wildlife

A cinnamon black bear

Why Do Some Black Bears Have Brown Fur?

New research pinpoints the 9,000-year-old genetic mutation that gives some black bears a cinnamon-colored hue

This year's picks include Black Lion, The Catch Me If You Can and The Slow Road to Tehran.

The Ten Best Books About Travel of 2022

After two years of limited travel opportunities, we’re ready to explore the world once more

Twelve-year-old Madison Checketts was named one of the 30 finalists in the 2022 Broadcom Masters Competition, the country’s premier science, technology, engineering and math competition for middle school students.

This 12-Year-Old Designed a Water Bottle You Can Eat

After seeing plastic polluting her favorite beaches year after year, Madison Checketts decided it was time to do something about it

This year’s picks include Fresh Banana Leaves, Origin and Starry Messenger.

The Ten Best Science Books of 2022

From a detective story on the origins of Covid-19 to a narrative that imagines a fateful day for dinosaurs, these works affected us the most this year

The last surviving thylacine's skull

Remains of Last Surviving Tasmanian Tiger Discovered in Museum Cabinet

Researchers found the lost body of the female thylacine after 85 years

The northern long-eared bat was listed as threatened in 2015. It will officially be reclassified as endangered in January 2023. 

Decimated by Fungus, the Northern Long-Eared Bat Is Now Endangered

A disease called white-nose syndrome has killed millions of bats in North America

Whole Foods will stop buying Maine lobster December 15.

Whole Foods Will Stop Selling Maine Lobster, Citing Risks to Endangered Whales

Fewer than 350 North Atlantic right whales remain, and the marine mammals can become entangled in fishing gear

This year's titles include I Was Better Last Night, Accidental Ecosystem and Winslow Homer: American Passage.

Smithsonian Scholars Pick Their Favorite Books of 2022

This wide-ranging list offers context for our rapidly changing world

The monkey's skeletal remains

1,700-Year-Old Monkey Skeleton Suggests Diplomatic Ties Between Mesoamerican Powers

Researchers believe the Maya gave the sacrificial female spider monkey to Teotihuacán as a gift years before relations soured

Barges stranded by low water in the Mississippi River in Rosedale, Mississippi, a small town near where the lion fossil was found

Drought Reveals Rare American Lion Fossil in Dried-Up Mississippi River

Low water levels have also stranded barge traffic and threatened drinking water

With one vast root system, Pando weighs more than 6,600 tons and contains approximately 47,000 genetically identical stems (or branches).

The World's Largest Tree Is Ready for Its Close-Up

Friends of Pando, a nonprofit, is in the process of creating the largest image ever recorded of this single aspen clone in Utah

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Octopuses Caught on Camera Throwing Debris at Each Other

Scientists say this is the first time they have documented the behavior among the tentacled sea creatures

A mouse lemur grasps onto a tree branch in Madagascar. Scientists looked to characteristics in such modern primates to form a hypothesis about how primates behaved after an asteroid wiped out non-avian dinosaurs.

Soon After Dinosaur Decimation, Our Primate Ancestors Began Pouncing on Prey

Nails helped them climb trees quietly, and forward-facing eyes helped with depth perception to aid in precise leaping

According to the National Park Service, 95 percent of U.S. brown bears live in Alaska.

Getting Up Close to the Bears of Alaska's Lake Clark National Park

The high density of brown bears in the protected area makes it an ideal spot for viewing and research

The costume worn by Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther in the 2016 film Captain America: Civil War is in the collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The suit imbues him with powers similar to the abilities of the dark cats.

14 Fun Facts About Black Panthers

Many of the Marvel superhero’s powers are inspired by the namesake predator

An illustration of a springtail jumping

Springtails Are Nature’s Tiny Gymnasts, Videos Reveal

The insect-like creatures that leap through the air with remarkable control might inspire new jumping robots

Nearly ten percent of all deer-vehicle collisions occur in the two weeks surrounding the time change in the fall.  

Deer-Car Collisions Rise When Daylight Saving Time Ends

Forgoing the “spring forward, fall back” pattern could save 33 human lives, 37,000 deer and more than $1 billion per year, study suggests

Scientists recorded 50 species of turtles making vocalizations.

Scientists Thought These 53 Species Were Silent. Now, They’ve Recorded Their Sounds

Vocal communication may have evolved from a common ancestor some 407 million years ago

Darwin's signature on the note

Charles Darwin's Rare Autographed Manuscript Could Sell for $800,000

The English naturalist was responding to a magazine editor who had asked for a handwriting sample

The giant sunfish found floating near Faial Island in the Azores archipelago

This 6,000-Pound Sunfish Is the Largest Bony Fish on Record

Fishermen and boaters spotted the colossal creature floating near the Azores islands last December

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