Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

New Research

None

Would You Give up an Ovary for the Ability to Fly? Birds Might Have

For the ability to fly, birds might have ditched on of their ovaries to cut down on their weight

This cliff swallow has built a nest beneath a road.

Are Birds Evolving to Avoid Cars?

New research suggests that perhaps, for some animals, evolution might be kicking in and helping birds adapt to avoid cars

None

Black Plague Death Pit Dug Up in London

Dug up during London construction, the bodies of those killed by the black plague

None

New Set of Patients May Be Cured of HIV With Early Treatment

Researchers announce that they have cured fourteen adults of HIV by treating them early

Hearing Just One Half of a Conversation Is Really, Really Annoying

“Yep.” “Yep.” “Sure, okay.” “5?” “Oh no she di…” “What?” “Oh man that’s crazy!”

A simulation of a particle collision as seen by the Large Hadron Collider’s CMS experiment.

Eight Months Later, Physicists Double Down on Claim of Higgs Particle Discovery

No longer Higgs-like, now just Higgs

None

Pluto May Have Ten More Teeny Tiny Moons

Poor little Pluto could have a dozen moons and some rings, and yet it still isn’t a planet

Lake Vostok has been cut off from the environment for ages beneath the thick Antarctic ice.

Brand New, Never Before Seen Bacteria Found in Frozen Antarctic Lake—Maybe

Scientists are revealing, then recanting, then reaffirming their claim to have discovered a new type of bacteria

Anesthetists, At Least, Report That Only an Unlucky Few Are Aware During Surgery

Researchers used to think about one in 500 people are conscious during surgery, but new research puts that number at one in 15,000

An artist’s rendering of methane hydrate’s small-scale structure, with a methane molecule in green and gold trapped within a blue and silver cage of water.

Japan Just Opened Up a Whole New Source for Fossil Fuels

For the first time, natural gas has been pulled from offshore methane clathrates

Cloth Coated in Fish Sperm DNA Doesn’t Burn

Coated in sperm DNA and set on fire, this cotton cloth just doesn’t want to burn

None

These Little Robot Bees Could Pollinate the Fields of the Future

If the bees can’t be saved, maybe these little robobees can assume their role

None

Roller Derby Players Go Home With Bruises And a New Microbiome

Roller derby players come home with lots of bruises, scrapes and aches. But they also come home with an altered microbiome

A map showing increasing (blue) and decreasing (red) plant growth over the past 30 years.

A Warming Climate Is Turning the Arctic Green

The world is getting warmer, and the Arctic is getting greener

None

The Amazon Rainforest Should Deal With Climate Change Better Than We Thought

Contrary to previous research, tropical rainforests should be able to stand up to climate change

Life on Earth May Have Been Seeded by Comets

Researchers at UC Berkeley recently added evidence to the idea that life on earth came from a comet

None

The Sun Can Heal the Cracks in This New Type of Concrete

When the sun lights the concrete jungle, this new material can heal its wounds

None

You Should Be Really Scared of the CDC’s ‘Nightmare Bacteria’

Recent reports of this “nightmare bacteria” have grabbed headlines, and there are reports of fatality rates as high as fifty percent. Basically, it’s bad, and the CDC is really worried

Female Butterflies Can Sniff Out Inbred Males

Unlike in humans, butterfly females can actually distinguish between inbred and outbred males by their scent

We did it! Gold stars for everybody!

2012 Saw the Second Highest Carbon Emissions in Half a Century

For more than 50 years observations from Hawaii have tracked rising carbon dioxide. We’re still ignoring those warnings

Page 277 of 297