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

Drier Winter Habitat Impacts Songbirds’ Ability To Survive Migration

Climate Change-Driven Drying in Caribbean Likely To Impact Birds Throughout Annual Cycle

Close-up of brown ant crawling on jagged surface.

Ant Agriculture Began 66 Million Years Ago in the Aftermath of the Asteroid That Doomed the Dinosaurs

Smithsonian Scientists Assembled and Analyzed Sprawling Genetic Database, Finding Some Fungal Crops Later Became Completely Reliant on Ants 27 Million Years Ago

Three pieces of gray stone with imprint of leaf in half-moon shape with discernible straight leaves.

New Study Charts How Earth’s Global Temperature Has Drastically Changed Over the Past 485 Million Years, Driven by Carbon Dioxide

Smithsonian-Sparked Study Co-Led by University of Arizona Underscores Perils Presented by Unprecedented Rate of Human-Made Warming

Megan A. Smetzer Awarded the 36th Annual Eldredge Prize for “Painful Beauty: Tlingit Women, Beadwork and the Art of Resilience”

Smithsonian Scientists Help Uncover How Solar Wind Gets Its Energy

National Museum of African American History and Culture To Release Its First Book of Sports Photography

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

Smithsonian-Gallup Study Uncovers Gaps in How US Science Standards Are Preparing Students To Meet Sustainability Challenges of the Future

Stakeholder Insights Highlight Challenges and Opportunities for Integrating Sustainability Into US Classrooms

Smithsonian Scientists Devise Method To Secure Earth’s Biodiversity on the Moon

Proposed Lunar Biorepository Could Store Genetic Samples Without Electricity or Liquid Nitrogen

New Study Supports Stable Mantle Chemistry Dating Back to Earth’s Early Geologic History and Over Its Prodigious Evolution

Smithsonian Scientists Conduct New Analyses on Ancient ‘Time Capsule’ Rocks, at Least 2.5 Billion Years Old

New Initiative Explores Innovative Financing Solutions for Co-Management of Ecosystems and Public Health in Africa

Smithsonian Announces Its 2024 Artist Research Fellows

Restored Oyster Sanctuaries Host More Marine Life

Sanctuaries in Chesapeake Shelter Higher Oyster Populations and More Marine Life—Including Parasites—Than Nearby Harvest Areas

Rising Carbon Dioxide May Be Diluting Plant Nutrients, Threatening Herbivores

Nutrient Dilution Could Be an Underappreciated Driver of Biodiversity Loss

TEMPO Air Quality Data Now Publicly Available

Valuable Air Quality Collected by the TEMPO Mission Now Being Released to the Public

Two New Giant Pandas Coming to Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute From China by End of the Year

New 10-Year Research and Breeding Agreement Signed

Research News

Drier Winter Habitat Impacts Songbirds’ Ability To Survive Migration

Ant Agriculture Began 66 Million Years Ago in the Aftermath of the Asteroid That Doomed the Dinosaurs

New Study Charts How Earth’s Global Temperature Has Drastically Changed Over the Past 485 Million Years, Driven by Carbon Dioxide

Megan A. Smetzer Awarded the 36th Annual Eldredge Prize for “Painful Beauty: Tlingit Women, Beadwork and the Art of Resilience”

Smithsonian Scientists Help Uncover How Solar Wind Gets Its Energy

National Museum of African American History and Culture To Release Its First Book of Sports Photography

Smithsonian-Gallup Study Uncovers Gaps in How US Science Standards Are Preparing Students To Meet Sustainability Challenges of the Future

Smithsonian Scientists Devise Method To Secure Earth’s Biodiversity on the Moon

New Study Supports Stable Mantle Chemistry Dating Back to Earth’s Early Geologic History and Over Its Prodigious Evolution

New Initiative Explores Innovative Financing Solutions for Co-Management of Ecosystems and Public Health in Africa

Smithsonian Announces Its 2024 Artist Research Fellows

Restored Oyster Sanctuaries Host More Marine Life

Rising Carbon Dioxide May Be Diluting Plant Nutrients, Threatening Herbivores

TEMPO Air Quality Data Now Publicly Available

Two New Giant Pandas Coming to Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute From China by End of the Year

A Giant Cosmic Butterfly’s Nature Is Revealed

Smithsonian American Art Museum Announces 2024–2025 Fellowship Appointments and Residencies

Bioluminescence First Evolved in Animals at Least 540 Million Years Ago

Just Our Type: Smithsonian’s Dinosaur Skeleton Becomes the Scientific Standard for Prehistoric Predator

Adult Fish Struggle To Bounce Back in Marine Protected Areas

Researchers Name Prehistoric Amphibian Ancestor Discovered in Smithsonian Collection After Kermit the Frog

Shrinking Moon Causes Temblors and Faults in the Lunar South Polar Region

New Study Reveals Evidence of an Ice-Rich Layered Deposit on Mars

Smithsonian-led Study Reveals Five New Species of Soft-Furred Hedgehogs From Southeast Asia