Paleoecologist Conrad Labandeira travels to the Karoo Basin of South Africa to find leaf fossils from the Permian-Triassic boundary, the time of the Earth's largest mass extinction. What can bug bites on leaves tell us about our own uncertain times? [...more]
Jim Zimbelman, planetary geologist in the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, shares his three favorite images from the exhibition "Beyond: Visions of Our Solar System.” On view at the Air and Space Museum through May 2, 2011, the exhibition by artist Michael Benson combines art, science, photography and exploration to unveil the diverse landscapes found on the planets in our Solar System. [...more]
This Yowah Nut Opal comes from Queensland, Australia and consists of precious opal deposits enclosed in an ironstone nodule. A recent gift to the Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection from the Richard Ashley Foundation, the play-of-color in this opal is spectacular, with flashes of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. For a full description, visit [...] [...more]
The Hope Diamond, the world’s most famous diamond, is on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in a new temporary setting, “Embracing Hope.” The new setting was designed by Harry Winston Inc., and unveiled and placed on public display on Thursday, Nov. 18. The event marks the 50th anniversary of the Hope [...] [...more]
A 48 million-year-old fossilized leaf has revealed the oldest known evidence of a macabre part of nature – parasites taking control of their hosts to turn them into zombies. [...more]
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History recently acquired four remarkable gemstones and jewelry pieces for the Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the museum. [...more]
The Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) PS1 telescope has discovered an asteroid about 150 feet in diameter that will come within 4 million miles of Earth in mid-October. [...more]
Using the ancient magnetic field recorded in these rocks, a Smithsonian research group revealed Santa Marta’s 2,200-kilometer journey from northern Peru to its modern position on the Caribbean coast of Colombia during the past 170 million years. [...more]
Scientists from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center have found that fledgling catbirds living in the suburbs are extremely vulnerable. Almost 80 percent are killed by predators before they reach adulthood. Nearly half of the deaths are connected to domestic cats. The team studied catbird nests in 3 suburban neighborhoods in Maryland: Spring Park, Opal Daniels Park, and Bethesda. Learn more about this 2011 study by clicking here. (Catbird photo by Gerhard Hofmann)
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