https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/science-nature/RSS feed for ScienceenTue, 05 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 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/chonky-superstar-fat-bear-week-is-missing-competition-wont-be-same-without-him-180985185/While other bears battled over fish in a prime spot, Otis would sit off to the side and wait for the fish to come to him. But so far this year, he hasn’t been spotted in Katmai National Park and PreserveThu, 03 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-did-two-bowhead-whales-that-were-60-miles-apart-sync-their-diving-180985132/Researchers suspect the marine mammals may have been communicating across the vast distanceWed, 02 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/is-wildfire-smoke-causing-birds-to-tend-to-empty-nests-180985131/New studies suggest smoke from western megafires may be damaging bird health and leading to strange behaviorMon, 30 Sep 2024 13:09:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-to-find-the-ten-brightest-stars-in-the-night-sky-180985148/From Aldebaran to Vega, these gleaming beacons dazzle Northern Hemisphere viewers at various times of the year and provide a useful entry point into amateur astronomyFri, 27 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-15-photos-capture-the-delightful-undersea-lives-of-jellyfish-180985140/Despite their often dangerous stings, these creatures create serene scenes as they float through the deep seaFri, 27 Sep 2024 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/just-how-much-can-we-trust-ai-to-predict-extreme-weather-180985117/Computer scientist and meteorologist Amy McGovern has studied the technology for two decades, and she weighs in with some answersMon, 23 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dinosaurs-evolved-feathers-for-far-more-than-flight-180985012/Fluff and fuzz helped the creatures keep warm, blend in and communicateFri, 20 Sep 2024 13:18:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/in-a-landmark-study-scientists-determine-how-the-planets-temperature-has-changed-over-almost-500-million-years-180985110/Researchers show the average surface temperature on our planet has shifted between 51.8 to 96.8 degrees FahrenheitThu, 19 Sep 2024 18:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-odd-arctic-military-projects-spawned-by-the-cold-war-180985067/Many offbeat research efforts were doomed to fail, from atomic subways to a city under the ice.Thu, 19 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-seven-most-interesting-discoveries-weve-made-by-exploring-saturn-180984896/Scientists continue to learn new things about the planet, its sweeping rings and its many moonsMon, 16 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-the-longest-nerve-in-the-body-vagus-180985045/Like a highway system, the vagus nerve branches profusely from your brain through your organs to marshal bodily functions, including aspects of the mind such as mood, pleasure and fearFri, 13 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/see-15-amazing-photos-of-beautiful-birds-180984998/These Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest images celebrate our feathered friendsFri, 13 Sep 2024 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/tens-of-thousands-of-tiny-tags-are-revealing-the-secret-lives-of-birds-180985022/The Motus Wildlife Tracking System has put nearly 50,000 incredibly lightweight radio transmitters on birds, bats and insects. We caught up with an ornithologist to learn more about where these creatures are flyingThu, 12 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://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 +0000