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National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

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Do Shade-Grown Coffee Farms Have a Higher Value Than Carbon Markets Recognize?

Coffee farms with mature shade trees store far more carbon than planting new trees can capture, a new study reveals.

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Scientists Use Climate Data to Map and Predict Outbreaks of Amphibian Chytrid Disease

Researchers may have a new tool in the fight to protect neotropical frogs from extinction, thanks to climate data.

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New DNA Monitoring Tool Enables Scientists to Identify Specific Animals by Their Feces

Scientists from the Smithsonian have successfully used swift fox droppings to identify individual animals and collect other data vital to monitoring a reintroduced population in Montana.

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Black-Footed Ferret Webcam Launches on National Zoo Website

Viewers can watch a litter of black-footed ferrets and their mother, 2-year-old Aristides, on a temporary live webcam.

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Maned Wolf Program at the National Zoo's Research Campus Welcomes Three Pups

The three baby wolves were born this winter at the Smithsonian National Zoo’s conservation and research campus in Front Royal, Virginia.

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How Are Animals Paired at the National Zoo?

Get ready for Valentine’s Day by learning how zoo matchmakers use science to “swipe right” for conservation.

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Read Some of the Most Exciting Stories From the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in 2024

Celebrate and look back at some of the groundbreaking achievements made by Smithsonian scientists this year.

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Meet the Eastern Red-Backed Salamander, A Tiny Environmental Hero

Next time you’re walking through fallen leaves in a forest, keep an eye out for the Eastern red-backed salamander—a small woodland creature with a huge role to play.

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Inside the Zoo: A Rare and Life-Preserving Cheetah Surgery

With the help of 3D modeling technology, a team of veterinary experts successfully carried out a rare spinal surgery on an 11-month-old cheetah cub at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in August.

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How to Perform a Black-Footed Ferret Health Exam

The ferret kits at the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute's breeding facility in Front Royal, Va., just passed their 90-day health check with flying colors.

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As Climate Change and Pollution Imperil Coral Reefs, Scientists Are Deep-Freezing Corals to Repopulate Future Oceans

Just as the world’s zoos breed critically endangered animals in captivity to repopulate the wild, scientists are building a global effort to freeze corals for reef restoration.

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The Love Lives of Ducks Make for Great Drama

Breeding season at the National Zoo's Bird House can create some spectacular behavior

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How Genomic Science Solved a Cheetah Cub Paternity Mystery

When Echo's five cubs were born last fall, their exact lineage was unclear. A genetic analysis conducted by Smithsonian scientists revealed the truth.

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A Celebration of Life: 50 Years Under the Endangered Species Act

Smithsonian scientists discuss the impact of the first federal law designed to save endangered and imperiled animals from extinction.

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Rain, Rivers and Radiotrackers: Releasing Captive-Bred Harlequin Frogs Into the Wild

A team of scientists ventured deep into the rain-soaked Panamanian forest on a mission to restore wild populations of a critically-endangered amphibian.

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A High-Tech Approach to Giraffe Conservation

An average wild giraffe has a home range of about 140 square miles—nearly equivalent to the surface area of Philadelphia. So how do scientists track and study them?

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A New Leap in the Fight to Save Frogs

Scientists identify best practices for reintroduction of endangered and extinct amphibians in a new publication.

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Oh, Baby! Meet Some of the Zoo's Newest Arrivals

Prepare for cuteness overload.

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After An Insect Detox, Can Once-Poisonous Frogs Get Their Spice Back?

Poison frogs living in human care aren’t poisonous, thanks to a “detox” diet of mild insects, like crickets and fruit flies. Can adding alkaloids to a frog’s diet help it regain its toxins and get its “spice” back?

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Meet the Researchers Working to Save Wood Turtles

To ensure a future for these endangered turtles, scientists need to know how many are left

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