Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

New Research

A leech found in Vietnam

New Research

These Scientists Survey Rainforest Diversity Using Leeches and the Blood They Suck

DNA from their host animals can persist in adult leeches for at least four months

New Research

Here’s How a Crew Survived an 1813 Shipwreck

The Neva’s remaining crew managed to live an entire month in an Alaskan winter with just the wreckage of their ship

New Research

Sleep Scientists Say School Days Should Start Later

For better learning, some researchers say school days should start at 10 AM.

Argentine ants

New Research

Invasive Ants Could Be Beaten Back With a Targeted Virus

The idea is sound, but work needs to be done to ensure the virus doesn’t take out other insects as well

New Research

Whales Have Dialects. Could They Have Cultures Too?

Unique click patterns point to the possibility of differing cultures among groups of sperm whales

1,000 years ago, Native Americans in the Southwest likely traded for cacao beans from far-away parts of Mexico and South America.

New Research

Early Americans Went to Great Lengths to Get Caffeine

Pottery shards reveal 1,000-year-old traces of caffeine in places where it wasn’t readily available

New Research

When Seals Molt, They Leave Behind Mercury

Pollution collects at the top of the food chain.

Canada

Quebec Might Become The New Napa Thanks To Climate Change

In a few years, Qubecois pinot noir might be among the best in the world

New Research

This Computer Can Track How Fashion Spreads From the Runway to the Street

Researchers created an algorithm to recognize and analyze fashion on the runway and in the street

New Research

Invasive Rabbits Change the Soil so Drastically you Can See the Effects Decades Later

Remote French islands in the Indian Ocean have a bunny problem

A polar bear gnawing a caribou antler

New Research

Melting Ice Might not Spell Doom for Polar Bears

Snow geese, their eggs and caribou may offer enough calories for the polar bears to survive long ice-free seasons

New Research

New Proof That Ancient Egyptians Bred Birds of Prey

A recent 3-D scan of a mummified falcon shows it was force fed sparrows and mice

New Research

How Climate Change is Messing with Bees

New and ongoing research points to issues with bee ranges and the early emergence of flowers

A mother hummingbird in Arizona incubates her eggs under the indirect protection of her neighborhood hawk.

New Research

Hawks Act as Unwitting Muscle for Hummingbirds

In Arizona, hummingbirds seem to deliberately seek out bodyguard hawks to shield them from nest-robbing jays

New Research

This Starfish-Killing Robot Could Help Save The Great Barrier Reef

Reef-eating starfish beware

New Research

This Box Can Bring Dead Hearts Back To Life

The device could widen pool for heart transplants, but raises ethical questions

New Research

In 1965, 45 Percent of Americans Smoked, Today It’s Only 15 Percent

That’s the lowest percentage ever recorded

New Research

Many Young Female Athletes Are Malnourished

Some athletic teen girls aren’t getting enough to eat.

New Research

Earth is Home to 3.02 Trillion Trees

That’s a few more than expected

New Research

90 Percent of Seabirds Have Eaten Plastic

And plastic pollution will threaten even more birds as production grows

Page 199 of 295