the demolition of big dams in the West gets more attention, many of these often-obsolete obstructions are also coming out of northeastern streams and rivers—and herring are returning in droves

Biologists are running a pilot project with up to 100 birds on Albatross Island.

Wildlife Biologists Start Vaccinating Shy Albatrosses by Hand, Taking Aim at the Spread of Avian Flu in Tasmania

If all goes to plan, officials hope to vaccinate up to 100 of the large seabirds on Albatross Island, giving each two doses of the vaccine. Afterward, they plan to keep tabs on the birds using remote cameras and follow-up visits

Coyotes and people coexist in San Francisco, despite an effort to eradicate the canines a century ago. This image and its portfolio won the Photojournalist Story Award.

See the Stunning Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest, Capturing the Splendor and Drama of Nature

These 19 recognized images highlight the diversity across our planet and the value in appreciating and protecting the natural world

The tettina was found broken into pieces in 2011.

Cool Finds

Mourners Placed an Ancient Sippy Cup in a Roman Toddler’s Grave. It May Have Been Meant to Sustain the Child on the Journey to the Afterlife

Fragments of the spouted cup, known as a “tettina,” were unearthed in England over a decade ago. It has recently been restored and put on display for the first time

The nocturnal barn owls have drawn crowds of birders at night.

A Family of Barn Owls Has Moved Into New York City’s Upper West Side, Perhaps the First to Nest in Manhattan in Modern History

The feathered residents have attracted lots of attention, as their species is considered an extremely rare sight in the city

A screenshot from the live online cheetah cam feed on October 9 shows the mother, Zura, with her five cubs.

Watch Five Adorable Newborn Cheetah Cubs Grow on a Livestream From the Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute

The healthy and active babies are being cared for by first-time mother Zura, and the public can keep up with their antics through an online cheetah cub cam

The bare-throated bellbird is among the world’s loudest birds.

These South American Birds Can Match a Jackhammer’s Ear-Splitting Volume, Making Them Some of the World’s Loudest Known Avians

The bare-throated bellbird and the red-legged seriema can produce sounds at amplitudes that exceed 120 decibels, which puts them on par with a trumpeting elephant or a chainsaw

Osiris is one of three beluga whales that died at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. The other died at Oceanografic Valencia in Spain.

Four Beluga Whales Died Weeks After Being Rescued From a Defunct Marine Park in Canada. Were the Animals Too Sick to Be Moved?

They were among 30 whales transferred from the facility over the summer. It had faced multiple allegations of animal neglect and cruelty before closing in 2024

A newly identified stick insect species, Anchiale mabiensis, can be found in the Mabi Forest of Australia.

Two New Stick Insect Species Have Been Discovered in Australia—and Another One Was Hiding in Plain Sight

The new discoveries emphasize that scientists have a lot left to learn about insect diversity, even in areas with many observations

A lion surveys his vast territory in Maasai Mara.

These 15 Wonderful Photographs of Kenya’s World-Class Wildlife Will Have You Booking a Flight to the Savanna

The East African nation is home to a number of conservation parks where its impressive animals roam free

Participants in Germany liked the Eurasian blackbird's call the most out of a list of vocalizations made by more than 100 birds.

Some Birdsongs Are More Pleasing to Human Ears Than Others. Higher-Pitched, Complex Calls Tend to Sound More Beautiful to Us

In a new study, more than 80 participants rated the pleasantness of vocalizations made by 123 European bird species. Researchers then looked at the acoustic qualities of the most—and least—liked songs

Members of the public are invited to vote for their favorite name for the otter: Nessie, Ruthie or Morgan. The selections are a nod to community changemakers who have made a positive impact on the river and the Bronx more broadly.

An Otter Just Returned to New York City’s Bronx River for the First Time in a Century. Now, You Can Help Name It

A trail camera photographed the animal earlier this summer, offering a hopeful sign that the once-polluted urban waterway is recovering after decades of restoration work

A nine-banded armadillo in Costa Rica. The Mexican long-nosed armadillo, which is the only armadillo species found in the United States, used to be considered the same species as the nine-banded armadillo.

An Armadillo Found in Ohio Is the Latest Surprise in the Armored Animals’ Expansion North. Where Are They Now, and What’s Driving Their Movement?

Typically spotted in the South and Southeast, the creatures have been reaching increasingly distant states like North Carolina, Virginia and Illinois as winters become milder

The scythe is a less invasive tool for cutting grass than a lawnmower.

A Cutting-Edge English Initiative Replaces Lawnmowers With Scythes to Restore Wildflowers and Save the Bees

English Heritage has recruited volunteers to mow meadows the old-fashioned way at some of its historic sites

Kakapo are critically endangered, but they're starting to make a comeback.

New Zealand Welcomes a Record 90 Kakapo Chicks, Helping the World’s Chunkiest Parrot Species Rebound From the Brink of Extinction

Annual chick counts aren’t confirmed until the youngest hatchling reaches 150 days old, a benchmark for independence. The population now stands at 325 birds, up from the 51 individuals that remained in 1995

A pack of wild dogs in South Africa

Three Wild Dogs Made a Record-Breaking Trek Across Zambia, Traveling More Than 2,500 Miles in Search of Mates

The canines achieved the longest recorded movement by any African mammal. Their journey highlights the importance of having protected corridors for wildlife

This photo of an adult male seahorse with two juveniles earned Julien Anton the overall Ocean Photographer of the Year award and first place in the wildlife category.

See Nine Stunning Images from This Year’s Ocean Photographer of the Year Contest That Show the Majesty of Marine Life

From seahorse farewells to saving a stranded whale, the photos capture the diversity and beauty of sea creatures—but also the perils they face

A nabarlek on Augustus Island, an uninhabited island in Western Australia. This is not one of the newly discovered wallabies.

Australia’s Second-Smallest Rock-Wallaby Reappears in a Region Where It Had Not Been Seen for 50 Years

The endangered nabarlek is not easy to find and difficult to distinguish from similar species. But a research team made new detections of the animals that offer “good news for their long-term survival”

The annual contest highlights not only birds but also their behaviors, habitats and threats.

These 20 Breathtaking Bird Images From the Audubon Photography Awards Capture the Wonder of the Winged World

The winners of the 17th annual contest reveal the beauty of birds, the splendor of their migratory journeys and the risks they face

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