Archive | January, 2010

Drugged spiders’ web spinning may hold keys to understanding animal behavior

Drugged spiders’ web spinning may hold keys to understanding animal behavior

“Spinning under the influence” is one way to describe recent activities in the Costa Rican laboratory of Smithsonian scientist William Eberhard. An entomologist at the Smithsonian’s Tropical Research Institute, Eberhard recently carried out a series of experiments in which he observed the web-building behavior of dozens of spiders under the influence of drugs—specifically, a chemical injected into their bodies by parasitic wasps. [...more]

zoology Comments (2)

Strawberry dart frogs bred at National Zoo for first time in Zoo’s history

Strawberry dart frogs bred at National Zoo for first time in Zoo’s history

For the first time in its history, the National Zoo has bred strawberry dart frogs (Oophaga pumilio), which are known primarily for their vibrant colors and poisonous skin. These frogs also stand out among others because of their dedication to their young as they undergo metamorphosis from egg to tadpole to frog. [...more]

Featured, conservation biology, zoology Comments (2)

Distant, dying star gives astronomers preview of the fate of our Sun

Distant, dying star gives astronomers preview of the fate of our Sun

Chi Cygni pulses once every 408 days. At its smallest diameter of 300 million miles, it becomes mottled with brilliant spots as massive plumes of hot plasma roil its surface. As it expands, Chi Cygni cools and dims, growing to a diameter of 480 million miles—large enough to engulf and cook our solar system out to the asteroid belt. [...more]

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Roy Clarke, curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, is shown in 1977 with the Old Woman Meteorite, the second largest meteorite ever discovered in the United States. It was found in March 1976 in the Mojave Desert some 167 miles east of Los Angeles, by two prospectors searching for a lost Spanish Conquistador gold mine rumored to be there. In September 1980, the Smithsonian sent most of the meteorite back to California to be placed on display at the Desert Discovery Center in Barstow. (Photo courtesy Smithsonian Institution Archives)

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