https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/science-nature/RSS feed for ScienceenTue, 03 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/as-greenlands-ice-sheet-melts-an-island-town-rises-180985514/Geologists are working with local communities to determine how residents can adapt as the area's sea level, in effect, goes downTue, 03 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/where-do-butterflies-migrate-from-clues-can-be-found-in-pollen-on-their-bodies-180985507/Trillions of insects move around the globe each year. Scientists are working on new ways to map those long-distance journeysWed, 27 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-are-urban-turkeys-thriving-180985433/As many wild populations decline, some city dwellers flourish—and may become a source for reintroductions to rural areasMon, 25 Nov 2024 15:09:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/deep-look-into-the-wacky-and-wild-lives-of-earwigs-180985482/The insects participate in elaborate courtships, are devoted parents, occasionally eat each other and have a gregarious natureFri, 22 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/from-a-motorcycle-revving-to-a-pig-oinking-eight-amazing-sounds-made-by-frogs-180985495/All over the world, different types of frogs call out in various ways to warn others or attract matesThu, 21 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dedicated-scientists-birdwatchers-tracked-down-these-five-lost-birds-180985446/A worldwide search party is using 21st-century tools to uncover long-unseen species, one of which hadn't been found since the 19th centuryThu, 21 Nov 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/hero-convinced-fellow-ornithologists-obvious-stop-shooting-birds-watch-them-instead-180985445/Too late to save the ivory-billed woodpecker, Arthur Allen changed science forever with his seemingly simple ideaWed, 20 Nov 2024 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-the-arrival-of-an-endangered-bird-indicates-whats-possible-for-the-la-river-180985390/Could the waterway that the city was built around make a comeback?Tue, 19 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/andes-translucent-glass-frogs-need-be-seen-saved-180985438/The amphibians are at the mercy of mining operations that are destroying their ecosystems, but local communities throughout South America are fighting backMon, 18 Nov 2024 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-frogs-are-kicking-back-against-a-lethal-fungus-180985431/Scientists are seeing signs of resistance to the infections that have been wiping out the world’s amphibian populations—and they're developing methods to fight the pathogenThu, 14 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-to-make-a-mammal-in-nine-evolutionary-steps-180985289/From the formation of inner ear bones to the rise of hair to cover our bodies, these developments made us distinct from other animalsTue, 12 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/this-parasitic-fungus-turns-flies-into-zombie-insects-180985401/The pathogen takes over the brains of its hosts and controls them for its own sinister endsFri, 08 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/hurricane-helene-battered-salamander-capital-world-floods-landslides-will-beloved-amphibians-survive-aftermath-180985396/The storm decimated a region rich with dozens of species already struggling with habitat loss and diseaseThu, 07 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-six-most-amazing-discoveries-weve-made-about-neptune-180985333/Despite the lack of a dedicated mission to the planet, scientists have learned plenty through ground observations and space telescopesTue, 05 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/can-fungi-save-this-endangered-hawaiian-tree-180985171/By inoculating greenhouse na’u seedlings with mycorrhizal fungi, researchers hope to boost survival odds when the plants are returned to the wildWed, 30 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/is-depression-contagious-180985310/The science about whether mental health conditions can spread socially is uncertain, but exposure to an affected peer can drive awarenessTue, 29 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/from-prolonging-wallaby-pregnancies-to-disorienting-hatchling-turtles-11-ways-artificial-lights-affect-animals-180985253/From the busy cities to ocean waters, our need to illuminate the world has had some strange and tragic consequencesMon, 28 Oct 2024 16:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/after-decades-of-searching-are-physicists-closing-in-on-dark-matter-180985246/With no conclusive laboratory results, researchers are turning to other methods to find the elusive substanceFri, 25 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/even-ai-technology-races-ahead-old-school-prehistoric-science-wildlife-tracking-making-comeback-180985229/Humans perfected how to identify wild animals over millennia, and now biologists are rediscovering the exceptional worth of the tracks and marks left behindWed, 23 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-seven-most-amazing-discoveries-weve-made-about-pluto-180985089/Though technically not a planet, it has as rich geology as any of its planetary siblings in the solar systemTue, 22 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-scientists-tender-loving-care-could-save-this-endangered-penguin-species-180985230/From fish smoothies to oral antibiotics, researchers are taking matters into their own hands in a radical effort to save New Zealand’s yellow-eyed penguinsMon, 21 Oct 2024 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/heres-how-weather-balloons-can-harm-marine-animals-180985276/Latex balloons designed to collect high-altitude data can become a threat after they burstFri, 18 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/can-lynx-be-saved-in-the-balkans-180985200/A small team of local scientists are fighting rapid industrialization, misinformation and more to save Europe’s iconic catThu, 17 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/nasa-launches-europa-clipper-to-search-for-signs-of-life-on-jupiters-moon-180985262/The huge spacecraft is headed toward the icy moon Europa, where it will use an array of instruments to survey for geologic activity, magnetism and moreMon, 14 Oct 2024 16:16:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-30-years-studying-new-england-woods-reveals-about-colors-changing-leaves-180985234/An ecologist’s long walks and detailed observations allowed him to chronicle the shifts in an iconic habitat and grow a once-overlooked branch of scienceFri, 11 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/uncovering-the-secrets-behind-hummingbirds-extreme-lifestyle-180985186/Here's how the aerial acrobats are able to survive on a nearly all-sugar diet, fly higher than many helicopters can and migrate over the open oceanWed, 09 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/can-a-mothers-mental-health-impact-a-baby-in-the-womb-180985158/Growing research indicates a pregnant woman’s stress level and overall mental well-being can affect fetal and child development, yet access to prenatal mental health care remains inadequateWed, 09 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000