Science | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/science-nature/RSS feed for ScienceenWed, 08 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0000How Lunar Cycles Guide the Spawning of Sea Creatureshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-lunar-cycles-guide-the-spawning-of-sea-creatures-180981732/Researchers are starting to understand the biological rhythms that sync worms and corals to phases of the moonWed, 08 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0000Why Newborn Chicks Love Objects That Defy Gravityhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/from-birth-chicks-move-towards-objects-moving-up-180981759/A clever new study shows the cute critters will often scuttle toward a video of a rising ballWed, 08 Mar 2023 00:01:00 +0000In Namibia, Lions Are King of the Beachhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/in-namibia-lions-are-king-of-the-beach-180981718/As the big cats return to hunting fur seals on the Skeleton Coast, a new project tries to keep people out of the wayFri, 03 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0000Florida’s Love-Hate Relationship With Phosphorushttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/floridas-love-hate-relationship-with-the-devils-element-180981711/The state has mined and abused the Devil's Element for decades, and now it is increasingly fouling precious coastal watersThu, 02 Mar 2023 16:55:05 +0000What Does the Universe Sound Like?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-does-the-universe-sound-like-180981715/The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and other researchers have melded astronomy and music to offer a new oeuvreWed, 01 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0000These Tsunami Detectives Search for Ancient Disastershttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-tsunami-detectives-search-for-ancient-disasters-180981670/The gigantic waves have been decimating coastlines since time immemorial. We ignore these prehistoric warnings at our own peril.Thu, 23 Feb 2023 13:00:00 +0000This Man Underwent Brain Surgery 3,500 Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/in-roughly-1500-bce-this-middle-eastern-man-underwent-brain-surgery-180981679/Researchers discovered a punctured skull below the floor of a home in what is now IsraelWed, 22 Feb 2023 19:00:00 +0000Why Are Purple Martins Declining in the United States?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-are-purple-martins-declining-in-the-united-states-180981600/Mercury contamination in their Amazonian wintering grounds may play a roleTue, 21 Feb 2023 13:00:00 +0000Behold: The Galápagos’ Marine Iguanahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/galapagos-marine-iguana-endangered-species-180981543/This quirky icon of evolution faces a rocky futureThu, 16 Feb 2023 13:30:00 +0000Can Satellites Really Detect Whales From Space?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/can-satellites-really-detect-whales-from-space-180981607/Distant identification of whales is improving rapidly, but finding the behemoth creatures is still surprisingly trickyTue, 14 Feb 2023 17:56:19 +0000An Icelandic Town Goes All Out to Save Baby Puffinshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/icelandic-town-goes-all-out-save-baby-puffins-180981518/Kids and senior citizens alike rally to rescue beloved young seabirds that have lost their bearingsTue, 14 Feb 2023 13:00:00 +0000Who Made the First Stone Tool Kits?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/who-made-the-first-stone-toolkits-180981606/A nearly three-million-year-old butchering site packed with animal bones, stone implements and molars from our early ancestors reignites the debateThu, 09 Feb 2023 19:00:00 +0000Australia’s Most Endangered Parrot Faces an Unusual Threat: Treeshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/australias-golden-shouldered-parrot-faces-an-unusual-threat-180981591/Native vegetation blocks the birds’ ability to see approaching predatorsTue, 07 Feb 2023 15:26:39 +0000The Scientific History of Cannabinoidshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-scientific-history-of-cannabinoids-180981561/Hundreds of these cannabis-related chemicals, both natural and synthetic, now exist, and researchers want to know how they can hurt and help usMon, 06 Feb 2023 13:00:00 +0000How Should Scientists Navigate the Ethics of Ancient Human DNA Research?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-should-scientists-navigate-the-ethics-of-ancient-human-dna-research-180981489/Paleogenomic research has expanded rapidly over the past two decades, igniting heated debate about studying remainsThu, 02 Feb 2023 13:00:00 +0000What 70 Years of Data Says About Where Predators Kill Humanshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/where-lions-and-tigers-and-wolves-attack-and-kill-humans-180981539/A new survey of attacks by lions, wolves and other big carnivores shows that people in low-income countries are at greater riskTue, 31 Jan 2023 19:00:00 +0000Ten Dazzling Celestial Events to See in 2023https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ten-dazzling-celestial-events-to-see-in-2023-180981529/Stargazers can look forward to watching a rare comet, a super blue moon and several spectacular meteor showersMon, 30 Jan 2023 16:00:00 +0000How NASA Is Selecting the Next Astronauts to Walk on the Moonhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-nasa-is-selecting-the-next-astronauts-to-walk-on-the-moon-180981511/The space agency has said that it will send the first woman and the first person of color to the lunar surfaceThu, 26 Jan 2023 16:00:00 +0000Primate-Like Critters Survived in the Arctic When It Was a Lush, Warm Swamphttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/primate-relatives-lived-in-the-arctic-circle-52-million-years-ago-180981503/Even as darkness gripped the forests for months, two small species made it homeWed, 25 Jan 2023 19:00:00 +0000How Saliva Changes the Flavor of Foodhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-saliva-changes-the-flavor-of-food-180981477/The liquid impacts how we perceive taste and can influence what we choose to eatTue, 24 Jan 2023 13:00:00 +0000Why Chickens Need to Stop Breeding With Their Wild Cousinshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/asias-red-junglefowl-are-threatened-by-interbreeding-with-free-range-domestic-chickens-180981473/The red junglefowl is losing important genetic diversity in its native Asian habitatThu, 19 Jan 2023 19:00:00 +0000How Space Radiation Threatens Lunar Explorationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-space-radiation-threatens-lunar-exploration-180981415/Scientists are studying the possible impacts of the hazard on astronauts who will travel to the moonWed, 18 Jan 2023 13:00:00 +0000Busted and Broken Fossils Show How Dinosaurs Foughthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/busted-and-broken-fossils-show-how-dinosaurs-fought-180981443/From locking horns to biting each other in the face, this is how dinos of the same species battledTue, 17 Jan 2023 13:00:00 +0000Five Revolutionary Technologies Helping Scientists Study Polar Bearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/five-revolutionary-technologies-helping-scientists-study-polar-bears-180981381/As climate change threatens the charismatic creatures, scientists are embracing innovations to help them understand and protect the bearsFri, 13 Jan 2023 13:00:00 +0000Ancient DNA Charts Native Americans’ Journeys to Asia Thousands of Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ancient-dna-evidence-charts-native-american-migrations-back-across-the-bering-sea-180981435/Analysis of ten Eurasian individuals, up to 7,500 years old, gives a new picture of movement across continentsThu, 12 Jan 2023 16:00:00 +0000Is It Ethical to Hunt Captive Lions?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ethical-hunt-captive-lions-180981292/In South Africa, the big cats are raised to be killed by hunters. Opponents are outraged, but advocates point to conservation benefitsWed, 11 Jan 2023 12:00:00 +0000How We Came to Know and Fear the Doomsday Glacierhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-we-came-to-know-and-fear-the-doomsday-glacier-180981392/We’re only beginning to understand Antarctica's Thwaites, the world's most vulnerable glacierTue, 10 Jan 2023 13:00:00 +0000