Research News

The Smithsonian is one of the world’s foremost research centers in science, the arts, and the humanities. In addition to research pursued by the museums, our research centers specialize in areas of inquiry spanning the globe and the farthest reaches of the universe.

Research News Feed

Alien Planet Found Spiraling to Its Doom Around an Aging Star

Condemned Planet Could Help Answer Questions About the Fate of Other Worlds as Their Solar Systems Evolve

Study Details How Animals Are Key To Restoring the World’s Forests

New From JWST: An Exoplanet Atmosphere as Never Seen Before

New Observations of WASP-39 b Reveal a Never-Before-Seen Molecule in the Atmosphere of a Planet—Sulfur Dioxide—Among Other Details

Red brick building with large windows, spires and manicured landscaping in front.

Smithsonian Launches “Life on a Sustainable Planet” Climate Change Initiative

Initiative Aims To Facilitate Scientific Research and Promote Sustainable Solutions

November 10, 2022
Research News

Sustainability at the Smithsonian Institution: Responding to Climate Change

November 9, 2022
Research News
Education News

Smithsonian Receives $10 Million Donation To Support Research and Education on Climate Resilience

Gift Will Fund Several New Programs and Help Scale-Up Existing Ones

October 31, 2022
Research News
Education News

Smithsonian Researchers Discover Extinct Prehistoric Reptile That Lived Among Dinosaurs

Discovery Sheds Light on the Tuatara, the Last Living Member of a Once-Diverse Group of Reptiles That Has Almost Entirely Been Supplanted by Lizards

Hubble Sees Red Supergiant Star Betelgeuse Slowly Recovering After Blowing Its Top

Seething Monster Star Had Never-Before-Seen Titanic Eruption

Legacy of Ancient Ice Ages Shapes How Seagrasses Respond to Environmental Threats Today

Past Migration, Pleistocene Ice Ages Still Impact Size and Structure of Modern Eelgrass Communities

New Study Shows Smithsonian People-Focused Conservation Initiatives Benefit Society and Nature To Support Life on a Sustainable Planet

June 24, 2022
Research News

Person in scuba suit floats underwater next to marine experiment

As the Ocean Heats Up Hungrier Predators Take Control

Marine Predation Intensifies in Warmer Waters; Could Reshape Ocean Communities as Climate Changes

For Wetland Plants, Sea-Level Rise Stamps Out Benefits of Higher CO2

Beneficial Effects of Rising CO2 for Plants Disappear Under Flooding, 33-Year Field Experiment Reveals

Tropical Trees Are Dying of Dehydration Due to Climate Change

Rainforest Trees May Be Dying Twice as Quickly Since the 1980s as a Hotter, Thirstier Atmosphere Dries Them Out

Three people kneel to examine a fish specimen next to a river

Amazon Deforestation Threatens Newly Discovered Fish Species in Brazil

Smithsonian Researcher Helps Discover and Describe Two New Species of Freshwater Fish That Are at Risk of Extinction

Astronomers Reveal First Image of the Black Hole at the Heart of the Milky Way Galaxy

Indigenous Peoples Have Shucked Billions of Oysters Around the World Sustainably

Global Study of Indigenous Oyster Fisheries Finds Evidence of Huge Harvests Spanning Hundreds and Even Thousands of Years

Scientists Have Spotted the Most Distant Galaxy Ever

Shining Only About 300 Million Years After the Big Bang, It May Be Home to the Oldest Stars in the Universe or a Supermassive Black Hole

Astronomers Reveal Remarkable Simulations of the Early Universe From the Dark Ages Through First Light

New High-Resolution Simulations Show 1 Million Galaxies Forming Some 13 Billion Years Ago

Study Finds That Water Determines Magma Depth, A Key to Accurate Models of Volcanic Activity, Eruption

Smithsonian Study Finds More ‘Losers’ Than ‘Winners’ Among Plants in the Age of Humans

Researchers Categorized More Than 80,000 Plant Species as Winners or Losers According to Their Ability To Survive as Humans Shape the Future

Study Finds “Portfolio Approach” Can Help Protect Restorations From Extreme Climate Events

Adding Diversity to Restoration Projects Can Buffer Them Against Hurricanes, Droughts and Other Climate Extremes

Scientists Explain Mysterious Finger-like Features in Solar Flares

Astronomers Have Presented New Explanation for Mysterious Downward-Moving Dark Voids Seen in Some Solar Flares

1,000 Light-Year-Wide Bubble Surrounding Earth Is Source of All Young Stars Nearby

For the First Time, Astronomers Have Retraced the History of Earth’s Galactic Neighborhood, Showing Exactly How the Young Stars Nearest to Its Solar System Formed

Spacecraft Enters the Sun’s Corona for the First Time in History

Instrument Made by Scientists and Engineers at the Center for Astrophysics Has Helped Verify That—for the First Time in History—a Spacecraft Has Entered the Corona of the Sun