Science

Some molecular motors in this “biocomputer” are made in the lab but copy those found in brains.

Can Proteins From Living Cells Solve Problems That Vex Supercomputers?

When nature knows best

An Oral History of "Star Trek"

The trail-blazing sci-fi series debuted 50 years ago and has taken countless fans where none had gone before

Black widows’ red hourglass tells birds to back off but is almost invisible to insects.

The Deadly Cunning of the Black Widow's Color Scheme

Why did the spider evolve to have that crimson hourglass on its back?

Your Questions for Astronaut Tom Jones, Answered

Just a sampling of what we can learn from those who have been to space

How to Plug In Your Brain

If neuroscientists are right, you’ll soon be able to sharpen your focus and boost your memory by recharging your brain—with electricity

Avalanches may have triggered the jets of material spewing from Comet Hartley 2.

Avalanches on Comets May Help Make the Icy Bodies Visible

Tumbling rocks may have lit up Comet Hartley 2, allowing its discovery in 1986

This is a hypothetical set of possible universes.

Think Big

Can Physicists Ever Prove the Multiverse Is Real?

Astronomers are arguing about whether they can trust this untested—and potentially untestable—idea

A study of baboons found that have an easy life when young can pay off years into the future.

For Baboons, a Tough Childhood Can Lead to a Short Life

Primates that grow up under tough conditions don’t live as long as those that have it easy

Water spreads like inky-blue fingers into mangrove forests along the shore of Australia's Ord River (top). The sediment load in the water shows up as yellow and orange while mudflats stick out like a light blue bull's-eye on the lower left.

Journey to the Center of Earth

These Stunning Satellite Images Turn Earth Into Art

These images illustrate the brutal beauty geologic processes carve into our planet

Andy Weir

Future Is Here Festival

Andy Weir, Author of "The Martian," Shares Details About His Next Novel

The science fiction writer also talks about the future of space travel

Chandra image of the Antenna Galaxy.

Life in the Cosmos

Life in the Cosmos: Special Report

Exploring the mysteries of the universe

Anthony Fauci is America's point person in confronting epidemics.

Future Is Here Festival

Anthony Fauci Is Waging War Against Zika, and Preparing for Other Epidemics to Come

The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases talks about developing a Zika vaccine

A giant mouse feeds on a dead seabird chick.

A Steady Diet of Seabird Chicks Makes Island Mice Huge

With no predators or competition, rodents can eat baby birds alive

The Mangalitsa pig, a "heritage breed" hailing from Hungary, is prized for its flavor. The woolly coat is a bonus.

Age of Humans

Fuzzy Pigs, Squash Swords And More of the World's Amazing, Vanishing Heirloom Breeds

These odd fruits, veggies and animals show the vanishing diversity of our food

The scimitar-horned oryx was declared extinct in the wild in 2000.

Rewilding the African Scimitar-Horned Oryx

In a historic first, an animal that went extinct in the African wild is reintroduced, giving hope for many endangered species

The women "computers" pose for a group photo in 1953.

Women in Science

NASA’s 'Rocket Girls' Are No Longer Forgotten History

Thanks to a new book, these female pioneers who helped the U.S. win the space race are finally getting their due

The footprints of ankylosaurs and other 122-million-year-old dinosaurs are preserved outside Moab, Utah.

Paleontologists Unveil Dinosaur Stomping Ground in Utah

Visitors can view ghostly footprints that record prehistoric steps in pale blue stone

Coral bleaching

Coral Bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef May Get a Lot Worse in the Future

Climate change could alter temperature patterns in a way that stops corals from preparing for bleaching events

How the Fastest Animal on Earth Attacks Its Prey

When hunting, the Peregrine falcon will fly to great heights, then dive bomb its prey

In a new book The Naturalist, the Smithsonian's Darrin Lunde draws on Teddy Roosevelt's diaries and expedition journals to tell the story of the 26th president as a prodigious hunter, tireless adventurer and ardent conservationist.

Teddy Roosevelt's Epic (But Strangely Altruistic) Hunt for a White Rhino

In a new book, a Smithsonian naturalist tells the gritty, controversial tale of how one of America’s presidents felled a threatened species

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