Research News

Newsroom of the Smithsonian

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The Smithsonian is one of the world’s foremost research centers in science, the arts, and the humanities. In addition to research pursued by the museums, our research centers specialize in areas of inquiry spanning the globe and the farthest reaches of the universe. 

wood turtle

A wood turtle in a stream in Virginia.

Photo: Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

Smithsonian Scientists Use eDNA for the First Time To Find Wood Turtles in Virginia
The High-Tech Sampling Is as Effective as Traditional Scientific Surveys
04.24.2019
Conservation Biology Institute Research News
Black Hole
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian Plays Central Role in Capturing Landmark Black Hole Image
04.10.2019
Astrophysical Observatory Research News
People in water

Smithsonian marine biologist Linda McCann helps Wilson Iniguez (Charles Darwin Foundation) retrieve underwater plates on San Cristobal Island in the Galápagos. Biologists found nonnative species on the Galápagos by leaving settlement plates in the water for months to see what creatures grew on them. (Credit: Kristen Larson/SERC)

Galápagos Islands Have 10 Times More Alien Marine Species Than Once Thought
03.28.2019
Environmental Research Center Research News
Fossil

Taylor, L., O’Dea, A., Bralower, T., Finnegan, S. 2019. Isotopes from fossil coronulid barnacle shells record evidence of migration in multiple Pleistocene whale populations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1808759116

Deep-Time Tracking Devices: Fossil Barnacles Reveal Prehistoric Whale Migrations
03.26.2019
Tropical Research Institute Research News
Aerial shot of Forrest

A single tropical forest may be home to hundreds of different plant species, as seen in this bird’s eye view of Panama’s Soberania National Park. A new study shows that the interactions between tropical plants and the insects that eat them may be explain tropical forest diversity.

Credit: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Chemical Innovation by Relatives of the Ice Cream Bean Explains Tropical Biodiversity
03.14.2019
Tropical Research Institute Research News
Scientist with soil core

Smithsonian soil scientist Pat Megonigal holds up a soil core in a wetland. Wetlands store carbon more efficiently than any other natural ecosystem, and a new study shows they store even more when sea level rises.  (Credit: Genevieve Noyce/Smithsonian Environmental Research Center)

As Sea Level Rises, Wetlands Crank Up Their Carbon Storage
03.06.2019
Environmental Research Center Research News
Boophis Virdis
Dermal Disruption: Amphibian Skin Bacteria Is More Diverse in Cold and Variable Environments According to Global Survey  
02.21.2019
Tropical Research Institute Research News
scientist with bat
When Does Noise Become a Message?  
Rain Sounds Cue Bats To Stay at Home
02.01.2019
Tropical Research Institute Research News
Bone
Surfer’s Ear Points to Ancient Pearl Divers in Panama  
12.21.2018
Tropical Research Institute Research News
National Zoo entrance
Smithsonian Scientists Unlock the Mystery of Dragonfly Migration  
Specimens Dating Back 140 Years Could Protect the Future of the Species
12.19.2018
National Zoo Research News
Corn on table

Varieties of maize found near Cuscu and Machu Pichu at Salineras de Maras on the Inca Sacred Valley in Peru, June 2007.

Credit: Fabio de Oliveira Freitas

Scientists Overhaul Corn Domestication Story With Multidisciplinary Analysis  
Semi-wild Proto-corn Spread From Mexico to South America Before Becoming Fully Domesticated, Offering New Clues to Its Future
12.13.2018
Natural History Museum Research News
Coral

Credit: Roshan Patel, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Smithsonian and Partners Pioneer Method To Boost Endangered Coral Populations Separated by Vast Distances  
Technique Represents Critical Step Toward Buffering Coral Reefs Against Warming Oceans
12.12.2018
National Zoo Research News

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