Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

New Research

Fluorescence images of uncompressed (left) and compressed (right) colonies of malignant breast epithelial cells. Compressed colonies are smaller and more organized.

Giving Breast Cells a Little Squeeze Can Stop Cancerous Growth

Good news for breasts: simply giving would-be malignant mammary cells a little squeeze helps guide them back to a normal growth pattern

None

Pitcher Plants Entice Ants With a Water Slide of Death

A Venezuelan pitcher plant’s specially adapted, wettable hairs counter the sticky pads and little claws on insect feet and are especially deadly for ants

None

Native American Woman May Have Made It to Europe 500 Years Before Columbus Was Born

Entire Microbe Communities Live Up in the Clouds

Thousands of feet above your head, microbes are living—and reproducing—in the tiny drops of water that make up clouds

Crayfish Have Been Secretly Spreading a Deadly Frog Epidemic

The more we can learn about how chytrid fungus spreads and attacks, the better chances we have at saving the world’s amphibians

Images A, C, E and G show the new species E. bazinga, the others the E. ignita.

A Brand New Bee Was Just Named After Sheldon From ‘The Big Bang Theory’

Andre Nemesio and his team just named a brand new orchid bee Euglossa bazinga, after the catch phrase used by Sheldon Cooper

None

To Treat Drug Dependency, Doctors Are Burning Off Chunks of Addicts’ Brains

Through surgical means, doctors burn away the parts of the brain that deal with pleasure and motivation.

None

We Prefer Our Leaders to Have Deep Voices, Even If They Are Women

Our biology may be influencing our decision making when it comes to how we select our leaders

Brits Whine About the Weather on Twitter More Than Any Other Nation

Thanks to Twitter, even people with no direct contact Great Britain’s subjects can bask in its citizen’s propensity for weather-related complaint

None

Your Christmas Tree Helps Fight Climate Change

The key for trapping carbon lies in the soil, rather than the trees.

None

A New Way to Generate Brain Cells from Pee

This trick could help supply cells for studying the mechanisms of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

None

The Fungus in Your Cheese Is Having Weird Sex

It turns out that the fungi in cheeses like blue cheese aren’t just sitting there, waiting for you to eat them

None

What Would It Be Like To See Infrared Light?

Scientists have engineered some proteins to “see” infrared

None

Scientists Accidentally Create a Pina Colada Pineapple That Tastes Like a Coconut

Now, scientists have created the cocoapple—a pineapple that tastes like a coconut

Help a Scientist By Playing This Word Association Game

If you like playing games on the internet, you can help one of those psychologists out by playing a word association game online

None

Catfish Are Teaching Themselves to Catch Pigeons

In southwestern France, catfish are throwing themselves on the shore to catch pigeons

None

Climate Change May Have Driven Genghis Khan’s Army Across Eurasia

A multidecadal blip in temperature and rainfall patterns may have spurred the rise of the Mongol Empire

Middle School Jocks Actually Get the Best Grades

The fittest kids on the playground are also the ones who excel in the classroom at standardized tests and good grades

None

Lions Are Disappearing From Africa

Research shows that lions are quickly disappearing across Africa’s once-thriving Savannah due to human population growth and massive land use conversion

None

Extroverted Gorillas Live Longer Than Shy Ones

Page 284 of 297