Research News

Newsroom of the Smithsonian
Social Media Share Tools

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.

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
túngara frog

A calling male túngara frog with a large inflated vocal sac.

Photo by Marcos Guerra

Frog Sex in the City: Urban Tungara Frogs Sound More Attractive Than Forest Frogs
12.10.2018
Tropical Research Institute Research News
Baleen Whale

Baleen is the soft, hair-like structure on the upper mouth of whales, such as the humpback whale in this photo, which allows them to trap prey in their mouth. 

Credit: Ari S. Friedlaender/University of California, Santa Cruz under NOAA permit

Whales Lost Their Teeth Before Evolving Hair-like Baleen in Their Mouths
Newly Described Fossil Whale in Museum Collections Reveals a Surprising Intermediate Step in Their Evolution
11.29.2018
Natural History Museum Research News
Orcas jumping

Orcas, also known as killer whales, may be on the rise in the Southeastern Pacific, at least as indicated by the number of scars on young humpback whales. 

Credit: Robert Pittman, NOAA, Wikimedia Commons.

First Study of Humpback Whale Survivors of Killer Whale Attacks in the Southeastern Pacific
11.06.2018
Tropical Research Institute Research News
Coloful red siskin bird on branch

According to estimates, less than 3000 Red Siskins remain in the wild in Venezuela. Photo credit: Jhonathan Miranda / RSI Avian Field Research Specialist.

Coffee and Chocolate Could Help Preserve Endangered Birds in Venezuela  
11.02.2018
Tropical Research Institute Research News
Bats in leaves

Tent-making bats under leaf
Credit: Thomas Hiller

Researchers Observe Novel Bat Behavior in Panama
Mother Tent-Making Bats May Give Pups a Nudge to Grow Up
10.25.2018
Tropical Research Institute Research News
Confocal images of a Day 3 larvae

Confocal images of a Day 3 larvae showing fluorescence from GFP (left) and distribution of DyLight-coated gold nanorod particles surrounding the larva in cryoprotectant (right).

Scientists Freeze and Thaw Coral Larvae for the First Time  
Breakthrough Could Help Save Coral Reefs From Extinction
10.24.2018
Conservation Biology Institute Research News
Smithsonian profiles map
Smithsonian Launches Profiles of Scholarly Experts  
10.23.2018
Smithsonian Libraries and Archives Administrative News Research News
Marsh showing invasive grasses

This Maryland marsh is covered with invasive Phragmites, light brown stalks that grow taller than native marsh plants. However, marshes and other coastal ecosystems excel at storing “blue carbon,” and some invasive plants like Phragmites could more than double.

Invasive Plants Can Boost Blue Carbon Storage
Coastal Ecosystems Store More Carbon With Certain Plant Invaders, but Animal Invaders Set Them Back
10.01.2018
Environmental Research Center Research News
A crab on a Ketchikan dock

A crab on a Ketchikan dock, covered in the invasive tunicate Botrylloides violaceus. (Photo: Linda McCann/SERC)

New Invasive Bryozoan Arrives in Alaskan Waters
Local Citizen Scientists Help Biologists Detect and Track Alaska’s Marine Invaders
09.27.2018
Environmental Research Center Research News
One of two cases of healed blows to the cranium from the Playa Venado excavation
Violence in Pre-Colombian Panama Exaggerated, New Study Shows
09.24.2018
Tropical Research Institute Research News
closeup of underwater coral collection
New Soft Coral Species Discovered in Panama
09.13.2018
Tropical Research Institute Research News
Smithsonian and Partners Map Extensive Transnational and High-Seas Travels of Migratory Marine Animals
Study Results Set To Bolster Success of International Conservation Agreements in Protecting Imperiled Species
09.03.2018
National Zoo Conservation Biology Institute Research News
2 cownose rays

Underwater shot of cownose rays in a holding tank. Cownose rays migrate to Chesapeake Bay every summer to give birth to their pups and mate. (Credit: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center)

For The First Time, Biologists Track Cownose Rays to Florida and Back
Summer and Winter Habitats Pinned Down in Longest Cownose Ray Migration Study on Atlantic
08.23.2018
Environmental Research Center Research News
Old Species Learn New Tricks…Very Slowly
08.16.2018
Tropical Research Institute Research News
yellow bird with red back and black wings.
New Smithsonian Study Highlights Effects of the El Niño Climate Cycle on Amazonian Birds
07.19.2018
National Zoo Research News
rocket launch
Hi-C Launches To Study Sun’s Corona
06.05.2018
Astrophysical Observatory Research News
Anole lizard
Climate Change May Even Threaten One of the World’s Most Resilient Lizards
05.09.2018
Tropical Research Institute Research News
researcher in the field
What Stops Mass Extinctions?
Lessons From Amphibian Die-off in Panama
03.29.2018
Conservation Biology Institute National Zoo Research News
camera trap photo of jaguar
Jaguar Conservation Depends on Neighbors’ Attitudes
12.28.2017
Smithsonian Channel Tropical Research Institute Research News
cropped photo of worm in specimen jar
Due to Climate Change, One-Third of Animal Parasites May Be Extinct by 2070
Museum Collection of More Than 20 Million Parasites Offers Scientists Data Needed to Understand Conservation Risks
09.06.2017
Natural History Museum Research News

Pages