Smithsoniamag

Most of the insects avoid the tropics and choose treeless environments in arid parts of the world

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A design challenge has tech companies racing to build a robot that can police illegal fishing in marine protected areas

These iconic canines have helped scientists make key discoveries, from archeological finds to cures for disease

A team of paleontologists used CT scans and tissue samples to uncover blood pathogens in an infected titanosaur

A short list of some of nature’s most curious phalluses, from the echidna’s four-headed unit to the dolphin’s prehensile member

A growing number of researchers are hot on the trail of a surprisingly profound question: What makes dogs such good companions?

Revisit all of the baby panda cub's cutest moments and learn more about his species

Is he happy, prosperous, a miracle? What should we call this 3-month-old, 9.2-pound little fella?

History and science suggest many possible pathways for pandemics, but questions remain about how this one will end

Learn the story of this infamous blue diamond, and the countless things mineralogy can reveal about the past and future

A new study in Nature published the genomes—the complete DNA sequences—of 363 species of birds, opening the door for hundreds of new studies

A lack of options for commercial fishermen in coastal communities has led to a boom in trafficking

A two-layered material that mimics the animals’ sweat glands and insulating fur chills surfaces 400 percent longer than traditional methods

Scientists are making headway on parsing the condition's biological underpinnings, in hope of better treatments

They’ll just be thankful when the year is over

A new study suggests the marine mammal can recover naturally if illegal fishing is eliminated

On a mission more than 200 million miles away from Earth, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft grabbed rocks from Bennu

A skull and soft tissue perfectly kept in resin show that an ancient amphibian had a tongue that was both fast and extendable

The Peruvian tern's desert camouflage makes it almost impossible to track, but that’s exactly what the research team set out to do

These five November releases may have been lost in the news cycle

In the far north, researchers are scrambling to record baseline environmental data as communities brace for future shipping disasters

Every November, hundreds if not thousands of the birds of prey gather in Haines, Alaska, to feast on salmon

Bison mummies hold valuable information for researchers who want to understand how biodiversity evolved and responded to climate change.

Scientists are learning more about the neuroscience of awaiting uncertain outcomes