Astro-comb.Using ultrashort pulses of laser light linked to an atomic clock, a new instrument developed to detect distant planets at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Mass., is 100-times more sensitive than previous instruments. Known as the astro-comb, this new laser device was created by Smithsonian Astrophysicist Chih-Hao Li and colleagues at the Harvard- Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The astro-comb greatly increases the ability of astronomers to detect faint fluctuations or wobbles in the light of a star that is caused by the gravitational tug of an orbiting planet. Previous technology only allowed for the detection of Jupiter-sized planets or larger.

Hawaiian botany. On the islands of Hawaii, the plant genus Metrosideros flourishes in a variety of forms—from small, ground-hugging shrubs to 100- foot-tall trees. Scientists once believed these plants were relative newcomers to Hawaii. Now, new molecular research by scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the National Zoo indicates these plants may have colonized the islands of Hawaii sequentially, as each island formed, millions of years ago. Metro­sideros is well integrated into the ecosystems of Hawaii—many species of birds and insects are specialized to coexist with and feed on them—and knowing when these plants colonized the Hawaiian islands will help scientists better understand the role the plants played in shaping the ecology there.

Boeing donation. In April, the Boeing Co. announced a $5 million contribution to support the design and construction of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Scheduled to open in 2015 in Washington, D.C., on Constitution Avenue between 14th and 15th streets N.W., the museum will be the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, art, history and culture.

Logging and sea turtles. Careless logging practices in the West Central African country Gabon are impeding the nesting journeys of sea turtles—particularly endangered leatherbacks—along Gabon’s beaches, says a study by William Laurance, staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Lost and abandoned logs float downriver and into the sea, where they collect on the shore, creating tangles that block the turtle’s access to the beaches where they lay their eggs. In an aerial survey, Laurance’s team counted more than 11,000 logs along Gabon’s beaches and estimated that 8 to 14 percent of all sea turtle nesting attempts are being thwarted by the abandoned logs.

Reverse vasectomy. A successful reverse vasectomy was recently performed on a rare Przewalski’s horse by veterinarians at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park. The surgery represents the first successful reverse vasectomy ever performed on an equid species. The genes of the animal, which was vasectomized at another institution in 1999, were deemed valuable enough to the captive population of this critically endangered species to warrant the surgery. This breakthrough has important implications as well for how endangered species in captivity are managed. Zoo scientists hope to pair the horse with a suitable female this summer.