Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Ecology

Mangroves are rich and biodiverse coastal ecosystems that flood and emerge with the tides. Now villagers are burning these trees to better their lives.

Madagascar’s Mangroves: The Ultimate Giving Trees

Locals already use the trees for food, fuel and building materials. Now they’re burning them to make lime clay

New Research

Cod May Have Regional “Accents” That Could Spawn Trouble When Breeding

Recording fish communication could help scientists learn more about the impact of underwater noise pollution

Alaska's yellow-cedar forests are slowly dying as climate change takes root.

Anthropocene

This Music Was Composed by Climate Change

Dying forests make magnificently melancholy listening

The Billion Oyster Project is trying to help restore oysters to New York City's waterways.

Cool Finds

Thousands of Toilets Submerged in NY Harbor Go From Bathroom Throne to Oyster Home

It’s much too soon to eat them, though

Trending Today

Giant Pandas Are No Longer Endangered but Are Still in Danger

They aren’t the only ones in trouble: the state of the great apes is more dire than ever

We're gonna need a bigger tank.

Age of Humans

Ginormous Goldfish Are Invading Australian Rivers

Abandoned by their owners, the fish run rampant and impact the environment

New Research

When It Comes to West Nile Virus, Atlanta’s Cardinals May Be Our Feathered Saviors

New research suggests the bright red birds are viral “super-suppressors”

The "Bee and Bee" at the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver, Canada is made from materials gathered from urban gardens across the city and woven together with found pieces of ivy, wool, and leaves.

Cool Finds

Forget the Hive, Now Wild Bees Can Check in to These Swanky Hotels

Don’t six-legged guests also deserve the best bang for their buzz?

Move Over, Madagascar: This Island Has the World’s Greatest Concentration of Unique Mammals

The majority of them are found nowhere else on Earth, making Luzon a biological treasure trove

New Research

Browse Though the Amazon’s 12,000 Tree Species in This New Master List

Gotta count ‘em all

A pair of nilgai, Asia's largest species of antelope.

Trending Today

India Gives Go-Ahead for Farmers to Cull “Vermin”

The cull will include a range of animals deemed troublesome to people—including rhesus monkeys and wild boar in some places

Enlightened Hawaiian chiefs as far back as the 14th century instituted what is called the moku-ahupua‘a system of management throughout the islands.

Finding Lessons on Culture and Conservation at the End of the Road in Kauai

In the remote, tropical paradise called Ha‘ena, the community is reasserting Native Hawaiian stewardship of the land and sea

A trowel placed in a Native American oyster midden that dates to about 1,000 years ago shows the relative size of the shells. The average size of modern oysters is significantly smaller.

How Big Were Oysters in the Chesapeake Before Colonization?

A new multidisciplinary study reveals that yes, oysters were larger and more plentiful before European contact

A lamprey in a tank at the Aquarium Restaurant Atalaya in Spain.

Cool Finds

It’s Lamprey Breeding Time in Britain

The bloodsucking fish are returning rivers that were once too polluted for them to live in

The Black Sea's fish stocks have been plummeting as of late and may be beyond repair.

The Black Sea Is Dying, and War Might Push it Over the Edge

Surrounded by six countries, all with their own agendas, the massive body of water is at risk of becoming another casualty of regional strife

New Research

Leprosy Threatens U.K. Red Squirrel Populations

Researchers have launched a new study to try to save the furry rodents

Trending Today

Brawny American Lobsters Are Muscling in on Their European Cousins

Sweden wants to ban live American lobsters for fear they will out-claw their own

Washing your hands will make them clean, but it may not get rid of the microbes that live there.

Your Skin’s Microbial Inhabitants Might Stick Around, Even If You Wash

This tiny ecosystem is surprisingly stable from months to years, study reveals

Boulder brain coral is usually common in Florida's coral reefs.

New Research

Between Bleaching and Boats, Florida’s Coral Reefs Are Struggling to Survive

The reefs are crumbling in acidifying waters and buried from dredging, according to new reports

New Research

Eating Toxic Algae Might Make Some Plankton Act Drunk

Though it may seem funny, it could have serious environmental consequences

Page 28 of 37