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

Two large elephants walk in a zoo enclosure near some water.

Asian Elephant Is Pregnant at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

$23 Million Campaign Launches To Increase Asian Elephant Conservation Impact

Prairie Dog Unsung Hero of the Grasslands

Smallest Herbivores Create the Biggest Impact for Grassland Forage

Prairie Dogs and Grasshoppers Do More Than Their Larger Herbivore Counterparts To Keep Soil and Plant Nutrients Cycling

September 10, 2025
National Zoo & SCBI
Research News

Tropical rainforest with palm trees and an overcast sky.

Study Reveals Carbon Markets Undervalue Shade-Grown Coffee Farms

Existing Shade Trees on Coffee Farms Store More Carbon Than Tree-Planting Projects Can Sequester

To Craft Early Tools, Ancient Human Relatives Transported Stones Over Long Distances 600,000 Years Earlier Than Previously Thought

Stone Tools Unearthed in Kenya Reveal That Hominins Regularly Moved Raw Materials Several Miles

A North American river otter (Lontra canadensis).

River Otters Unfazed by Feces and Parasites While Eating…and That’s Good for Ecosystems

New Study Offers First Look at Diet and Ecology of River Otters in Chesapeake Bay

Frog that has succumbed to chytrid disease.

Scientists Use Climate Data To Map, Predict Amphibian Chytrid Disease

New Modeling Method Could Hold Key To Restoring Panamanian Frog Populations

Image of a microscope view of an egg-shape made of tiny white circles

Smithsonian Digitizes Pollen From 18,000 Plant Species

Digitized Pollen Database for Paleontology Research, Allergy Medicine and More

August 1, 2025
Research News

Black and white image of the back of an astronaut suit standing with arm reached out toward boulder.

The Shaking Moon: Moonquake Triggered Landslides and Boulder Falls

Seismic Activity From Young Faults Could Put Future Lunar Outposts at Risk

A small fox runs through a wheat-colored field of grass.

New DNA Analysis Allows Scientists To Identify Specific Animals by Their Feces

Technique Offers New Non-Invasive Way To Monitor Wildlife

Smithsonian Castle and sunburst topiary in front of statue

Smithsonian Announces 2025 Artist Research Fellowship Awardees

A man wearing a short sleeve, plaid shirt bends over a table and works on small, rock-life artifacts.

Ancient Species’ Dental Records Can Offer Greater Clarity on Prehistoric Life

Analysis Shows That Proteins Found in Enamel Can Reveal 18 Million Years of Evolution

Smithsonian-Led Team Discovers North America’s Oldest Known Pterosaur

New Fossils Unearthed in Petrified Forest National Park Bonebed Preserve a Snapshot of an Ecosystem in Flux Before the End Triassic Mass Extinction

Predator Alerts Bring Together Prairie Dogs and Grassland Birds

Eavesdropping on Prairie Dog Alarm Calls May Increase Curlews’ Survival

Underwater coral that is textured and various shades of brown and tan.

Smithsonian Research Reveals that Probiotics Slow Spread of Deadly Disease Decimating Caribbean Reefs

Field Tests in Florida Identify Best Available Treatment to Combat Coral Disease Without Need for Antibiotics

Still image of a monkey sitting in a forest with another monkey on its back.

Capuchin Monkeys Caught on Camera With Abducted Baby Howler Monkeys

What Is the Reason for This Behavior?

A bat with large black wings extended skims surface of water catching small frog in its mouth.

Palatable Versus Poisonous: Eavesdropping Bats Must Learn To Identify Which Prey Is Safe To Eat

Data Collected on Juvenile and Adult Fringe-Lipped Bats Reveal the First Clues Into the Development of Eavesdropping Behavior in Predators

Man wearing glasses and a short sleeve shirt crouches down a field of tall green grass.

Hotter Temps Trigger Wetlands To Emit More Methane as Microbes Struggle To Keep Up

Scientists Dial Up Heat and Carbon Dioxide in Futuristic Experiment

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

Bezos Earth Fund Gives $2 Million Grant To Launch Groundbreaking Amphibian Conservation Project Across Latin America

A brown and black bird with a long, thin beak flies in a clear blue sky.

Discovery of Hidden Groups Within Migratory Shorebird Could Aid Conservation

Tracking Data Revealed Three Groups of Long-Billed Curlew, Each With Unique Migration Patterns and Conservation Needs

Plant in a conical shape with vibrant red leaves

Nearly Half of Popular Tropical Plant Group Related to Birds-of-Paradise and Bananas Are Threatened With Extinction

Dried Plant Specimens and Data Collected Over Decades of Field Work Allowed Scientists To Efficiently Assess Extinction Risks

Astronomers Reveal Largest Collection of Comets Outside Earth’s Solar System Ever Found

For the First Time, Astronomers Have Imaged Dozens of Belts Around Nearby Stars Where Comets and Tiny Pebbles Within Them Are Orbiting

Traces of Ancient Brine Discovered on the Asteroid Bennu Contain Minerals Crucial to Life

Left by Evaporated Water, the Salty Residue Contains Compounds Never Observed Before in Samples From Asteroids

Innovative Technology Aims To Boost Black-Footed Ferret Recovery Efforts

Smithsonian Leads Groundbreaking Research To Track and Monitor One of North America’s Most Endangered Mammals

Gray, sandy crevice in the shape of a left foot with a small white ruler nearby.

Fossil Footprints Reveal That Two Early Human Relatives Lived on the Same Landscape 1.5 Million Years Ago

Analysis of Other Fossil Footprint Sites Shows That the Two Species Repeatedly Visited Lake Margin Habitats for Up to 200,000 Years