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

Biodiversity May Limit Invasions: Lessons From Lizards on Panama Canal Islands

Lightning strike

Lightning Strikes More Than 100 Million Times Per Year in the Tropics

Scientists Discover How Deep-Sea, Ultra-Black Fish Disappear

Ultra-Black Fish Skin Absorbs More Than 99.5% of Light in a New, Extremely Efficient Way, a Discovery That May Advance High-Tech Optical and Camouflage Technology

Two small bats on a towel

A New Social Role for Echolocation in Bats That Hunt Together

Scientists Identify a Temperature Tipping Point for Tropical Forests

Two Extinct-in-the-Wild Guam Kingfishers Hatch at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

This Brightly Colored Bird Is One of the Most Endangered Bird Species on the Planet

One in Four Tree Deaths in Blue Ridge Mountains Linked to Invasive Species

Three Decades of Monitoring Reveals Virginia Forests’ Risks, Resilience

Risky Business: Courtship Movements Put Katydids in Danger

Long-term Consequences of Coastal Development as Bad as an Oil Spill on Coral Reefs

Long-term Consequences of Coastal Development as Bad as an Oil Spill on Coral Reefs

April 27, 2020
Research News

Most of Earth’s Carbon Was Hidden in the Core During Its Formative Years

Giant Panda Mei Xiang Is Artificially Inseminated at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo

How Does an Intersex Bee Behave?

Even Fake Illness Affects Relationships Among Vampire Bats

First Cheetah Cubs Born as Result of Embryo Transfer

open access graphic

Smithsonian Releases 2.8 Million Free Images for Broader Public Use

Plenty of Gloom With a Dash of Hope: Fossils Help Identify a Lone “Bright Spot” Reef in a Similar State to Coral Reefs Before Human Impact

February 20, 2020
Research News

Stinging Water Mystery Solved: Jellyfish Can Sting Swimmers, Prey With ‘Mucus Grenades’

Interdisciplinary Research Team Discovers, Describes New Free-floating Jellyfish Stinging Structures

Growing Livestock Numbers Threaten One of the Last Refuges for Large Wild Herbivores in Kenya

Land Management and Conservancies Key to Coexistence of Wildlife and Livestock

Microplastics Are New Homes for Microbes in the Caribbean

Sloth Bears Recognize 2D Images as Representations of 3D Objects Smithsonian’s National Zoo Cognition Study Finds

STRI soil lab scientist.

The Skin of the Earth Is Home to Pac-Man-Like Protists

Trace Metals in Leatherback Turtle Eggs May Harm Consumers

Jaguars Could Prevent a Not-So-Great American Biotic Exchange

Maintaining Tropical Forest Predators in Darien Could Keep Coyotes at Bay

The Limits of Ocean Heavyweights: Prey Curb Whales’ Gigantic Size

Feeding Strategy Strongly Influences Their Size Cap, but All Whales Depend on Rich Ocean Resources To Be Big

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