Science | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/science-nature/RSS feed for ScienceenWed, 23 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000Why Fire Island Has Seen an Explosion of Feral Catshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-fire-island-has-seen-an-explosion-in-feral-cats-180986973/In New York’s only federal wilderness area, the loss of a key predator has led to the rise of a new one—with dire consequences for the island’s native birdsWed, 23 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000Meet Ten Tyrannosaurs That Came Before T. Rex, From Small, Feathery Creatures to 30-Foot-Long Bone-Crushershttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/meet-ten-tyrannosaurs-that-came-before-t-rex-from-small-feathery-creatures-to-30-foot-long-bone-crushers-180986968/Everyone knows the famous tyrant lizard king, but its relatives amaze, tooTue, 22 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000See 15 Photos of Sensational, Slithering Snakeshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/see-15-images-of-sensational-slithering-snakes-180986993/These reptiles often get a bad rap, but there are plenty of reasons to celebrate snakesFri, 18 Jul 2025 16:33:57 +0000As Interest in Deep-Sea Mining Grows, Scientists Raise Alarms About the Possible Ecological Consequenceshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/as-interest-in-deep-sea-mining-grows-scientists-raise-alarms-about-the-possible-ecological-consequences-180987009/Gathering minerals such as nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium from the seabed could affect everything from sponges to whales. The long-term effects of these extractions remain uncertainFri, 18 Jul 2025 14:09:14 +0000How Cancer Research for Dogs Is Helping Improve Treatment for Pets and Humans Alikehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-research-on-dogs-is-helping-to-improve-cancer-treatment-180986949/Canine and human cancers bear many similarities, and studies on dogs are helping advance care for our furry friends and for usWed, 16 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000Why Did a Large Harpy Eagle Attack an Adult Woman?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-did-a-large-harpy-eagle-attack-an-adult-woman-180986932/The incident, which took place in the forest in French Guiana, was an extremely rare occurrenceMon, 14 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000Giant Sloths and Many Other Massive Creatures Were Once Common on Our Planet. With Environmental Changes, Such Giants Could Thrive Againhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/giant-sloths-and-many-other-massive-creatures-were-once-common-on-our-planet-with-environmental-changes-such-giants-could-thrive-again-180986941/If large creatures like elephants, giraffes and bison are allowed to thrive, they could alter habitats that allow for the rise of other giantsFri, 11 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000Why Are So Many More Women Being Diagnosed With ADHD?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-are-so-many-more-women-being-diagnosed-with-adhd-180986909/Experts once thought ADHD was something only boys experienced. The research is finally starting to catch up with realityWed, 09 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000A Closer Look at the Kestrels, Hedgehogs and Other Wild Animals That Inhabit Romehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/from-kestrels-to-hedgehogs-a-closer-look-at-all-the-wild-animals-that-inhabit-rome-180986889/From antiquity to modern times, the city has been rife with creatures that creep, slither, scurry and nest among its pillars and palacesMon, 07 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000With Space Junk on the Rise, Is a Catastrophic Event Inevitable?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/with-space-junk-on-the-rise-is-a-catastrophic-event-inevitable-180986907/Debris from rockets and satellites can fall back to Earth or collide with other objects, and wreckage that burns up can harm the ozone layerThu, 03 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000In a Milestone for Manhattan, a Pair of Coyotes Has Made Central Park Their Homehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/in-a-milestone-for-manhattan-a-pair-of-coyotes-has-made-central-park-their-home-180986892/For six years, two photographers have carefully followed the canines and documented their secret livesMon, 30 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000Ten Stunning Nature Photos From the BigPicture 2025https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ten-stunning-nature-photos-from-the-big-picture-2025-180986835/From the beautiful to the bizarre, this annual photographic showcase shines a light on some of our planet’s most breathtaking species and placesFri, 27 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000Scientists Are Tracking Worrying Declines in Insects—and the Birds That Feast on Them. Here's What's Being Done to Save Them Bothhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-shared-fate-180986805/In Vermont, researchers have investigated the types of creepy, crawly bugs that their avian predators consume and may have found the answers to keeping them both aliveFri, 27 Jun 2025 11:00:00 +0000Scientists Are Just Beginning to Understand How Life Makes Clouds, and Their Discoveries May Drastically Improve Climate Sciencehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/scientists-are-just-beginning-to-understand-how-life-makes-clouds-and-their-discoveries-may-drastically-improve-climate-science-180986872/Plants, plankton and sea spray all release elements that help the atmospheric blankets formThu, 26 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000Can the Redfish, That Gulf Coast Culinary Icon, Be Brought Back From the Brink?