Smithsonian
New mapping of Mars shows western Medusae Fossae formation older than once thought
(Phys.org) -- Recent geologic mapping of the Medusae Fossae Formation on Mars—an intensely eroded deposit near the northern edge of the cratered highlands—has revealed a wider distribution of its ...
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
May 24, 2012 |
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Newly discovered sensory organ in the chin of baleen whales allows them to be world's largest hunters
Lunge feeding in rorqual whales (a group that includes blue, humpback and fin whales) is unique among mammals, but details of how it works have remained elusive. Now, scientists from the Smithsonian Institution ...
May 23, 2012 |
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Scientists discover new threat to birds posed by invasive pythons
Smithsonian scientists and their colleagues have uncovered a new threat posed by invasive Burmese pythons in Florida and the Everglades: The snakes are not only eating the area's birds, but also the birds' ...
Apr 05, 2012 |
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Preventing home invasions means fighting side-by-side for coral-dwelling crabs and shrimp
As any comic book lover knows, when superheroes band together the bad guys fall harder. The strength that comes in numbers is greater than the sum of its parts.
Mar 30, 2012 |
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Ancient whale species sheds new light on its modern relatives
Beluga whales and narwhals live solely in the cold waters of the Arctic and sub-arctic. Smithsonian scientists, however, found that this may not have always been the case. They recently described a new species ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Mar 22, 2012 |
4.4 / 5 (8) |
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Smithsonian NEMESIS tracks marine invaders online
Mitten crabs, zebra mussels and rock vomit: These and hundreds of other non-native species have invaded coastal regions throughout the United States, often causing dramatic changes to coastal ecosystems and ...
Mar 12, 2012 |
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Multiple species of seacows once coexisted: study
Sirenians, or seacows, are a group of marine mammals that include manatees and dugongs; today, only one species of seacow is found in each world region. Smithsonian scientists have discovered that this was ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Mar 08, 2012 |
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Study shows earthworms to blame for decline of ovenbirds in northern Midwest forests
A recent decline in ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla), a ground-nesting migratory songbird, in forests in the northern Midwest United States is being linked by scientists to a seemingly unlikely culprit: earthw ...
Feb 29, 2012 |
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Fungi-filled forests are critical for endangered orchids
When it comes to conserving the world's orchids, not all forests are equal. In a paper to be published Jan. 25 in the journal Molecular Ecology, Smithsonian ecologists revealed that an orchid's fate hinges ...
Jan 24, 2012 |
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Scientists use fossil feathers reveal lineage of extinct, flightless ibis
A remarkable first occurred recently at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History when ornithologists Carla Dove and Storrs Olson used 700- to 1,100-year-old feathers from a long extinct species ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Nov 22, 2011 |
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Details of ancient shark attack preserved in fossil whale bone
A fragment of whale rib found in a North Carolina strip mine is offering scientists a rare glimpse at the interactions between prehistoric sharks and whales some 3- to 4-million years ago during the Pliocene.
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Nov 10, 2011 |
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Survey identifies sea turtle 'hitchhikers'
A recent survey documented the crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other marine organisms that make a home on the bodies Olive Ridley and green sea turtles living in the Pacific.
Nov 08, 2011 |
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Coasts' best protection from bioinvaders falling short
Invasive species have hitchhiked to the U.S. on cargo ships for centuries, but the method U.S. regulators most rely on to keep them out is not equally effective across coasts. Ecologists from the Smithsonian Environmental ...
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 04, 2011 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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New study reveals coral reefs may support much more biodiversity than previously thought
Smithsonian scientists and colleagues conducted the first DNA barcoding survey of crustaceans living on samples of dead coral taken from the Indian, Pacific and Caribbean oceans. The results suggest that the ...
Nov 02, 2011 |
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New genetic evidence confirms coyote migration route to Virginia and hybridization with wolves
Changes in North American ecosystems over the past 150 years have caused coyotes to move from their native habitats in the plains and southwestern deserts of North America to habitats throughout the United States.
Oct 25, 2011 |
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