Science

Ask Smithsonian

What's the Difference Between Invasive and Nonnative Species? Plus, More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

A schematic design of the upcoming “Icebergs” installation for the National Building Museum

Age of Humans

A Maze of Palatial Icebergs Has Floated Into a Washington, D.C. Museum

The new exhibition touches on design, landscape architecture, the life of icebergs and climate change

A prototype gene gun developed by Dennis McCabe and Brian Martinell in 1986 delivered new genetic material into the cells of plants.

Age of Humans

How Roundup Ready Soybeans Rocked the Food Economy

This 1980s-era “gene gun” fired the shot heard around the world

None

Age of Humans

Video: The Past, Present and Future of Agriculture

Globalization and new technologies have given us more control and more power over our food than ever before. What's next?

For the first time in 32 years, the Smithsonian's National Zoo’s celebrated the arrival of a sea lion pup.

Proud Sea Lion Mom Shows Off Her New Pup in These Adorable Pictures From the Zoo

Calli, the 11-year-old sea lion gave birth on June 26; mother and pup are bonding and doing well

Scott Kelly works on the International Space Station during a nearly eight-hour spacewalk in November 2015.

Space Hub

Space: News and Features About Astronomy and Spaceflight

Get your daily fix of astronomy and spaceflight, from Smithsonian.com and Air&Space magazine

Fraises Des Bois, the Best Strawberry You’ve Never Had

Supermarket strawberries are big, perfectly red, perfectly heart-shaped, and perfectly flavorless—at least compared with what they could be

The Brazilian rainforest faces threats beyond deforestation.

Unfortunately, Reducing Deforestation Isn’t Enough To Protect Amazon Biodiversity

Logging, wildfires and other human disturbances lead to species die-offs

Louisiana is spending $42.5 million to rebuild the marshes in the Grand Liard Bayou. Without the project, the land was expected to disappear entirely by 2050.

Age of Humans

The Residents of This Louisiana Island Are America's First "Climate Refugees"

As the sea levels rise, these photos provide a big picture view of a place losing the battle against climate change

American Exiles: Leaving Home

A series of three photo essays explores how America has treated its own people in times of crisis

Photographer Neil Ever Osborne photographed king penguins in the Falkland Islands at the height of breeding season.

Shooting Penguins in the Falkland Islands to Save Them

Photographer Neil Ever Osborne hopes that his work helps save the species

Shark Week

Sharks and Humans: A Love-Hate Story

A short history of our relationship with the ocean’s most intimidating fish

Sperm whales, giant squid and humans all have a mitochondrial "Eve."

No, a Mitochondrial 'Eve' Is Not the First Female in a Species

The latest story about a sperm whale “Eve” shows how people misunderstand the evolutionary term. Fear not: We can clarify

Treating 5-year-old Barbara Bowles required doctors who were “on a mission, looking for something brand-new.”

Childhood Leukemia Was Practically Untreatable Until Dr. Don Pinkel and St. Jude Hospital Found a Cure

A half century ago, a young doctor took on a deadly form of cancer—and the scientific establishment

Sacel Castle was the primary home of the Nopcsa family, which traced its roots in the area to the 14th century.

History Forgot This Rogue Aristocrat Who Discovered Dinosaurs and Died Penniless

Now fallen into shadow, the Romania-born Baron Franz Nopcsa was a groundbreaking scientist, adventurer -- and would-be king

A captive Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) in Denmark.

Age of Humans

Mama Bears Use Humans To Keep Their Cubs Safe

During mating season, humans might stress female bears out, but male bears stress them out more

Shanghai in 2009.

Age of Humans

Stop 'Naming and Shaming' Polluted Cities. It Doesn't Work

Why calling out 'Most polluted cities' sometimes backfires

Keep on the sunny side

Age of Humans

Podcast: "Warm Regards" and the Challenge of Humanizing Climate Change

Meteorologist Eric Holthaus and others seek the bright side of an often gloomy conversation

The Bullet Cluster, originally detected using weak lensing

Think Big

“Weak Lensing” Helps Astronomers Map the Mass of the Universe

By making galaxies a little bit brighter, it points the way to elusive galaxies and lets us detect that most mysterious of substances: dark matter

A reconstruction of naked chrysopoid larva with "dorsal basket."

Some Ancient Insects Wore the Exoskeletons of Other Bugs to Disguise Themselves

New amber specimens show that insects have been mastering the art of disguise for 100 million years

Page 162 of 439