Nature

Heliconias planted as ornamentals in a garden in Panama

Nearly Half of the Colorful and Charismatic Heliconia Tropical Plant Species Are Threatened With Extinction, New Study Reveals

Using data from over 10,000 herbarium specimens, Smithsonian scientists uncover the urgent conservation needs of the plants, which are critical to tropical ecosystems

A hatchling Kemp's ridley sea turtle

Inside the Herculean Effort to Study and Save the World's Smallest Sea Turtle

After years of steady gains, a decades-long conservation program dedicated to the Kemp's ridley hits rough seas

Dead trees teem with life.

What Happens to a Tree That Dies in a Forest?

Rotting logs turn out to be vital to forest biodiversity and recycling organic matter

Train Smoke, Edvard Munch, 1900

See the Breathtaking Landscape Paintings Inspired by the Boreal Forest, From Europe to North America

Titled "Northern Lights," a new exhibition in Switzerland showcases artworks of the taiga made between 1888 and 1937

A mosquito stuck in resin is on its way to becoming a fossil preserved in amber.

How a Fragile Insect Living 100 Million Years Ago Becomes a Fossil

A bug, a dinosaur and a tree intersect, creating the perfect conditions for resin to capture a moment in time

The "wooly devil" has fuzzy foliage and maroon flowers made up of conspicuous ray petals.

Meet the 'Wooly Devil,' the First New Plant Genus Discovered in a National Park Since 1976

A volunteer spotted the tiny, fuzzy plant with maroon florets while exploring the remote northern corner of Big Bend National Park in Texas

Microbes can grow in clouds and even divide in two.

A Brief and Amazing History of Our Search for Life in the Clouds

By collecting samples after climbing a high peak and firing rockets with special traps into the upper atmosphere, scientists have found microbes living in thin air

Shadow (left) and Jackie (right) are incubating three eggs for the second year in a row. Their nest is perched 145 feet off the ground in a Jeffrey pine near Big Bear Lake in Southern California.

Watch California's Internet-Famous Bald Eagles Tend to Three New Eggs, Expected to Hatch Soon

Last year, the mated pair Jackie and Shadow also incubated three eggs—but none of them hatched. This year's "pipping period," when chicks may break out of their shells, begins in early March

A pangolin emerges from an underground tunnel at night at Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, a group that runs a pangolin conservation program inside the Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam.

Will the Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry End the Pangolin?

The creature is being trafficked across Africa and Asia to fuel a steady demand for their scales, an ingredient in unproven remedies

An albino squirrel peeks out from within a tree.

Can a Small Town’s Protections for Albino Squirrels Inspire Other Cities to Guard Wildlife Against Cats?

Olney, Illinois, has taken steps to protect an iconic mammal from domesticated felines, setting a possible model for other places to follow

The palm oil industry in Indonesia has led to widespread deforestation, making it hard to find remaining signs of archaic life.

The Search to Find the Remains of Homo Erectus in a Vanishing Landscape

A paleontologist journeys through Indonesia’s Riau Archipelago in search of our earliest ancestors, and uncovers how environmental devastation has erased much of the region’s history

The coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii) depends on chaparral habitat to survive. It has declined across much of its range due to habitat loss, whether from development or invasion of non-native grasses. After fires, non-native grasses often fill in habitat and create problems for the species.

Here’s How the Los Angeles Wildfires Are Affecting Animals, From Fish to Snakes to Birds

While scientists were able to save and move some creatures in the aftermath, researchers are worried about the prospects for other species

Experts think the sketch dates to between 1809 and 1814.

A Stunning John Constable Sketch That Hadn't Previously Been Recorded in the Literature Is Heading to Auction

Experts think the early 19th-century artwork could be an early draft of the British painter's "View of Dedham Vale From East Bergholt"

Embers from the Eaton Fire fly down a residential street in Altadena, California, on January 8.

How A.I. Can Help Humans Battle Wildfires, From Advanced Camera Systems to Forecasting Models

A variety of new technologies aim to improve wildfire detection and help map the spread of blazes

A tiger keelback feeds on poisonous toads and stores the poison for its own use.

Six Clever Snakes to Celebrate as We Slither Into the Lunar New Year

These fascinating serpents embody acclaimed qualities including cunning and intelligence

Lynx Spider by Manfred Auer won third place in the invertebrate portrait category of this year's Close-up Photographer of the Year contest.

See 15 Winning Images From the Close-Up Photographer of the Year Competition

The annual contest offers a glimpse into the hidden world of tiny scenes, from insects to fish to fungi

A skin diver swims with a sperm whale in the Caribbean off of Dominica.

Eight Natural Phenomena Worth Traveling for in 2025

You won’t regret experiencing bioluminescence, swimming with sperm whales or witnessing the rush of a horizontal waterfall

A hiker soaks up the scenery as the sun sets in Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park in Sydney.

Take a Journey Down Under With These Amazing Photos of Australia

From the outback to the coasts, see 15 images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

The finished national anthem included the calls of 41 birds.

How Scientists and Composers Teamed Up to Create a Stunning Natural Version of Colombia’s National Anthem

A team trekked for two weeks and collected the sounds of birds, frogs, a jaguar and whales in order to make the song

A Surinam golden-eyed tree frog calls for a mate, puffing out its cheeks.

See 25 Incredible Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest

Cast your vote for your favorite of the photographs, which are all contenders for the People’s Choice award, through January 29

Page 1 of 46