Smithsoniamag

As populations plummet across Africa, researchers have designed an ingenious method to study the graceful creatures

Major discoveries, an undersea tragedy and international cooperation were some of the biggest saltwater moments of the year

Researchers are slowly restoring the endangered kākāpō using DNA sequencing, GPS tracking and tailored diets

While the animals chew their cud, they also enter a state of rest

The United Nations climate change conference drew praise for new pledges and criticism for watered-down language

From an asteroid sample that was delivered to Earth to a discovery about human migration from North America, these were the biggest moments...

The scientists who study terns, puffins and other birds are trying to get fisheries managers to heed their warnings

In the absence of tourists, the animals increased within Mexico’s Cabo Pulmo National Park

From uncovering a tyrannosaur’s last meal to unlocking the secrets of a dino with a really long neck, these were the year’s biggest stories

Stomach contents from a juvenile Gorgosaurus reveal it feasted on small, bird-like species 75 million years ago

From stories on the depths of the ocean to the stars in the sky, these are the works that moved us the most this year

The amazing microsleep strategy may be an adaptation to group living and lurking predators in a harsh Antarctic environment

As conflagrations become more difficult to contain, a citizen movement to try to manage them through “prescribed burns” is growing

On Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, a rare animal is thriving—for now

The extremely valuable fish likely spawn in a patch of the Atlantic Ocean called the Slope Sea

The marsupial frog, which incubates its young in a pouch on its back, was thought to be extinct in some countries

Solar energy can alter the Earth’s magnetic field and likely lead the animals astray

With around 58,000 human deaths from snakebites each year in the country, a lot more must be done to save lives

The drugs have been shown to reduce depression and anxiety symptoms and make individuals more flexible in their thinking

The sample of the space rock Bennu that OSIRIS-REx collected could unlock an ancient existential mystery

Newly declassified documents from the Pacific theater have been digitized and could improve climate models

In French Polynesia, the art of rahui puts everyone in charge of protecting the sea

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 contine...

New discoveries show how whale diversity exploded after the dinosaurs disappeared

Primate groups climb to elevation to scout out rivals and steer clear of clashes