Science | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/science-nature/RSS feed for ScienceenFri, 05 Jun 2026 17:52:22 +0000'Stupid Hot': Heat Waves Muddle the Minds of Animals and Humans as Confusion and Aggression Seem to Rise With the Temperaturehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/stupid-hot-heat-waves-muddle-the-minds-of-animals-and-humans-as-confusion-and-aggression-seem-to-rise-with-the-temperature-180988902/Wide-ranging research suggests that as temperatures increase, some creatures pick fights while others struggle to learn. The findings hint at consequences that may ripple through ecosystemsFri, 05 Jun 2026 17:52:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/stupid-hot-heat-waves-muddle-the-minds-of-animals-and-humans-as-confusion-and-aggression-seem-to-rise-with-the-temperature-180988902/In the Early 1900s, a Young Ecologist Shot a Wolf and Watched the Life Leave Its Eyes. That Changed His Position on Conservationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/early-1900s-member-forestry-service-shot-wolf-watched-life-leave-its-eyes-that-changed-position-convservation-forever-180988809/Aldo Leopold’s writing reconsidered the place of humans in the natural world and challenged people to be less conquerors of the land and more citizens of itFri, 05 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/early-1900s-member-forestry-service-shot-wolf-watched-life-leave-its-eyes-that-changed-position-convservation-forever-180988809/A Blip on a Telescope in a Colorado Parking Lot Bolstered a Space Mission That Has Found Thousands of Planets … and Countinghttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/blip-telescope-colorado-parking-lot-bolstered-space-mission-found-thousands-planets-counting-180988801/The Kepler telescope changed how we saw the sky. It’s just one of the devices we’ve sent out beyond the reach of humans to search our solar systemThu, 04 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/blip-telescope-colorado-parking-lot-bolstered-space-mission-found-thousands-planets-counting-180988801/What Was the Biggest Dinosaur? Fragmentary Fossils Make It Hard to Tellhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-was-the-biggest-dinosaur-fragmentary-fossils-make-it-hard-to-tell-180988840/Pinning down the most titanic of the large sauropod dinosaurs is not an easy task, since the odds were generally against the biggest ones being buried and preservedThu, 28 May 2026 14:58:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-was-the-biggest-dinosaur-fragmentary-fossils-make-it-hard-to-tell-180988840/Brazil Lost 80 Percent of Its National Museum Collection in One Night. Here's How It's Fighting to Rebuildhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/brazil-lost-80-percent-of-its-national-museum-collection-in-one-night-heres-how-its-fighting-to-rebuild-180988796/Ever since a 2018 blaze destroyed priceless artifacts and scientifically important specimens, museum staff have devoted themselves to reopening its doors to the publicTue, 26 May 2026 11:00:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/brazil-lost-80-percent-of-its-national-museum-collection-in-one-night-heres-how-its-fighting-to-rebuild-180988796/Melting Mountain Ice Is Bringing Ancient Secrets to the Surface. Archaeologists Are Racing to Find the Artifacts Before They're Lost to Timehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/melting-mountain-ice-is-bringing-ancient-secrets-to-the-surface-archaeologists-are-racing-to-find-the-artifacts-before-theyre-lost-to-time-180988777/In Norway’s highest mountains, experts are scouring perilous terrain for pieces of the past, long stored in mint condition in ice patches. As temperatures rise across the world, glacial archaeologists must find the emerging artifacts before they degrade foreverThu, 21 May 2026 18:52:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/melting-mountain-ice-is-bringing-ancient-secrets-to-the-surface-archaeologists-are-racing-to-find-the-artifacts-before-theyre-lost-to-time-180988777/Does the Experience of Beauty Show Up in the Brain? With Electrodes and a Museum Collection of Artifacts, These Neuroscientists Aim to Find Outhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/does-the-experience-of-beauty-show-up-in-the-brain-with-electrodes-and-a-museum-collection-of-artifacts-these-neuroscientists-aim-to-find-out-180988737/Researchers are tracing the brain and body’s response to aesthetic expression in search of a scientific value to artFri, 15 May 2026 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/does-the-experience-of-beauty-show-up-in-the-brain-with-electrodes-and-a-museum-collection-of-artifacts-these-neuroscientists-aim-to-find-out-180988737/Pregnancy Changes Mothers' Brains. These Recent Discoveries Are Showing Us Howhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/pregnancy-changes-mothers-brains-these-recent-discoveries-are-showing-us-how-180988713/“Baby brain” isn’t the deficit it’s stereotyped to be, research suggests. Neural adaptations during pregnancy can prime soon-to-be-moms to become more attuned to their children and enhance social cognitionSat, 09 May 2026 00:23:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/pregnancy-changes-mothers-brains-these-recent-discoveries-are-showing-us-how-180988713/David Attenborough Has Inspired Countless Scientists. To Mark His 100th Birthday, Here Are Ten Living Things They've Named After Himhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/david-attenborough-has-inspired-countless-scientists-to-mark-his-100th-birthday-here-are-ten-living-things-theyve-named-after-him-180988693/Researchers around the planet grew up watching documentaries hosted by the English broadcaster and naturalist, which sparked their love of the natural world. Now, their discoveries become tributes to his legacyThu, 07 May 2026 20:07:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/david-attenborough-has-inspired-countless-scientists-to-mark-his-100th-birthday-here-are-ten-living-things-theyve-named-after-him-180988693/Nearly Half of Italy's Wolves Are Part Dog Now, Thanks to Hybridization. Is That a Threat to the Species?