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/can-redfish-gulf-coast-culinary-icon-brought-back-from-brink-180986803/The Cajun cooking craze nearly wiped out the species native to Louisiana, but conservation stemmed the tide. Now the fish faces new threatsWed, 25 Jun 2025 15:10:00 +0000After Crocs and Lemurs Went Extinct on the Mainland, Many Survived on Islands for Millions of Yearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/after-crocs-and-lemurs-went-extinct-on-the-mainland-many-survived-on-islands-for-millions-of-years-180986875/Isolation allows creatures to thrive as their relatives perish due to the threats present on much larger landmassesWed, 25 Jun 2025 14:24:27 +0000This Majestic Monkey Has Become a Beloved Neighbor for Millions in Vietnamhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/majestic-monkey-become-beloved-neighbor-millions-vietnam-180986808/For the critically endangered red-shanked douc, proximity to an urban center has had surprising benefitsMon, 23 Jun 2025 11:00:00 +0000These Sandhill Cranes Have Adopted a Canada Gosling, and Birders Have Flocked to Watch the Strange Familyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-sandhill-cranes-have-adopted-a-canadian-gosling-and-birders-have-flocked-to-watch-the-strange-family-180986828/Ornithologists and locals wonder what the future holds for this chick being raised by much taller, but still doting parentsWed, 18 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000Why Has This North Carolina Town Embraced a Strange Salamander?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-has-this-north-carolina-town-embraced-a-strange-salamander-180986824/The city of Boone has put a giant mural of the eastern hellbender downtown and its residents often imbibe a local Hazy IPA named after the amphibianMon, 16 Jun 2025 19:43:09 +0000Six Questions About Covid-19 Vaccines, Answeredhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/six-questions-about-covid-19-vaccines-answered-180986793/Recent vaccination announcements have led to some confusion. Four physicians weigh in on who should get vaccinated and whenThu, 12 Jun 2025 21:07:03 +0000How Worm-Inspired Treatments Are Inching Their Way Toward the Clinichttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-worm-inspired-treatments-are-inching-their-way-toward-the-clinic-180986744/Infection by certain wrigglers may reduce inflammation and fight obesity and diabetes. Scientists are working to turn the findings into therapiesThu, 12 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000Journey Into a Prehistoric Cave That Trapped and Entombed Animals for Millenniahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/journey-into-a-prehistoric-cave-that-trapped-and-entombed-animals-for-millennia-180986775/The animals that plummeted 85 feet into Wyoming’s Natural Trap Cave provide a layered history of life dating back to the PleistoceneThu, 12 Jun 2025 11:00:15 +0000Engineers Are Racing to Harness the Dazzling Magic of Feathers. They Haven't Solved the Mystery Just Yethttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/engineers-are-racing-to-harness-dazzling-magic-feathers-they-havent-solved-mystery-yet-180986759/The natural marvels, which do everything from enabling acrobatic flight to insulating against Antarctic cold, continue to inspire new designs and technologiesTue, 10 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000Carnivorous Plants Have Been Trapping Animals for Millions of Years. So Why Have They Never Grown Larger?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/carnivorous-plants-have-been-trapping-animals-for-millions-of-years-so-why-have-they-never-grown-larger-180986708/Plants that feed on meat and animal droppings have evolved at least ten times through evolutionary historyFri, 06 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000These Tiny, Beautiful Fossils Detail the History of the Oceanhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-tiny-beautiful-fossils-detail-the-history-of-the-ocean-180986718/Bountiful remains of foraminifera reveal how organisms responded to climate disturbances of the pastThu, 05 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000These Asian Bears Were Cut Open for Their Bile. Here's What's Being Done to Rehabilitate Themhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/inside-the-formidable-effort-to-rehabilitate-bears-harmed-by-bile-farming-in-asia-180986688/Veterinarians in Vietnam perform surgeries, prepare special diets and craft recovery routines for moon bears to give them a better lifeWed, 04 Jun 2025 18:03:14 +0000Did Water Form in the Earliest Years of the Universe?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/did-water-form-in-the-some-of-the-earliest-years-of-the-universe-180986670/A recent study suggests huge volumes of the molecule emerged during the cosmic dawnFri, 30 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000Once in Dire Straits, Atlantic Sturgeon Are Staging a Comeback on the East Coasthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/once-in-dire-straits-atlantic-sturgeon-are-staging-a-comeback-on-the-east-coast-180986664/From Maine to Florida, the endangered, prehistoric fish is rebounding, but a recent study shows just how vulnerable the U.S. population remainsThu, 29 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000Should Scientists Inject Saturn’s Moon Enceladus With Life?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/should-scientists-inject-saturns-moon-enceladus-with-life-180986629/A new study proposes that seeding the orb’s underground ocean with microbes might help us learn how to make other worlds habitableWed, 28 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000