Archive | March, 2010

Smithsonian ecologist John Parker discusses his work with invasive plants and white-tailed deer

Smithsonian ecologist John Parker discusses his work with invasive plants and white-tailed deer

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Females shut down male-male sperm competition in leafcutter ants

Females shut down male-male sperm competition in leafcutter ants

“Two things appear to be going on here,” explains Jacobus Boomsma, professor at the University of Copenhagen and Research Associate at STRI. “Right after mating there is competition between sperm from different males. Sperm is expendable. Later, sperm becomes very precious to the female who will continue to use it for many years to fertilize her own eggs, producing the millions of workers it takes to maintain her colony.” [...more]

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Caught on camera!

Caught on camera!

This short video of an ocelot was taken by Smithsonian scientists during a recent camera-trap survey of these animals in the Peruvian Amazon. [...more]

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Fungi still visible in wood charcoal centuries after burning

Fungi still visible in wood charcoal centuries after burning

Scientists from the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute, the University of Valencia in Spain and the University of Minnesota, recently made an important observation regarding charcoals from wood fires excavated at ancient archaeological sites. They verified that the remains of fungi that had been living in the wood before it was burned could clearly be seen [...] [...more]

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A day in the life: National Zoo veterinarian Katharine Hope

A day in the life: National Zoo veterinarian Katharine Hope

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At 1,500,000 mph, twin stars in the constellation Cancer win speediest orbit award

At 1,500,000 mph, twin stars in the constellation Cancer win speediest orbit award

The stars move quickly because they are very close to each other, separated by only about one-fourth the distance from the Earth to the Moon. As a result, they share strong gravitational forces. They were once farther apart but have spiraled closer together over time. Billions of years from now, they will crash together and merge. [...more]

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Captive colony of Virginia big-eared bats providing valuable lessons in battle against deadly white-nose syndrome

Captive colony of Virginia big-eared bats providing valuable lessons in battle against deadly white-nose syndrome

Eleven bats remain in the National Zoo’s colony. The initial challenge the team faced was how to feed the animals. Virginia big-eared bats, which are a subspecies of the Townsend’s big-eared bat (Corynorhinuss townsendii), eat while flying. [...more]

Featured, conservation biology, zoology Comments (26)

Ancient star discovered through patience and clever use of technology

Ancient star discovered through patience and clever use of technology

Finding this stellar relic wasn’t easy. It is 60,000 times dimmer than the faintest star visible to the unaided eye. The team also had to distinguish it from many surrounding stars that aren’t so old. Just like an archaeological dig, the hunt succeeded through a combination of patience and clever use of technology. [...more]

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Yellow lady’s slippers, watercolor by Kathleen Garness, from the National Museum of Natural History exhibit “Losing Paradise? Endangered Plants Here and Around the World,” opening Aug. 14. The exhibition, a collaborative effort between the American Society of Botanical Artists and the Natural History Museum, showcases botanical illustrations and features work from several renowned artists, including Alice Tangerini, one of the Smithsonian’s acclaimed scientific illustrators.

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