Tag Archive | "Tropical Research Institute"

Study reveals road salt may promote health and well-being of roadside ant colonies

Study reveals road salt may promote health and well-being of roadside ant colonies

To understand the effects of road salting on ants, Michael Kaspari of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the University of Oklahoma led a team that looked at how ant colonies are affected by these conditions; their research is published in a recent issue of the journal Ecological Entomology. [...more]

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New frog species pose challenge for conservation project in Panama

New frog species pose challenge for conservation project in Panama

Discoveries of three new from species in Panama lead to hope that project researchers can save these animals from a deadly fungus killing frogs worldwide and the fear that many species will go extinct before scientists even know they exist. [...more]

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Tropical tree study shows interactions with neighbors plays an important role in tree survival

Tropical tree study shows interactions with neighbors plays an important role in tree survival

New results from a massive study at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute show that interactions among community members play an important role in determining which organisms thrive. [...more]

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Scientists find ultrasonic calls of bats also serve a social function

Scientists find ultrasonic calls of bats also serve a social function

The new study suggests that echolocation calls also serve a social function--bats listen to the ultrasonic calls of other bats to identify roost mates, bats of the same species, members of the opposite sex and intruders to their territory. [...more]

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Tiny, new brains prove just as adept as large, mature brains among tropical orb-web spiders

Tiny, new brains prove just as adept as large, mature brains among tropical orb-web spiders

When it comes to brains, is bigger better? Can the tiny brain of a newly hatched spiderling handle problems as adeptly as the brain of a larger adult spider? [...more]

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Transmitters unveil long-distance movements of orchid bees

Transmitters unveil long-distance movements of orchid bees

Now, for the first time ever, researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute are able to track the routes of these creatures by gluing tiny transmitters to the backs of individual bees. [...more]

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Census reveals 1,200 howler monkeys living on Barro Colorado Island

Census reveals 1,200 howler monkeys living on Barro Colorado Island

Long before dawn on a recent morning, Katie Milton and a group of stalwart volunteers, each armed with flashlight and compass, spread out into the jungle to take up positions at 35 listening stations marked on maps of the island. [...more]

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Shipping industry sends help as project in Panama tackles amphibian crisis

Shipping industry sends help as project in Panama tackles amphibian crisis

The rescue pods will be part of the project’s Amphibian Rescue Center at Summit Municipal Park, which will also include a lab with a quarantine facility. [...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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