New Research

Microbe Cells Don't Outnumber Your Own

For years people have cited the ten-to-one ratio, with microbes dominating human cells, but that number is probably wrong, according to recent research

Thank Neanderthals for Your Immune System

Genes inherited from our ancient cousins may have helped fight off disease

University of Colorado Denver researcher Martin Lockley (right) and Ken Cart pose beside large a dinosaur scrape they discovered in Western Colorado.

Dinosaurs May Have Dug Trenches to Woo Mates

Ancient grooves discovered in Colorado suggest dinos had bird-like mating rituals

Globular cluster 47 Tucanae

Old, Dense Star Clusters Might Be the Place to Look for Complex Alien Life

The age and density of globular star clusters could give alien life both the time and resources necessary to brew complex society

A Brandeis University researcher studied paintings by Edgar Degas and other bummed-out artists to see if grief affected their sale price.

Grief May Not Make Artists Better

New research shows that bummed-out artists aren't necessarily better ones

Foot fluid may help bugs escape in a hurry.

Foot Fluids Work in Surprising Ways to Help Insects Stick to Walls

Long though to boost bug stickiness, the fluid may instead help insects mold to contours and make quick exits

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

Scientists Trained Monitor Lizards Not to Chow Down on Poisonous Toads

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

A women harvests millet in Arunachal Pradesh, India

This Ancient Grain May Have Helped Humans Become Farmers

Millet's short growing season and low water needs might also benefit a modern world stressed by climate change

A mosquito feeding on a small Northern Bog Orchid (Platanthera obtusata)

New Street Lamps Lure Mosquitoes With Fake Human Scents

Lighting the way in the fight against mosquitos

Trioceros hoehnelii, one of the 20 chameleons whose tongues a researcher tested for speed

Tiny Chameleon’s Tongue Can Beat the Fastest Sports Car

The Rosette-nosed Pygmy Chameleon can launch its tongue toward prey at 8,500 feet per second

People's Brain Chemistry May Reveal the Hour of Their Death

The tiny biological clocks ticking away inside the body stop when life ends, leaving a timestamp of sorts

This Pen Can Draw Electrical Circuits

A silver salt based ink lets users draw any circuit they can dream

The newly-named "Ninja Lanternshark."

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

Some lucky kids got to name this gnarly-looking fish

China’s Lunar Rover Discovered a New Kind of Moon Rock

The Yutu Rover has discovered a type of basalt unlike anything else ever found on the moon

Our Top Ten Stories of 2015

From treasures buried in glaciers to the racial history of a vanished city in Oregon, here are the most-read stories on Smithsonian.com this year

This photo of two short-nosed sea snakes alerted researchers to the species' survival, even though they were thought to be extinct for 15 years.

They’re Back: Supposedly Extinct Sea Snakes Have Been Found in Australia

Nearly 15 years later and about 1,000 miles away from the last sighting, the snakes could be making a comeback

Yellow and red are the primary colors in this double rainbow.

Not All Rainbows Have Every Color

Depending on the angle of the sun, ROY G. BIV don't all necessarily appear

How Do Hardworking Hummingbirds Keep Cool?

Special “windows” in the feathers covering their tiny bodies prevent overheating while hovering and flying

A cichlid fish swims in Lake Tanganyika. New research has shown new cichlid species coming to be in a much smaller crater lake in Tanzania.

Darwin's “Puddle” Could Show How New Species Emerge in Close Quarters

A genetic study of cichlid fish in a small crater lake seems to support a debated evolutionary concept

These Parrots Use Pebbles as Tools to Grind up Seashells

Polly want a mineral supplement?

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