Science | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/science-nature/RSS feed for ScienceenMon, 09 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000When a Glacial Dam Burst, an Alaskan Town Was Hit With a Sudden Floodhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/when-a-glacial-dam-burst-an-alaskan-town-was-hit-with-a-sudden-flood-180984967/From Alaska to Peru and the Himalayas, glacial lakes are suddenly breaking free and causing deaths and millions of dollars in damagesMon, 09 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000Inside the Effort to Save Earth's Biocrustshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/inside-the-effort-to-save-earths-biocrusts-180985001/Think twice before stepping on that crunchy top layer of soil. It may be a vital ecosystem that you can help protectFri, 06 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000Why Did Dinosaurs Have Horns? It May Not Have Been Simply for Defensehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-did-dinosaurs-have-horns-it-may-not-have-been-simply-for-defense-180984866/Triceratops and its relatives may have evolved the structures for fighting, impressing mates, and moreWed, 04 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000Honor the Natural Beauty of These Tremendous Trees With 15 Photographs From the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contesthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/honor-the-natural-beauty-of-these-tremendous-trees-see-the-glory-of-the-forest-and-the-trees-in-these-15-smithsonian-magazine-photo-contest-submissions-180985002/Find your inner Lorax and enjoy the glory of the forest and the trees in these submissionsFri, 30 Aug 2024 15:08:53 +0000Learning to Live Beside Endangered Tigers May Be the Key to Saving Themhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/learning-live-beside-endangered-tigers-may-be-key-saving-them-180984900/New programs in India are helping to reduce conflict between humans and the big cats by educating communities and helping those who have been affected by animal attacksWed, 28 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0000These Stunning Portraits of Insects Reveal the Intricacies of an Amazing Worldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-stunning-portraits-of-insects-reveal-the-intricacies-of-an-amazing-world-180984926/Photographer Thorben Danke combines hundreds of shots to create breathtaking images of the tiny creaturesWed, 28 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000This World War I Prisoner of War Solved the Mystery of the Ice Ageshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/this-world-war-i-prisoner-of-war-solved-the-mystery-of-the-ice-ages-180984927/Serbian scientist Milutin Milanković changed our understanding of Earth’s climate—and did a key part of his work while detained by Austro-Hungarian forcesMon, 26 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000Inside the Hidden Kingdom of Viruses in Your Guthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/inside-the-hidden-kingdom-of-viruses-in-your-gut-180984933/Human innards are teeming with viruses that infect bacteria. Here's what scientists are learning about themFri, 23 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000Can the Endangered Rusty Patched Bumblebee Survive?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/can-the-endangered-rusty-patched-bumblebee-survive-180984894/A new genetic study reveals secrets about the creature, which may help researchers make decisions to conserve the speciesWed, 21 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000The Long, Strange History of Teflon, the Indestructible Product Nothing Seems to Stick tohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-long-strange-history-of-teflon-the-indestructible-product-nothing-seems-to-stick-to-180984920/Chemists accidentally discovered the material in 1938, and since then it has been used for everything from helping to create the first atomic bomb to keeping your eggs from sticking to your frying panTue, 20 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000These Markers of Scandinavia’s Bronze Age Boatyards Were Hiding in Plain Sighthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-markers-of-scandinavias-missing-bronze-age-boatyards-were-hiding-in-plain-sight-180984880/Archaeologists argue that ancient fire pits were used for constructing the area's distinctive boatsFri, 16 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000These Mesmerizing Anemones Have a Glowing Layer of Protectionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-mesmerizing-anemones-have-a-glowing-layer-of-protection-180984820/Marine biologists discovered that a protein that boosts fluorescent output also enables an antioxidant propertyMon, 12 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +000015 Playful and Powerful Photos to Celebrate World Elephant Dayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/15-playful-and-powerful-photos-to-celebrate-world-elephant-day-180984865/Never forget your favorite pachyderm with these memorable images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo ContestMon, 12 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0000Inside Scientists’ Quest to Find the Secrets of Life in Four Grams of Asteroid Dusthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/inside-scientists-quest-to-find-the-secrets-of-life-in-four-grams-of-asteroid-dust-180984786/NASA researchers are scrutinizing rocks and dirt brought to Earth from the asteroid BennuFri, 09 Aug 2024 13:22:49 +0000As Hurricanes Bear Down and Get Stronger, Can a $34 Billion Plan Save Texas?