New Research

An arachnid in the trapdoor spider family, a group known for its snug and potentially even ocean-going burrows.

How One Brave Spider Floated Thousands of Miles to Colonize a New Continent

Improbably, new genetic analysis shows that trapdoor spiders may have ridden ocean currents from Africa to Australia

The algal scrubber in action.

Smithsonian Scientists Are Using Algae to Revitalize America’s Waterways

Walter Adey’s algal turf scrubber filters pollutants to clean water

Gen Xers and Millennials Out-Voted Older Generations in 2016

It's the first time the younger generations have beat out Baby Boomers, Silent Generation voters and Greatest Generation voters

Etmopterus lailae

This Tiny, Bulbous-Nosed Shark Glows in the Dark

After 17 years of study, scientists finally confirm that the oddball creature is a new species

The York Gospels

Medieval Manuscripts Are a DNA Smorgasbord

Researchers are finding animal DNA in the parchment pages as well as genetic fingerprints from humans (like kissing priests)

The Pleistocene world was filled with megafauna like woolly mammoths and saber-tooth cats. Did humans kill them all off?

Are Humans to Blame for the Disappearance of Earth’s Fantastic Beasts?

100,000 years ago, giant sloths, wombats and cave hyenas roamed the world. What drove them all extinct?

The Small Magellanic Cloud, where some of your atoms likely originate

Half of Our Atoms May Come From Other Galaxies

According to computer simulations, large galaxies may grow by sucking in matter smaller star clusters expel

Die Hermannsschlacht, Gemälde von Friedrich Gunkel, 1862–1864

New Excavation Will Examine Germany's Legendary "Founding Battle"

The dig hopes to find conclusive evidence that Kalkriese is the site of the Battle of Teutoburg Forest

Blue chrysanthemums

The Scientific Feat That Birthed the Blue Chrysanthemum

In a world first, scientists engineered the flowers to take on an azure hue

Ramazzottius varieornatus, a species of tardigrade, photographed with scanning electron microscope

Why Are Tardigrades the World's Hardiest Creature? DNA Offers Clues

They may be tiny, but don't let their stubby stature fool you

The fin of a blacktip shark glides through the waters in the Bahamas.

Ten Things We've Learned about Sharks Since Last Shark Week

In light of Shark Week 2017, here are some revelations about the fearsome fish we’ve made in the past year

Yes, Sperm Counts Have Been Steadily Declining—But Don’t Freeze Your Sperm Yet

The study is a striking reminder of how much science has to learn about these little wrigglers

The degenerative disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE, is common in football players, boxers, veterans and others exposed to head trauma.

Disease Found in 99 Percent of Brains Donated by NFL Families

The degenerative brain disease develops after repeated concussions or blows to the head

Little does it know, but getting eaten by a great tit is the least of this grub's worries.

Meet the Supervillain Worm That Gets By With a Little Help From Its Friends

This deadly nematode and its sidekicks reveal the power of bacterial symbiosis

Here, wildebeest find themselves trapped by high cliffs while crossing the Mara River in Africa's Serengeti. Every year thousands of wildebeest die while crossing the river due to strong currents or crossing at dangerous sites.

The Upside of Rotting Carcasses

Large animals dying en masse are crucial to the the Serengeti—and they aren’t the only ones

World's Oldest Smiley Face May Decorate a Hittite Jug

Researchers did not notice the cheery, 3,700-year-old expression until they restored the ceramic

Marianne Nyegaard poses next to a beached hoodwinker sunfish near Christchurch, New Zealand.

Found: New Species of Ocean Sunfish, the World’s Largest Bony Fish

After identifying genetic traces of the creature, one researcher spent years searching for the aquatic beast

A later copy of the Bixby Letter

Was This Famous Lincoln Letter Written by His Secretary?

After a century of rumors, textual analysis suggests the Bixby letter sent to a grieving mother was penned by John Hay

Of the 9 billion tons of plastic the world has produced, only nine percent is recycled.

Humans Have Produced Nine Billion Tons of Plastic and Counting

Over half of that material was created in the last decade

Axe head and grindstone found at Madjedbebe

Humans May Have Ventured Into Australia 20,000 Years Earlier Than Thought

High-tech dating of sediments at an Australian rock shelter offers insights into ancient human migration

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