Research News

Forest along Panama’s Pacific coast. Not all tropical forests store the same amounts of carbon. The new Tansley review of carbon storage in many forests revealed that general predictions can be made.

Electric eels gathering and herding prey in preparation to launch a coordinated attack. A team of scientists describe this novel behavior in the Jan.

Electric eels gathering and herding prey in preparation to launch a coordinated attack. A team of scientists describe this novel behavior in the Jan.

Electric eels shocking their prey as a group in a coordinated hunting effort. A team of scientists describe this novel behavior in the Jan.

Underwater photos of Volta’s electric eel (Electrophorus voltai), the species of electric eel recently discovered by researchers to hunt in groups. A team of scientists describe this novel behavior in the Jan.

Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History fish research associate

An assortment of corn cobs of varying ages found at the El Gigante rock shelter site in Honduras.

Three roughly 2,000-year-old corn cobs from the El Gigante rock shelter site in Honduras. These corn cobs were genetically analyzed by an international team of scientists.

Sea urchins (Echinometra lucunter) in the lab at the Smithsonian’s Bocas del Toro Research Station in Panama. Researchers discovered that low oxygen conditions seemed to effect urchin behavior more than higher temperatures or low pH (ocean acidification).