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This Socorro dove recently hatched at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Conservationists have been undertaking a decades-long effort to breed the extinct-in-the-wild species and one day reintroduce it to its native Socorro Island in Mexico.

New, Rare Dove Hatchlings Are a ‘Source of Hope’ for the Extinct-in-the-Wild Birds and a Step Forward in the Ambitious Project to Save Them

The Socorro dove has not been recorded in the wild since 1972, but that could change within only a few years, conservationists say, thanks to a long-term reintroduction effort

The spray from the cascade of Bridalveil Falls captures sunlight to create a rainbow of colors.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

These 15 Breathtaking Photos of Yosemite National Park Will Have You Planning Your Next Vacation to the Great Outdoors

The park’s picturesque peaks, wonderful waterfalls and towering trees aren’t just photo opportunities; they’re visual poetry. And they’re just some of the reasons to love Yosemite

The first image of newly hatched California giant salamanders in the wild can teach biologists about the nesting habitat of the little-known species.

A Snorkeling Biologist Snapped the First-Ever Photo of Newly Hatched California Giant Salamanders in the Wild. Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal

The discovery provides another key data point about a little-known species for which every observation matters

An aerial view of the Ford Motor Company's River Rouge plant, circa 1945

Walt Disney Visited a Ford Factory in 1948. What He Witnessed There Laid the Groundwork for What Would Become Disneyland

A new book argues that the film producer’s trip to the River Rouge plant in Michigan inspired him to embrace the power of automation when designing the first Disney theme park

Western monarch butterflies bask in the sun on a eucalyptus branch at Lighthouse Field State Beach. In December 2025, researchers placed ultralight radio tags on some monarchs at this site, hoping to track their movements and identify areas to prioritize for the species’ conservation.

Butterflies Are in Dramatic Decline Across North America. A Close Look at the Western Monarch Shows Why

Pesticides, habitat loss and climate change have taken their toll on the beloved insects. But the experts working with them still find hope for their future

The original King Taco location in the Los Angeles Cypress Park neighborhood is now a historic-cultural monument.

A Couple From Mexico Became Soft Taco Pioneers in Los Angeles 50 Years Ago. Now, Their Restaurant Is a Landmark

Raúl and Lupe Martinez opened King Taco and served up soft corn tortillas like they remembered from home. The rest is—now officially—history, thanks to a vote from the Los Angeles City Council

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The Remarkable, Amazing Stories of Route 66 Reflect the Twists and Turns of 100 Years of Americana

Among the first interstates, the beloved roadway that connected Chicago to Los Angeles still looms large in popular culture and our collective imagination

The 1851 $50 gold slug was one of the first coins minted in San Francisco.

This Rare-Coin Scavenger Hunt in San Francisco Offers Participants the Chance to Relive the California Gold Rush

A local coin dealer will hide historic currency worth a total of $50,000 in its third annual citywide challenge on April 25

Biologists with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are working hard to eradicate nutria from the state.

Large Invasive Rodents Are Wreaking Havoc in California. New Research Suggests Someone Deliberately Introduced Them

Genetic testing revealed that nutria living in California since 2017 are most closely related to a population in central Oregon—too far for the creatures to have traveled on their own

A visitor gazes at a statue of a giant short-faced bear. At around 11 feet tall, the Ice Age animal was the largest carnivorous mammal ever to roam North America.

250 Places to Celebrate America

The La Brea Tar Pits Have Been Sucking in Visitors for Millennia. Paleontologists Are Still Finding Out What Lies Within the Ooze

In Los Angeles, scientists are delighted to decode one of the richest fossil records on Earth

A Route 66 shield marks the storied highway in Needles, California.

When America Found Itself Ready to Roll, Route 66, Stretching From Chicago to Los Angeles, Was the Road of Endless Possibilities

The country’s “mother road” started out as a way to get from Point A to Point B but quickly became the host of a culture and a symbol of freedom

Library of Congress conservator Heather Wanser works on the Yosemite drawing created by Thomas Almond Ayres in 1855.

See the Stunning 171-Year-Old Sketch That Helped Put Yosemite on the Map

The Library of Congress has acquired a drawing and accompanying lithograph of Yosemite Falls created by Gold Rush-era artist Thomas Almond Ayres in 1855

The fire-loving fungus Geopyxis, seen here in 2022, after California’s Caldor Fire, has distinctive brown cups with white rims.

These Charcoal-Eating Fungi Flourish After Fires. Uncovering Their Genetic Secrets Could Help Rebuild Burned Ecosystems

Mycologists cultivated fungi they found in post-wildfire landscapes to understand the evolutionary traits behind their ability to thrive in the wake of flames

When photographer Elliot McGucken heard about a possible superbloom in Death Valley this spring, he drove around 1,000 miles from Montana to California.

Vibrant Wildflowers Are Blanketing Death Valley National Park, Resulting in the Most Breathtaking Bloom in a Decade

Parts of the park are awash in wildflowers, from the cheery yellow blooms of desert gold to the bright purple clusters of sand verbena, along with many other species

The Brady house is located on Dilling Street in Studio City.

The Iconic House From ‘The Brady Bunch’ Is Now an Official Historic Landmark in Los Angeles

Viewers saw the house in shots of the Brady home’s exterior, though interior scenes were filmed in a studio. A few years ago, the structure was renovated to match the sets

One of the birds is known as A1, or ‘Hlow Hoo-let,’ which means “At last I (or we) fly!”

These California Condors Might Be Tending to the Species’ First Egg in the State’s Northern Region in More Than a Century

Experts haven’t confirmed the existence of an egg, but the nesting birds’ behaviors suggest one was laid in early February

Researchers are collecting observational data to learn more about the outbreak. 

Northern Elephant Seals Test Positive for Deadly, Highly Infectious H5N1 Bird Flu for the First Time

About 30 seals at a California state park have died, and seven of them had the lethal virus. Lab results for the other animals are pending

Desert sunflowers blooming in Death Valley National Park in 2016

Will a Dazzling Display of Wildflowers Spread Across California This Spring?

Superblooms are rare events that occur when conditions perfectly align. Officials hope that visitors will be able to see brightly colored landscapes in the weeks ahead

A gray wolf in California.

A Gray Wolf Visited Los Angeles County for the First Time in a Century, Marking a Major Milestone in the Species’ Recovery

The 3-year-old female wolf, called BEY03F, is probably looking for a mate

After capturing the 77-pound male, wildlife officials said they planned to re-collar and release the creature into the wild.

Rare Mountain Lion Standoff in San Francisco Ends Peacefully After a 30-Hour Search

Wildlife officials successfully captured the young male, known as 157M, after he wandered into the northern Pacific Heights neighborhood

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