An aerial view of dredges at an illegal gold mining area in the Amazon region of Peru.

Tree Rings Bear Witness to Illegal Gold Mining Operations in the Amazon, New Study Finds

Mercury concentrations in fig trees could provide useful information about mining activity in the rainforest over time

Biomass will monitor the Earth's tropical forests over the next five years.

A New Satellite Will Map the Carbon Content of Rainforests From Space, and It’s Set to Launch This Month

The European Space Agency’s new probe, Biomass, will spend five years orbiting the planet and gathering radar imagery of forests across multiple continents

A technician climbs a tower to locate lightning strikes in the study area on Panama's Barro Colorado Island.

Being Struck by Lightning Is No Big Deal for This Tropical Tree—the Zap Even Gives It a Boost

The almendro tree may have evolved to attract lightning, which helps clear more space for it to grow, according to new research

Heliconias planted as ornamentals in a garden in Panama

Nearly Half of the Colorful and Charismatic Heliconia Tropical Plant Species Are Threatened With Extinction, New Study Reveals

Using data from over 10,000 herbarium specimens, Smithsonian scientists uncover the urgent conservation needs of the plants, which are critical to tropical ecosystems

Scientists found biofluorescence in most species of birds-of-paradise, including the emperor bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea guilielmi), shown here from the American Museum of Natural History's collection.

Birds-of-Paradise Glow to Attract Mates, Adding a Flashy Element to Their Impressive Courtship Displays

Scientists find that 82 percent of birds-of-paradise species show biofluorescence, often on their feathers, throat or inner mouth

The Amazon tree boa (Corallus hortulana) is not a new species, but it's one of the reptiles documented on a 2022 expedition to the Alto Mayo region of Peru.

Expedition Discovers 27 New Species in Peru, From an ‘Exceedingly Rare’ Amphibious Mouse to a Blob-Headed Fish

The hidden creatures were found in a densely populated region known for its successful—and controversial—conservation tactics

At least 16,425 of the 47,282 tree species examined in a new IUCN report are at risk of extinction.

More Than One in Three Tree Species Around the Globe Are at Risk of Disappearing, New Report Finds

An assessment from the International Union for Conservation of Nature paints a grim picture of the extinction risk of the world’s trees

Boats, lights and fog help create a serene nighttime scene in Rio de Janeiro.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Bask in the Beauty of Brazil With These 15 Stunning Photographs

These selections from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest images capture this South American paradise

A view of an over 400-year-old tree on Barro Colorodo Island, on November 23, 2015

Why Are Giant, Ancient Tropical Trees Dying?

Scientists from an international project are racing to figure out what kills these anchors of their ecosystems—before it’s too late to save them

Rainforests, like this one in Ecuador, only appeared after the mass extinction that ended the Age of Dinosaurs.

No, Dinosaurs Did Not Trudge Through Thick Rainforests

The first jungles dense with flowering plants only formed after an asteroid impact wiped out the giant creatures

The area was surveyed using lidar technology, which revealed a large-scale network of roads and platforms.

New Research

Archaeologists Discover Ancient Cities Hidden in the Ecuadorean Amazon

Laser imaging has revealed an extensive network of settlements and roads that challenge historical understandings of the area

Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, photographed by a camera trap

Scientists Find ‘Lost’ Echidna Species for the First Time in 60 Years

An expedition team in Indonesia spotted the elusive, egg-laying mammal, which is named after David Attenborough and had not been documented since 1961

Rafflesia kemumu in the rainforest of Sumatra.

The World’s Largest and Smelliest Flower Is at Risk of Extinction, Scientists Say

Researchers are calling for urgent protections for corpse flowers in the Rafflesia genus, which live only in remote rainforests of Southeast Asia

Aerial photo of the Tiputini Processing Center of state-owned Petroecuador in Yasuni National Park, northeastern Ecuador. 

Ecuadorean Voters Reject Oil Drilling in the Amazon’s Yasuní National Park

The section of rainforest is one of the most biodiverse areas in the world and home to several Indigenous communities

Using satellite-based datasets from 2003 to 2017, a new study identified significant decreases in average rainfall in Southeast Asia, as well as the Amazon and the Congo.

Deforestation Is Linked to Lower Rainfall, Study Says

The Amazon rainforest and other tropical regions face drying climates due to loss of trees

The chimpanzees only share their identity while traveling, which may help avoid confrontations.

Chimpanzees Play Their Own Signature Drumbeats to Stay in Touch

New research suggests the animals broadcast their identity and location to find each other while traveling

Fires burn in the Amazon rainforest in northern Brazil on August 31, 2022. 

Wildfires Reached a Five-Year High in the Brazilian Amazon

Rapid deforestation has made the rainforest more vulnerable to flames, experts say

One of the man’s huts

The Last Member of an Uncontacted Tribe in Brazil Has Died

Known as “the Man of the Hole,” he lived in isolation for more than two decades

In the midst of fire- and drought-ravaged savanna in southeastern Madagascar, a curiously lush green forest is home to myriad unexpected life-forms, including a species of mouse lemur.

Into the Forbidden Forest

Famed American biologist Patricia Wright explores an astonishing breadth of biodiversity in the wilderness of Madagascar

A researcher holds a golden-crowned spadebill in Brazil. Seventy-seven rainforest bird species in the country showed a decrease in body weight over the last four decades.

Climate Change Is Transforming the Bodies of Amazonian Birds

A 40-year study found 77 species of rainforest birds weigh less on average, and many have longer wings, than they used to

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