How elephants pass on crucial survival skills to next generations

Young elephants have a lot to learn—what to eat, what to avoid, how to behave around others. When they grow up around their mother and aunts, their development into well-behaved adults may seem ...

This is a side of New Zealand that most travelers never see

Much like the Galapagos, the remote Sub-Antarctic islands—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—deliver otherworldly landscapes and ...

Snakes on a plane, skinks in the post: The slippery and growing problem of animal smuggling

Thousands of animals are being stuffed into toys and electrical goods by criminals cashing in on the market for rare pets.

Rare Carnivorous Animal Filmed in Texas, 1 of an Estimated 100 in the State

"Seeing one of these rare, secretive ocelots on camera is truly special," Amanda De Leon wrote alongside a photo of the rare wildcat ...

115 Silly Cats Who Are Just Out There Living Their Lives

If you've ever owned a cat, you know that there's a wide array of sounds that a feline can make. Some research shows that cats have about 21 different types of vocalizations, while others claim that ...
Smithsonian Magazine

Researchers Discover New Lineage of Critically Endangered Sunda Pangolins Using Scales in the Museum’s Collection

For world pangolin day, learn more about how genetic researchers helped pinpoint a hidden lineage of the critically endangered mammals ...
Smithsonian Magazine

This Giant Carnivore Ran on Hooves. Scientists Are Investigating Its Massive Skull and Crushing Teeth to Decipher the Beast’s True Nature

For more than a century, paleontologists have been piecing together how the mysterious predator Andrewsarchus is related to ...
eLife

EOLA1, a novel mitochondria-localized protein critical for heart functions via regulating mitochondrial translation

Mitochondria possess their own mRNA translation system, mediated by specialized mitoribosomes. Dysregulation of mitochondrial translation disrupts metabolic homeostasis and is linked to various ...