Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Reproduction

During and after pregnancy, hormones drive profound changes in the brain’s structure and function.

Pregnancy Changes Mothers’ Brains. These Recent Discoveries Are Showing Us How

“Baby brain” isn’t the deficit it’s stereotyped to be, research suggests. Neural adaptations during pregnancy can prime soon-to-be-moms to become more attuned to their children and enhance social cognition

About 47 percent of wolves in Italy are considered wolf-dog hybrids, according to a recent genetic analysis.

Nearly Half of Italy’s Wolves Are Part Dog Now, Thanks to Hybridization. Is That a Threat to the Species?

Wolf-dog hybrids are growing far more common in Italy, raising scientists’ concerns for the future of the wolves

Andrena regularis, or the regular mining bee, is an important pollinator species.

Scientists Found 5.6 Million Burrowing Bees Beneath a Cemetery in New York. The Group Is One of the Largest on Record

Researchers in Ithaca estimated the number of ground-nesting bees emerging from a local cemetery in spring 2023, revealing just how abundant some understudied pollinators are

The researchers primarily studied California two-spot octopuses.

Octopus Sex Just Got Weirder. In Addition to Depositing Sperm, Males’ Specialized Mating Arm Can ‘Taste’ Female Hormones

The hectocotylus is both a reproductive organ and a sensory organ, a rare combination in animals, new research suggests

Domino the warty frogfish is about the size of a pea.

Meet Domino, a Tiny, Bumpy Fish Making a Splash in Chicago

The warty frogfish, also known as a clown anglerfish, is believed to be the first of its kind born and raised in captivity

Purple martins are long-distance migrants that nest in human-provided boxes across North America.

Purple Martins Rely on Human ‘Landlords’ to Provide Nest Boxes Each Spring. Can That Dynamic Last?

The large swallows have nested alongside human settlements for centuries. Now, the birds’ breeding success depends on caretakers who are beginning to age out of the role

Male reproductive cells, sperm, might struggle to reach and fertilize female reproductive cells, eggs, in microgravity, according to a new study.

Humans Might Struggle to Make Babies in Space. Sperm Gets Disoriented in Microgravity, a New Study Suggests

Simulated near-weightless conditions reduced human sperm’s navigational abilities

Participants listened to pairs of mating calls made by numerous creatures, including male green treefrogs.

Humans and Animals Often Like the Same Mating Calls, Supporting a 150-Year-Old Observation by Charles Darwin

New research by Smithsonian scientists suggests that preferences for certain sounds might be evolutionarily conserved

Male African striped mice's parenting styles vary greatly: Some fathers groom and protect their pups from the elements, while others ignore or even attack their young.

Some Mice Are Doting Dads, While Others Ignore or Attack Their Offspring. Researchers Just Figured Out Why

In African striped mice, the activity of one gene can dramatically change a male’s parenting style, according to a new study

A polar bear cub walks along the ice in Svalbard, Norway.

See 24 Astounding Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest—and Vote for Your Favorite

The public will choose the winner of the People’s Choice award in a vote that runs from February 4 to March 18

A juvenile harbor seal lies on a beach in the Netherlands.

Seals Are Seemingly Vanishing Off the Dutch Coast. These Scientists Are Trying to Get to the Bottom of the Mysterious Disappearances

Recent counts of the Wadden Sea’s adult harbor seal population have revealed a surprising trend of decline, prompting a consortium of researchers to investigate whether the animals are dying off, relocating or experiencing something else altogether

A gentoo penguin peers up from its colony’s nesting grounds on Booth Island, in the Antarctic Peninsula. The species, an adaptable forager that can switch prey when krill are scarce, has expanded into parts of the Antarctic Peninsula that were once too icy to inhabit.

The Penguins That Thrive—and the Ones Left Behind—as Antarctica Warms

A new decade-long study tracked 37 penguin colonies and found that the birds are breeding earlier. The shift marks one way among many that climate change is transforming life at the bottom of the world

The Teal Wand is the only self-collection device for HPV testing approved by the Food and Drug Administration for at-home use.

Many Americans Will Soon Have Access to At-Home Cervical Cancer Screening Tests at No Cost

U.S. guidance announced on Monday recommends self-collection of samples to test for HPV, the virus that often causes cervical cancer. Private insurers must cover the costs of the swab kits by 2027

Male white-tailed deer rub their heads on trees and urinate on scraped-up earth to leave "signposts," which glow under ultraviolet light, a study suggests.

When Male Deer Mark Trees, Those Spots May Glow Like Neon Lights at Dusk and Dawn, Though Humans Usually Can’t See Them

During the breeding season, white-tailed deer might use their eyes and noses to navigate signs—forehead secretions on trees and urine on the ground—left by males of their species, a study suggests

Researchers were surprised when they spotted an additional cub with this mother polar bear.

This Mama Polar Bear Adopted a Young Cub—and You Can Track the Family as They Wander Around the Hudson Bay

The rare event marks the 13th known instance of adoption within this well-studied group of polar bears living in the western Hudson Bay area

A male golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus) with its vision-obscuring head feathers. 

For Some Male Pheasants, Love Really Is Blind. Their Elaborate Feathers That Impress Females Also Obstruct Their Vision

The adornments on the heads of male Lady Amherst’s and golden pheasants partially block their sight, according to new research, marking the first known sex-based differences in field of vision within bird species

A population of black-and-white ruffed lemurs on Madagascar is experiencing changes in the cadence of its breeding, researchers say.

Lemurs Are Having a Mysterious ‘Baby Boom’ in Madagascar. Here’s Why That Might Not Be a Good Thing

Researchers are investigating a sudden spike in pregnancies in one black-and-white ruffed lemur population that might signal environmental stress to the mammals

For two days at the start of monsoon season on the Indian subcontinent, male Asian common toads (right) turn bright yellow, while females (left) stay brown.

For Two Days Each Year, These Drab Brown Toads Turn a Dazzling Neon Yellow—and Scientists Finally Know Why

When monsoon rains begin to fall on the Indian subcontinent, Asian common toads congregate at temporary puddles for a frenzied, two-day mating spree

A mother breastfeeds a baby at home

Breastfeeding Has Long Been Linked to Reducing Cancer Risk. Scientists May Have Just Discovered Why

Patients with a history of breastfeeding showed higher levels of specialized immune cells in their breasts that may protect against malignant cancers

Postpartum depression affects some one in eight women in the United States. It typically occurs in the first weeks after childbirth, after a sudden drop in levels of estrogen and progesterone.

A Blood Test Can Now Predict a Mother’s Risk of Postpartum Depression

Scientists are learning more about this leading complication of childbirth, and treatments are improving

Page 1 of 13