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/nearly-half-of-italys-wolves-are-part-dog-now-thanks-to-hybridization-is-that-a-threat-to-the-species-180988682/Wolf-dog hybrids are growing far more common in Italy, raising scientists’ concerns for the future of the wolvesWed, 06 May 2026 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/nearly-half-of-italys-wolves-are-part-dog-now-thanks-to-hybridization-is-that-a-threat-to-the-species-180988682/Cancer Survivors Are Living Longer but Still Have Complex Needs. That's Why Doctors and Advocates Want Post-Treatment Care Planshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/cancer-survivors-are-living-longer-but-still-have-complex-needs-thats-why-doctors-and-advocates-want-post-treatment-care-plans-180988629/Survivors have a heightened risk of developing cardiovascular disease, pain, insomnia, psychosocial distress and new cancers. Many, patient advocates say, are not receiving adequate long-term careWed, 29 Apr 2026 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/cancer-survivors-are-living-longer-but-still-have-complex-needs-thats-why-doctors-and-advocates-want-post-treatment-care-plans-180988629/Butterflies Are in Dramatic Decline Across North America. A Close Look at the Western Monarch Shows Whyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/butterflies-are-in-dramatic-decline-across-north-america-a-close-look-at-the-western-monarch-shows-why-180988582/Pesticides, habitat loss and climate change have taken their toll on the beloved insects. But the experts working with them still find hope for their futureFri, 24 Apr 2026 15:42:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/butterflies-are-in-dramatic-decline-across-north-america-a-close-look-at-the-western-monarch-shows-why-180988582/Camera Traps Reveal Iberian Lynxes Soaking Their Prey, a First-Ever Discovery Among Carnivoreshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/camera-traps-reveal-iberian-lynxes-soaking-their-prey-a-first-ever-discovery-among-carnivores-180988591/Scientists speculate that the wild cats are trying to improve hydration or ease their cubs’ transition to solid food. The finding points to resilience in one of the world’s most endangered felinesThu, 23 Apr 2026 13:00:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/camera-traps-reveal-iberian-lynxes-soaking-their-prey-a-first-ever-discovery-among-carnivores-180988591/Ancient Humans Mastered Fire. Now, Burning Fossil Fuels and Blazing Landscapes Threaten to ‘Undo the World’https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ancient-humans-mastered-fire-now-burning-fossil-fuels-and-blazing-landscapes-threaten-to-undo-the-world-180988531/Intensifying wildfires across the continent are spewing air pollution, putting human health at risk, particularly Americans living with chronic illnessesThu, 16 Apr 2026 11:00:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ancient-humans-mastered-fire-now-burning-fossil-fuels-and-blazing-landscapes-threaten-to-undo-the-world-180988531/The Hell Creek Formation Is North America's Legendary Boneyard. See the Top Five Discoveries Found in the Iconic Fossil Bedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-hell-creek-formation-is-north-americas-legendary-boneyard-see-the-top-five-discoveries-found-in-the-iconic-fossil-bed-180988545/From preserved plants to T. rex, the material found in these Late Cretaceous rocks has resulted in countless breakthroughs for paleontologistsWed, 15 Apr 2026 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-hell-creek-formation-is-north-americas-legendary-boneyard-see-the-top-five-discoveries-found-in-the-iconic-fossil-bed-180988545/What Lies Beyond Artemis 2? These Other Missions Are Setting Their Sights on the Moon This Year—and on a Future With Humans in Spacehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-lies-beyond-artemis-2-these-other-missions-are-setting-their-sights-on-the-moon-this-yearand-on-a-future-with-humans-in-space-180988517/As the historic lunar flyby comes to a close, space companies and nations around the world are also shooting for the moon. Upcoming landings aim to change the landscape of space explorationThu, 09 Apr 2026 14:02:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-lies-beyond-artemis-2-these-other-missions-are-setting-their-sights-on-the-moon-this-yearand-on-a-future-with-humans-in-space-180988517/Hear From a Wildlife Photographer's Dramatic Glimpse Into the Dwindling World of the Cascade Red Foxhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-photographers-glimpse-into-the-dwindling-world-of-the-cascade-red-fox-180988516/Gretchen Kay Stuart has chronicled the work of a small team of biologists who are trying to keep a little known and breathtakingly beautiful endangered species from disappearingThu, 09 Apr 2026 10:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-photographers-glimpse-into-the-dwindling-world-of-the-cascade-red-fox-180988516/