Science

An artists' conception of a dust storm on Mars. New research may explain why the truly massive dust storms seem to occur irregularly on the Red Planet.

Mars Weather Forecast Calls for Massive Dust Storms -- Here's Why

Planetary-wide dust storms on Mars, lasting for months, may be linked to the motion of the Red Planet around the solar system.

What's the Waggle Dance? And Why Do Honeybees Do It?

Honeybees search high and wide for the best flowers. And when they find them, they go back to the hive and "tell" the other bees how to get there

This is what about a square inch of yttrium, a rare earth element, looks like.

Age of Humans

Podcast: All About Rare Earth Elements, the 'Vitamins' Of Modern Society

In this episode of Generation Anthropocene, learn about rare earth elements (which aren't really that rare) and why they're so prized.

Magnificent Leaf Homes Woven by Australian Green Ants

Green ants build their grand nests out of leaves, which they pull and join together with silk. Amazingly, this silk is produced by their newborn larvae

Not only does it cost the Mint more to make a penny than it's worth, but making the penny has an environmental cost, too.

Age of Humans

How Much Does it Really Cost (the Planet) to Make a Penny?

All that copper and zinc for a coin most people throw away--what's the sustainable solution?

Why Do Humans Have Canine Teeth and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, trainer Franck Canniet, far right, trains rangers for a confrontation with poachers.

The Fight Against Elephant Poachers Is Going Commando

In central Africa, a former Israeli military trainer and his team are deploying battle-tested tactics to stop the runaway slaughter of elephants

The Temple of the Plumed Serpent is adorned with carved snake heads and slithering bodies.

A Secret Tunnel Found in Mexico May Finally Solve the Mysteries of Teotihuacán

The chance discovery beneath a nearly 2,000-year-old pyramid leads to the heart of a lost civilization

Environmental cues mosquitoes to swarm inside a lab.

The Next Pandemic

Kill All the Mosquitoes?!

New gene-editing technology gives scientists the ability to wipe out the carriers of malaria and the Zika virus. But should they use it?

Did Neanderthals Die Out Because of the Paleo Diet?

A new theory links their fate to a meat-heavy regimen

Paradoxically, food aid can cause game like the black curassow to be overhunted.

What's the Best Way to Help the Amazon's Indigenous People?

Can a pioneering computer model save the rainforest's residents from our best intentions?

Is there a benefit to being overworked?

Being Super Busy May* Be Good for Your Brain

*Does busyness boost cognition, or do people with better cognition tend to keep busy?

If Grit Breeds Success, How Can I Get Grittier?

University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth talks about her new book and the importance of the personal quality

The Orion spacecraft could one day take astronauts to Mars.

Radiation Remains a Problem for Any Mission to Mars

Engineers have yet to find ways to protect astronauts from cosmic rays and solar radiation

Ground beetle (Carabus (Coptolabrus) elysii), detail

Art Meets Science

Eek! Each of These Insect Portraits Is Made From More Than 8,000 Images

With a mastery of macro, Levon Biss captures every hair and dimple on insects’ vibrant bodies

The scope of Dyar's tunnel networks, first discovered in 1917 against the chaotic backdrop of World War I, didn't truly sink in until 1924, when the weight of a truck in Dupont Circle caused one to collapse.

The Bizarre Tale of the Tunnels, Trysts and Taxa of a Smithsonian Entomologist

A new book details the sensational exploits of Harrison G. Dyar, Jr., a scientist who had two wives and liked to dig tunnels

Neil Puckett, a Texas A&M University graduate student, surfaces with the limb bone of a juvenile mastodon.

Underwater Finds Reveal Humans’ Long Presence in North America

Stone tools and mastodon remains help show that the Americas were peopled more than 14,000 years ago

Yellowstone's Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the park. But what gives it its vivid rainbow colors?

The Science Behind Yellowstone's Rainbow Hot Spring

The Grand Prismatic Spring might seem photoshopped, but there's very real science beneath its vibrant colors

Foraging red knots in Mauritania

When the Arctic Gets Warmer, It Also Affects a Tropical Ecosystem Thousands of Miles Away

As spring arrives earlier in far northern Russia, red knots get smaller—and have trouble in their African winter homes

A club from Massachusetts in the shape of a fish, probably Atlantic sturgeon, dates to about 1750. The area was previously thought to have only one language at the time of European contact, but new research reveals there were five Native American languages were spoken in the Connecticut Valley of central Massachusetts.

Five Lost Languages Rediscovered in Massachusetts

Smithsonian linguist Ives Goddard finds that the Native Americans of central Massachusetts spoke five languages instead of one

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