Our Planet

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Ask Smithsonian: Could the Volcano Beneath Yellowstone National Park Ever Erupt?

The good news is that an eruption there is highly unlikely, but the bad news is that it would be huge

The 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia left a huge crater, along with a sometimes unexpected legacy.

200 Years After Tambora, Some Unusual Effects Linger

Frankenstein, famine poetry, polar exploration—the "year without a summer" was just the beginning

Cavers stand amongst large gour pool walls and unique raft cone formations inside Hang Va.

Journey to the Center of Earth

These Breathtaking Photos of Vietnam’s Caves Bring Out the Armchair Spelunker in Everyone

Photographer Ryan Deboodt discovers beauty in this subterranean realm

Best Space Photos of the Week

An Easter Typhoon and Galactic Ghosts Are Among These Spacey Visions

Astronauts spy a colossal eye and Hubble sees echoes of quasars past in our picks for the week's best space images

Rehabilitated sea lion pups head back to the ocean after being released from The Marine Mammal Center in March.

California Sea Lions Are Starving, But Do They Need Our Help?

Instead of just rehabilitating the fuzzy pups, some ecologists say we should be focusing on the underlying troubles of climate change and fish declines

Scientists looked for the black-and-white colubus monkey in protected areas across the Ivory Coast but only found one population of the animals still living in a sacred grove.

Anthropocene

Illegal Cocoa Farms Are Driving Out Primates In Ivory Coast

Thirteen national parks and reserves have lost all their primates as people move in to protected regions to farm cacao

A Malaysian boy and girl holding candles during the 60 minute Earth Hour 2012 celebration in Kuala Lumpur, March 31, 2012.

Anthropocene

What Climate Change Will Mean for the People of Oceania

On many maps the ocean is colored a uniform, solid blue. But for those who live off the waters, the sea is places, roads, highways

A type of coral trout called the leopard trout (Plectropomus leopardus) swims on the Great Barrier Reef.

Anthropocene

Fishing Bans Create a Glimmer of Hope on the Great Barrier Reef

No-take reserves have helped commercially important species bounce back, but the reef still faces some serious threats

The highest summit of the Jade Dragon (Yulong Xueshan) from what in 1985 was close to the center of the old town of Lijiang, China.

Anthropocene

Why the World Needs to Go to Great Heights to Save Mountain Habitats

After 30 years working in mountain regions, Jack Ives argues that the world's elevated habitats are essential

National Museum of Natural History.

Anthropocene

Watch Highlights From the Smithsonian's "Age of Humans" Symposium

Experts on the science, economics and innovations of climate change spoke at this one-day event in Washington, D.C.

Good reads about our home planet.

Anthropocene

Five Must-Read Books About Earth

Geologist Robert M. Hazen selects works spanning genres that offer insights into our planet's history and inner workings

Workers with the Nigiri Project head out to test pens in the flooded rice fields near Sacramento.

Anthropocene

Rice Can Help Save Salmon If Farms Are Allowed to Flood

The Nigiri Project aims to restore the beloved fish by cutting a notch in a California levee and letting some floodplains return to nature

Art Meets Science

The Terrible Beauty of Glaciers Melting and Oceans Rising

Daniel Beltra's aerial photographs reveal the human impact on nature

Electric vehicles, such as the ones sold by Tesla, could help to reduce city temperatures.

Anthropocene

Electric Cars Can Make Cities Cooler

It's not just the flash and style, either—electric engines emit less heat than gas ones and could combat the urban heat island effect

Phytoplankton light up the beach on Vaadhoo.

These Spellbinding Light Phenomena Will Make You Believe in Magic

See seven stunning natural light shows from around the world

At the Batadomba-lena rock shelter in Sri Lanka, scientists found evidence that humans were living off rainforest resources as early as 20,000 years ago.

Anthropocene

Humans Relied on Rainforest Riches 12,000 Years Earlier Than Thought

Fossil remains suggest that prehistoric people in Sri Lanka may have eaten monkeys and other forest species

Best Space Photos of the Week

These Cosmic Visions Include a Mars Ocean and a Supernova Quartet

The red planet's deep blue sea and a rare Einstein cross feature among the week's best space images

A closeup of the Ledi jaw taken just steps from where it was found in the Afar region of Ethiopia.

Anthropocene

Oldest Human Fossil Unearthed in Ethiopia

At about 2.8 million years old, the Ledi jaw may belong to "the stem for the Homo genus," according to its discoverers

Dog sled racing is a classic bit of fun in Alaska. But as that state warms, organizers are having to move or cancel races.

Anthropocene

While the U.S. East Shivers, Unusual Heat Stirs Trouble Across the Globe

Cancelled dog-sled races and restless grizzly bears serve as reminders that global warming is still at work

Skiing toward the breaking waves on a slush-covered beach.

Anthropocene

How "Slurpee" Waves Formed Along a Nantucket Beach

New England's record cold created the perfect conditions for waves of slush, offering an unusual opportunity to ski on the beach

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