Ben Panko

Ben Panko is a staff writer for Smithsonian.com

Some zebras in Africa have been known to live on the high slopes of Mount Kenya, and others have been able to migrate to warmer climates when the temperature drops. (Pictured: A zebra stands in a field of yellow flowers in Namibia.)

Two Escaped Zebras Are Still Roaming the Suburbs of Maryland

Officials initially reported five zebras on the loose, but that was incorrect. Only three escaped and with one dead, only two animals remain at large

Image description via the Plantetary Science Institute: "Loire Vallis (white line) is an outlet canyon that formed from the overflow of a lake in Parana Basin (outlined in white). Black lines indicate other valleys formed by processes other than lake overflows. Background is colored MOLA-derived topography over a THEMIS image mosaic. Image is approximately 650 kilometers across."

The Martian Landscape Was Shaped by Massive, Climate Change–Fueled Floods

When the Red Planet's lakes burst their banks, the disaster carved the undulating canyons and valleys we still see today

Spotted lanternflies naturally leap away from predators when threatened. Holding a water bottle near one will usually prompt the bug to flee, so it launches itself directly into the trap. 

How to Easily Catch Spotted Lanternflies Using a Water Bottle

Unchecked by natural predators, the invasive insect species is rapidly expanding across the United States

In researching the formation of these multicellular organisms, Ratcliff used a strain of snowflake yeast with budding “daughters” that tend to cling to their parents, allowing the creation of small clumps of connected yeast cells.

Evolving Yeast Shows How Complex Life May Have Arisen

Over two years, clumps of single-celled yeast grew into a multicellular structure that could explain how living organisms developed on early Earth

The Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure instrument, or SEIS, is a highly sensitive seismometer that detects marsquakes on the Red Planet. 

NASA Lander Records the Largest 'Marsquakes' Ever Detected

As it passes 1,000 days on the surface of the Red Planet, the InSight lander recorded three large bouts of tectonic activity in the past month

Environmental scientist Alexandra Ordoñez Alvarez from the University of Queensland collects data in Far Northern Great Barrier Reef on Ashmore Bank.

Scientists Complete the First Map of the World's Coral Reefs

Nearly 100,000 square miles of the organism have been charted in high detail to create a tool for conservationists to help save them

Musk ducks join an elite group of non-human animals that can mimic speech.

Listen to Ripper the Duck Say 'You Bloody Fool!'

New research highlights the rare trait of vocal learning among animals with examples of musk ducks imitating human speech and other noises

Orca will be able to capture the equivalent of the annual emissions made by 790 cars.

World's Largest Carbon Capture Plant Opens in Iceland

'Orca' will use geothermal energy to pull thousands of metric tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and pump it underground

Hammerhead sharks have are considered critically endangered.

More Than a Third of Shark Species Are Now Threatened With Extinction

Overfishing, habitat loss and climate change are behind the 'desperate' decline

"Crack!"

The Comic Artists Who Inspired Roy Lichtenstein Aren't Too Thrilled About It

Lichtenstein's use of comic art and styles made him one of America's most famous pop artists, but some have comic artists have a bad taste in their mouths

Take a bite of history on National Mincemeat Day

The History of Mincemeat Pies, from the Crusades to Christmas

Mentioned by Shakespeare, allegedly banned by Puritans, and enjoyed by many still, these traditional treats have a long history in English cuisine

"MonstroCity," the outdoor section of St. Louis' City Museum

A Look Inside an Iconically Quirky St. Louis Museum

A veritable playhouse of salvaged materials and crafted objects, the City Museum has entertained the young and young at heart for two decades

A shot from the famed 1965 film version of Boris Pasternak's "Doctor Zhivago"

How Boris Pasternak Won and Lost the Nobel Prize

Today in 1958, the "Doctor Zhivago" author won the Nobel Prize, but the Soviets made sure he never got it

Mole Day celebrates the mole unit of chemistry, not these guys, as cute as they are

Chemistry Nerds Rejoice—It's Mole Day

Named for a unit of atomic particles, this decades-old quirky holiday seeks to raise enthusiasm for chemistry with cakes, crafts and a lot of bad jokes

The mud brick foundation of a 3,200-year-old temple to the pharaoh Rameses II

Remains of Temple to Ramses II Discovered Near Cairo

The recent find was five years in the making

Smog and other types of pollution were linked to nine million deaths in 2015 by a new report

One in Six Global Deaths Linked to Pollution

A new report suggests that pollution led to the deaths of nine million people in 2015

Archaeologists excavating a new theater uncovered near Jerusalem's Western Wall

Roman Theater Uncovered Near Jerusalem's Western Wall

Never finished or used, the small theater has been sought for more than a century by archaeologists

7,500 frogs captured by smugglers were rescued from their trips to plates

Thousands of Turkish Frogs Rescued From Smugglers

A delicacy often exported to European countries, frogs are a tightly regulated commodity in the country

Nine letters written by Barack Obama from 1982 to 1984 are being made available to the public for the first time

Barack Obama's Letters From Three Decades Ago

As a striving college student and recent graduate, letters by the future president depict a man coming to terms with his identity and future

When they know humans are looking at them, dogs turn out to make a lot of facial expressions

Fido's Making That Puppy Face on Purpose—He's Trying to Tell You Something

A new study suggests dogs use their facial expressions to communicate

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