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/as-hurricanes-bear-down-and-get-stronger-can-a-34-billion-plan-save-texas-180984847/A massive project prompted by the wildly destructive Hurricane Ike offers a solutions-based preview of our climate futureThu, 08 Aug 2024 11:00:00 +0000The Valiant Effort to Restore the Caribbean's Sea Urchinshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-valiant-effort-to-restore-the-caribbeans-sea-urchins-180984813/The very hungry, spiky custodians gobble up the algae that smother coral reefsWed, 07 Aug 2024 16:44:48 +0000This Innovative Device Allows South American Paleontologists to Share Fossils With the Worldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/this-innovative-fossil-scanner-could-help-paleontologists-in-south-america-180984826/PaleoScan offers scientists at far-flung institutions a less expensive way to digitize their collections and preserve at-risk specimens of fish, turtles, pterosaurs and moreTue, 06 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000Thousands of Moonquakes Rocked the Apollo Landing Sites in Less Than a Decadehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/thousands-of-moonquakes-some-of-them-threatening-discovered-in-old-apollo-era-data-180984822/A new study found 22,000 previously unidentified lunar seismic events recorded between 1969 and 1977Fri, 02 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000Feast on 15 Ferocious Tiger Photos From the Smithsonian Photo Contesthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/feast-on-15-ferocious-tiger-photos-from-the-smithsonian-photo-contest-180984802/This majestic big cat is one of the world’s most recognizableFri, 02 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0000Parasites Are Everywhere. Why Do So Few Researchers Study Them?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/parasites-are-everywhere-so-why-do-so-few-researchers-study-them-180984753/Aging parasitologists are working hard to inspire more students to enter the fieldWed, 31 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000No, Dinosaurs Did Not Trudge Through Thick Rainforestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/no-dinosaurs-did-not-trudge-through-thick-rainforests-180984730/The first jungles dense with flowering plants only formed after an asteroid impact wiped out the giant creaturesMon, 29 Jul 2024 15:21:03 +0000How Do Animals Change Their Social Habits as They Age?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-do-animals-change-their-social-habits-as-they-age-180984723/In patterns that may sound familiar, long-term studies reveal what elderly deer, sheep and macaques are up to in their twilight yearsFri, 26 Jul 2024 16:00:00 +0000From Sleek Swimsuits to Specialized Running Shoes, These Five Innovations Transformed the Olympicshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/from-sleek-swimsuits-to-specialized-running-shoes-these-five-innovations-have-changed-the-olympics-180984769/Technology has advanced sports including fencing and pole vaultingThu, 25 Jul 2024 14:30:00 +0000How to Sweat Like an Olympianhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-to-sweat-like-an-olympianthis-summer-dont-be-embarrassed-by-those-pit-stains-or-your-drenched-workout-clothes-our-expert-on-the-science-of-sweat-says-perspiration-is-what-makes-humans-faster-higher-and-stronger-180984760/This summer, don’t be embarrassed by those pit stains or your drenched workout clothes. Our expert on the science of sweat says perspiration is what makes humans faster, higher and strongerThu, 25 Jul 2024 11:00:00 +0000What Will Happen If This Iconic Research Vessel Stops Drilling in the Deep Sea?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-will-happen-if-this-iconic-research-vessel-stops-drilling-in-the-deep-sea-180984752/After a career marked by major discoveries, the JOIDES Resolution is likely on its last official mission to retrieve rock cores from the ocean floorWed, 24 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000How Will Climate Change Hurt Lesser Flamingos?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-will-climate-change-hurt-lesser-flamingos-180984669/Their food supply in East African lakes could collapse as rains increaseTue, 23 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000Why Have So Many Whale Remains Been Found on the Ocean Floor Near Los Angeles?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-have-so-many-whale-remains-been-found-on-the-ocean-floor-near-los-angeles-180984694/Scientists have discovered more whale falls there than in the rest of the world combinedThu, 18 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000Could Citizens of This Indiana Town Have Seen a 500-Pound Turtle?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/could-citizens-of-this-indiana-town-have-seen-a-500-pound-turtle-180984659/Two men said they saw such an animal, dubbed the Beast of Busco, in 1948Wed, 17 Jul 2024 18:49:36 +0000These Alluring Images Capture the Threats of Air Pollution Around the Worldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-alluring-images-capture-the-threats-of-air-pollution-around-the-world-180984661/Researchers combined long-exposure photography with pollution sensor data to create representations of pollution in India, the United Kingdom and EthiopiaTue, 16 Jul 2024 16:36:52 +0000Has Life on Earth Survived More Than Five Mass Extinctions?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/has-life-on-earth-survived-more-than-five-mass-extinctions-180984594/Scientists aren’t just arguing whether humans are causing a sixth mass extinction event now, but whether many more occurred in the pastFri, 12 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000