Articles tagged as Conservation | Smithsonian Magazine

The skeleton of a Steller's sea cow hangs in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

“Mermaid Ivory” Stirs Controversy Over How Extinct Species Are Studied

The carved bones of marine mammals highlight the squishy regulations around their trade and what that means for science

February 15, 2016

U.S. species, like this red salamander, may be at risk as a new form of deadly amphibian fungus spreads.

A Ban on Salamanders Is Just Part of the Fight Against This Deadly Fungus

Scientists are deploying a variety of weapons as new clues emerge about the fungal diseases killing off amphibians

February 13, 2016

Trainer Liz Seely and Tucker head out to search for scat on a research boat.

Meet the Dogs Sniffing Out Whale Poop for Science

Inspired by drug-detection programs, these canines scour the sea for samples that aid in conservation research

February 8, 2016

Cool Finds

The Only Known Jaguar in America Was Finally Caught on Video

“El Jefe” made a rare appearance in Arizona

February 5, 2016

A kermode bear, also known as a spirit bear, explores a stream in the depths of British Columbia, Canada's Great Bear Rainforest.

It’s a victory for First Nations, loggers, and environmentalists

February 3, 2016

Cu Rua photographed in 2011 during a health check

The recent death of Cu Rua pushes the Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle to the brink of extinction

January 26, 2016

Last seen in 1870, Jerdon’s tree frog is alive and (mostly) well in India

January 21, 2016

Fish caught for drying in a village in Bangladesh

New Research

Overfishing Has Been Even Worse Than We Thought

Official counts previously overlooked fish as bycatch, small-scale fishing and illegal fishing

January 20, 2016

This monitor lizard is definitely not thinking of eating poisonous toads.

New Research

Scientists Trained Monitor Lizards Not to Chow Down on Poisonous Toads

And they did it by feeding them smaller and less-poisonous toads

January 7, 2016

An Underwater Museum in Egypt Could Bring Thousands of Sunken Relics Into View

The proposed site might revive tourism in Alexandria and also further research into the ancient ruins

December 29, 2015

New Research

A New Species of Shark Gives a Hat Tip to Both Jaws and Ninjas

Some lucky kids got to name this gnarly-looking fish

December 24, 2015

Coast Redwood trees are one of the more than 200 species threatened by extinction around the world.

Some conifers’ survival is endangered by disease, deforestation and competition

December 23, 2015

Americans will still be able to hunt in some regions, but bringing trophies home will be harder

December 21, 2015

Top Nine Ocean Stories That Had Us Talking in 2015

From fossil whales to adorable octopuses, here are some of the marine headliners that caught our attention this year

December 21, 2015

Age of Humans

Most Oil Needs to Pass Through at Least One of These Tiny Spots

Tankers carry millions of barrels a day through tiny chokepoints, which put the surrounding areas at risk of environmental problems

December 21, 2015

New Research

Shockingly, Pandas That Like Each Other Have More Babies Together

The deceptively simple discovery could revolutionize panda breeding

December 17, 2015

A cheetah stalks past a herd of giraffes in Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve.

Age of Humans

Humans Caused a Major Shift in Earth’s Ecosystems 6,000 Years Ago

We upended a pattern held for 300 million years, and that may mean we are causing a new phase in global evolution

December 16, 2015

For the First Time Ever, a Rehabilitated Tiger Has Birthed Cubs in the Wild

In an update from our February cover story, Zolushka found a mate in Siberia and now has two baby tiger cubs

December 14, 2015

A forest elephant takes an unintentional selfie in a camera-trap photo snapped in South Sudan.

Rare Forest Elephants Seen for the First Time in South Sudan

A recent camera trap survey also spied a wealth of other species thriving in remote forests despite the young country’s civil unrest

December 11, 2015

The Lake Mills reservoir gets drawn down in March 2012 as part of the Elwha River Restoration, which involved the largest dam removal project in U.S. history.

Age of Humans

Removing a Dam Can Be a Net Win for the Planet

Once hailed as clean power sources, dams are sometimes more costly to maintain than they are to tear down

December 11, 2015