Science | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/science-nature/RSS feed for ScienceenThu, 30 Nov 2023 19:00:00 +0000Chinstrap Penguins Sleep Over 10,000 Times a Day—for Just Four Seconds at a Timehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/chinstrap-penguins-sleep-over-10000-times-a-day-for-just-four-seconds-at-a-time-180983348/The amazing microsleep strategy may be an adaptation to group living and lurking predators in a harsh Antarctic environmentThu, 30 Nov 2023 19:00:00 +0000Why Wildfires Are Burning Hotter and Longerhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-wildfires-are-burning-hotter-and-longer-180983334/As conflagrations become more difficult to contain, a citizen movement to try to manage them through “prescribed burns” is growingThu, 30 Nov 2023 12:00:00 +0000Bluefin Tuna Get Busy Off North Carolinahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/bluefin-tuna-spawn-north-carolina-180983311/The extremely valuable fish likely spawn in a patch of the Atlantic Ocean called the Slope SeaWed, 29 Nov 2023 13:00:00 +0000The World’s Smallest Reindeer Get Their Day in the Sunhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/worlds-smallest-reindeer-day-in-sun-svalbard-180983231/On Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, a rare animal is thriving—for nowWed, 29 Nov 2023 13:00:00 +0000The Surprise Reappearance of a Rare Frog Has Scientists Leaping to Protect Its Habitathttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/surprise-reappearance-rare-frog-scientists-leaping-protect-habitat-180983233/The marsupial frog, which incubates its young in a pouch on its back, was thought to be extinct in some countriesMon, 27 Nov 2023 14:00:00 +0000One Reason Migrating Birds Get Lost Is Out of This Worldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/one-reason-migrating-birds-get-lost-is-out-of-this-world-180983301/Solar energy can alter the Earth’s magnetic field and likely lead the animals astrayWed, 22 Nov 2023 13:00:00 +0000An Inside Look at the Effort to Curb Deadly Snakebites in Indiahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/an-inside-look-at-the-effort-to-curb-deadly-snakebites-in-india-180983267/With around 58,000 human deaths from snakebites each year in the country, a lot more must be done to save livesTue, 21 Nov 2023 15:00:15 +0000Are Psychedelics the Future of Eating Disorder Treatment?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/are-psychedelics-the-future-of-eating-disorder-treatment-180983278/The drugs have been shown to reduce depression and anxiety symptoms and make individuals more flexible in their thinkingFri, 17 Nov 2023 13:00:00 +0000How NASA Captured Asteroid Dust to Find the Origins of Lifehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-nasa-captured-asteroid-dust-to-find-the-origins-of-life-180983274/The sample of the space rock Bennu that OSIRIS-REx collected could unlock an ancient existential mysteryThu, 16 Nov 2023 12:00:00 +0000Australia's Oldest Known Bird Tracks Are 120 Million Years Oldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/oldest-fossil-bird-tracks-from-australia-hint-at-seasonal-migration-180983270/In that age, the continent was attached to Antarctica, but migrating animals still traveled to the polar region for sustenanceWed, 15 Nov 2023 19:00:00 +0000How Citizen Scientists Rescued Crucial World War II Weather Datahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-citizen-scientists-rescued-crucial-world-war-ii-weather-data-180983245/Newly declassified documents from the Pacific theater have been digitized and could improve climate modelsTue, 14 Nov 2023 16:54:04 +0000How an Ancient Practice Aids Marine Conservationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/rahui-and-the-art-of-marine-conservation-180983179/In French Polynesia, the art of rahui puts everyone in charge of protecting the seaFri, 10 Nov 2023 13:00:00 +0000When Did Humans Arrive in the Americas? Lice Help Answer That Head-Scratcherhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/lice-genetics-help-show-when-humans-migrated-to-the-americas-180983217/A new analysis of the annoying critters shows when groups from Asia and Europe hitched rides on human hair and skin to arrive on our continentWed, 08 Nov 2023 19:00:00 +0000Ancient Whales Were the Biggest and Smallest of Their Kind to Ever Roam the Oceanshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-first-whales-to-rule-the-seas-were-giganticand-tiny-180983202/New discoveries show how whale diversity exploded after the dinosaurs disappearedTue, 07 Nov 2023 16:00:00 +0000While Some Chimps Go Low, Others Go High to Avoid a Dangerous Fighthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/when-conflicts-could-arise-these-chimps-go-high-180983181/Primate groups climb to elevation to scout out rivals and steer clear of clashesThu, 02 Nov 2023 18:00:00 +0000How and Why Do Violent Tornadoes Form?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-and-why-do-violent-tornadoes-form-180983140/Scientists hope new technology and computing power will help them understand destructive twistersWed, 01 Nov 2023 12:00:00 +0000Galápagos Giant Tortoises Are Ecosystem Engineershttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/galapagos-giant-tortoises-are-ecosystem-engineers-180983101/A decades-long project shows how the reptiles are changing the island of EspañolaMon, 30 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000Archaeologists Find the First Red Paint Made From Plantshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-worlds-oldest-known-organic-paint-was-red-180983132/Hunter-gatherers cooked up the alluring pigment in the Eastern Mediterranean 15,000 years agoWed, 25 Oct 2023 18:00:00 +0000How Scientists Tracked the Movements of a 17,000-Year-Old Woolly Mammothhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/scientists-tracked-movements-17000-year-old-woolly-mammoth-180983064/Isotopes tell the epic tale of one ancient mammal’s odyssey across AlaskaTue, 24 Oct 2023 11:30:00 +0000Why Australians Are Growing to Appreciate These Giant, Threatened Batshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/australians-growing-appreciate-giant-threatened-bats-180983050/Once seen as a menace, the gray-headed flying fox brings new life after recent devastating wildfiresMon, 23 Oct 2023 13:00:00 +0000Atlantic Hurricanes Are Getting More Dangerous, More Quicklyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/atlantic-hurricanes-are-more-likely-to-power-up-quickly-180983104/If such changes are in response to climate change, the future may feature more sudden, daunting stormsThu, 19 Oct 2023 15:12:49 +0000The Seven Most Amazing Discoveries We’ve Made by Exploring Marshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-seven-most-amazing-discoveries-weve-made-by-exploring-mars-180983078/Scientists have learned a lot since they started sending crafts and rovers to our red neighborWed, 18 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000Did Ancient Egyptians Know Meteorites Came From Space?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/do-hieroglyphic-texts-reveal-that-ancient-egyptians-knew-meteorites-came-from-the-sky-180983039/Hieroglyphic texts suggest they understood the rocks, which contained valuable iron, did not originate on EarthTue, 17 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000Two Million Years Ago, This Homo Erectus Lived the High Lifehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/two-million-years-ago-homo-erectus-likely-lived-in-cool-high-altitude-environments-180983073/Dating of a child's fossilized jaw and teeth suggest our relatives lived at altitude earlier than once thoughtFri, 13 Oct 2023 17:50:58 +0000During the Age of Dinosaurs, Some Birds Sported Toothy Grinshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/during-the-age-of-dinosaurs-some-birds-sported-toothy-grins-180983034/The often overlooked animals thrived for millions of yearsThu, 12 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000This Fluffy Little Anteater May Be a New Specieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/this-fluffy-little-anteater-may-be-a-new-species-180983020/The animals eke out a living in a pocket of mangroves on Brazil’s Atlantic coastTue, 10 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000