Tropical trees use social distancing to maintain biodiversity

Tropical forests often harbor hundreds of species of trees in a square mile, but scientists often struggle to understand how such a diversity of species can coexist. In a study published in Science, researchers at The University ...

First report of dorsal navigation in a flying insect

People—who get lost easily in the extraordinary darkness of a tropical forest—have much to learn from a bee that can find its way home in conditions 10 times dimmer than starlight. Researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical ...

Bats and bugs do battle in the tropics

n the tropical rainforests of Panama, Dartmouth's Hannah ter Hofstede is witness to what Charles Darwin called a "struggle for existence." She studies a competition for survival that pits the cricket-like katydids rubbing ...

Disease-carrying mosquitoes rare in undisturbed tropical forests

A new study by scientists from the Smithsonian, the Panamanian government and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, among other institutions, concludes that conserving old-growth tropical rainforest is "highly recommended" ...

Research reveals deep ties between diverse tropical rainforests

Tropical rainforests play a vital role in the well-being of our planet, soaking up carbon dioxide and helping stabilize the global climate. Understanding the science of rainforests—the "lungs" of the planet—is critical ...

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