Science

Spot the impostor: A cuckoo finch chick (left) and a tawny-flanked prinia chick (right) open their beaks for a meal.

Parasitic Cuckoo Finches Use an Egg Overload to Evade Host Defenses

The more eggs a parasitic cuckoo finch lays in its host's nest, the more likely a discerning foster parent will accept the finch's young as its own

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3,000 Years of Human History, Described in One Set of Mathematical Equations

A surprisingly accurate model shows that warfare and military technology determined where empires arose

School girls line up to receive vaccinations between classes.

How Humankind Got Ahead of Infectious Disease

With polio on the verge of eradication, a career immunologist explains the medical marvel of vaccination and the pioneers who made it possible

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How One Moth Species Can Jam Bats’ Sonar Systems

Bertholdia trigona, a moth native to the Arizona desert, emits ultrasonic clicks at a rate of 4,500 times per second to blur bats' acoustic vision

Hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus)

Diana Beltran Herrera’s Flock of Paper Birds

We are not talking origami here. The Colombian artist has created paper sculptures of more than 100 species, and they are startlingly realistic

“Sonic Bloom,” a solar sculpture at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle

Energy Innovation

Sonic Bloom! A New Solar-Powered Sculpture

Dan Corson's latest installation in Seattle—flower sculptures that light up at night—show that solar energy is viable even in the cloudy Pacific Northwest

Migaloo, the white whale

Call Me Migaloo: The Story Behind Real-Life White Whales

White whales, such as the recently spotted humpback nicknamed Migaloo, are rare and elusive creatures. How many are there and why are they white?

Blue whale earplugs can reveal some of these aquatic giants’ life events.

Blue Whale Earwax Reveals Pollution Accumulated Over a Lifetime

Earwax collected from a beached whale shows that the creature ingested a host of toxins, such as DDT and mercury, throughout its life

Oceanographer Gareth Lawson, who studies pteropods, was able to identify Kavanagh’s sculptures to species, such as this Limacina helicina.

The Gorgeous Shapes of Sea Butterflies

Cornelia Kavanagh's sculptures magnify tiny sea butterflies—ocean acidification's unlikely mascots—hundreds of times

Eating Breakfast Probably Won’t Help You Lose Weight

As much as researchers themselves want to believe that breakfast helps people lose weight or keep it off, the evidence is far from conclusive

What Happens When You Freeze Flowers and Shoot Them With a Gun?

With the help of a little liquid nitrogen, German photographer Martin Klimas captures the fragile chaos of flowers as they explode

President Barack Obama is left-handed, as well as at least six former presidents.

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Why Are Some People Left-Handed?

Being a righty or a lefty could be linked to variations in a network of genes that influence right or left asymmetries in the body and brain

The small hopping insect Issus coleoptratus uses toothed gears (magnified above with an electron microscope) to precisely synchronize the kicks of its hind legs as it jumps forward.

This Insect Has The Only Mechanical Gears Ever Found in Nature

The small hopping insect <i>Issus coleoptratus</i> uses toothed gears on its joints to precisely synchronize the kicks of its hind legs as it jumps forward

Cerro Prieto Geothermal Power Station, Baja, Mexico 2012

Aerial Views of Our Water World

In a new book, documentary and exhibition, photographer Edward Burtynsky looks at humans' dramatic relationship with water

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Video: A Drone Mates With a Queen Bee in Glorious Slow-Motion

For the new documentary More Than Honey, filmmakers captured the insects mating in midair

The wise long-eared owl keeps his cool under pressure.

Bigger-Brained Birds Keep Their Cool Under Pressure

Birds with high ratios of brain size to body size maintain lower levels of stress hormones in their blood compared to their less intellectual counterparts

New research shows that a molecule in Szechuan peppers activates your cells’ touch receptors, making them feel like they’ve been vibrated rapidly.

Why Szechuan Peppers Make Your Lips Go Numb

Research shows that a molecule in the peppers activates your cells' touch receptors, making them feel like they've been rapidly vibrated

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Energy Innovation

Could Panda Poop Be the Secret to More Efficient Biofuel?

Unique microbes in a panda's gut efficiently break down bamboo--mass producing these microbes could help scientists make sustainable biofuels

The smokiness behind your favorite whiskey might all be thanks to chemistry.

How Chemistry Can Explain the Difference Between Bourbon and a Tennessee Whiskey

The unique flavor of a whiskey or scotch might be more than pure luck--it might be a science

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This Next-Generation Bug Spray Could Make You Invisible to Mosquitoes

Researchers are analyzing chemicals naturally present on human skin that disrupt mosquitoes' ability to smell us

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