Research News

Newsroom of the Smithsonian

The Smithsonian is one of the world’s foremost research centers in science, the arts, and the humanities. In addition to research pursued by the museums, our research centers specialize in areas of inquiry spanning the globe and the farthest reaches of the universe.

Three pieces of gray stone with imprint of leaf in half-moon shape with discernible straight leaves.
Lucia RM Martino, James Di Loreto and Fred Cochard, Smithsonian.
NMNH Surface Temp - Fossil Palm Leaf

The new paper is part of an ongoing research effort that began in 2018, when Smithsonian researchers were helping develop the museum’s "David H Koch Hall of Fossils—Deep Time.

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Woman with long, light brown hair and sunglasses smiles, standing outdoors in front of mountain and river.
Lindsay Moon
NMNH Surface Temp - Emily Judd

Emily Judd, the lead author of the new paper and a former postdoctoral researcher at the National Museum of Natural History and the University of Arizona, at the Walcott Quarry in British Columbia, Canada, in 2019.

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Image of flat tapestry with horizontal stripes in varying shades of orange, yellow, pink and red.
NMAI DY Begay: “Intended Vermillion"

DY Begay (Diné, b. 1953), “Intended Vermillion,” 2015. Wool with plant, insect, and synthetic dyes, 49 x 37 ½ in. Denver Art Museum: Commissioned and funded by Kent and Elaine Olson for the Denver Art Museum, 2015.266 

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Image of a rock with grayish color and textured surface with irregular mossy green circles.
Tom Kleindinst
Ancient Rock from Seafloor

The studied rocks were collected from the Gakkel Ridge near the North Pole and the Southwest Indian Ridge between Africa and Antarctica, two of the slowest-spreading tectonic plate boundaries in the world.

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Cross-section of microscopic slice of rock with vibrant colors--white, blue, pink, orange, brown, green.
E. Cottrell, Smithsonian.
Gakkel Ridge, ~14mm

A thin slice of the ancient rocks collected from Gakkel Ridge near the North Pole, photographed under a microscope and seen under cross-polarized light. Field width ~ 14mm.

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Microscopic image of cross-section of rock with many colors--blues, yellows, pinks, oranges, greens, brown.
E. Cottrell, Smithsonian.
Gakkel Ridge, ~10mm

A thin slice of the ancient rocks collected from Gakkel Ridge near the North Pole, photographed under a microscope and seen under cross-polarized light. Field width ~ 10mm.

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Image of four men in orange jumpsuits, two standing at the stern of a ship.
Emily Van Ark
Researchers on R/V Knorr

The stern of the research vessel, the R/V Knorr while at sea in 2004. The A-frame structure holds the giant metal and chain bucket which is lowered more than 10,000 feet below the ocean surface and dragged along the seafloor to collect geologic samples.

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A woman in a grey sweater and blue jeans, with brown hair in a low bun, leans over table with rocks of various sizes.
Emily Van Ark
Researcher Jessica Warren Examines Samples

Jessica Warren of the University of Delaware on the R/V Knorr in 2004 describing the geologic samples after being brought on board.

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Two oyster shells, each with a deep brown hole near the top. The smaller shell on the right also has bluish-black bumps on it.
Zofia Anchondo
Oyster Shells with Parasite Marks

Oyster shell from the Harris Creek sanctuary, with two holes from a boring sponge attack and marks on the right shell from a mud blister worm. 

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: A man in a black jacket with sunglasses and a young woman stand on a boat. The man holds a line of rope in front of him.
Jay Fleming/Smithsonian
Matt Ogburn

Matt Ogburn on a tagging expedition.

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Underwater photo of a solitary striped fish swimming above an oyster reef in cloudy greenish water.
Striped Bass Above Oyster Reef

A striped bass, also known as a rockfish, swims above an oyster reef in Chesapeake Bay.

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A young woman stoops over the edge of a boat, holding a rectangular rig of PVC pipes with small cameras attached to both sides.
SERC Fisheries Conservation Lab
Allison Tracy with Camera Rig

Allison Tracy deploys a camera rig with GoPros attached to survey oyster reefs underwater.

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Underwater photo of an oyster reef in clouded, greenish-yellow water
SERC Fisheries Conservation Lab
James River Oyster Sanctuary

A restored oyster reef in a sanctuary in the James River, Maryland.

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Black and white fluffy panda bear sits on fake wooden logs.
Roshan Patel, Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
New Giant Pandas - Bao Li

Two-year-old male giant panda Bao Li in his habitat at Shenshuping Base in Wolong, China, May 16.

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Black and white fluffy bear eats a skinny twig with long green leaves.
Roshan Patel, Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
New Giant Pandas - Qing Bao

Two-year-old female giant panda Qing Bao in her habitat at Dujiangyan Base in Sichuan, China May 17.

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Image of outerspace, black with fuzzy, bright stars.
SAO/ASIAA/SMA/K. Monsch et al; Optical: Pan-STARRS
Cosmic Butterfly: Unlabeled Pan-STARRS and SMA image with SMA image inset

The inset for this image shows compelling evidence that IRAS 23077 contains a planet-forming disk. Along with dust grains, the SMA can also observe the cold carbon monoxide gas that comprises the bulk of a planet-forming disk.

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Image of dark outerspace and bright stars with graphics overlayed on top.
SAO/ASIAA/SMA/K. Monsch et al; Optical: Pan-STARRS
Cosmic Butterfly: Labeled Pan-STARRS and SMA image with SMA image inset

The inset for this image shows compelling evidence that IRAS 23077 contains a planet-forming disk. Along with dust grains, the SMA can also observe the cold carbon monoxide gas that comprises the bulk of a planet-forming disk.

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Image of outerspace, completely black with fuzzy dots and shapes of bright, light purple color.
Radio: SAO/ASIAA/SMA/K. Monsch et al; Optical: Pan-STARRS
Cosmic Butterfly: Pan-STARRS and SMA image

The center of this composite image shows IRAS 23077, likely the largest planet-forming disk ever seen, which looks like a giant cosmic butterfly.

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A bioluminescent shape, sort of like a firework, against a black background.
NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
Deep-sea coral Iridogorgia sp.

With thousands of living representatives and relatively high incidence of bioluminescence, researchers suspect that the trait has played a role in the group’s evolutionary success.

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Groupings of sea floor corals, in various shapes, sizes, and textures.
NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research
A diversity of bamboo corals and golden corals in the central Pacific Ocean.
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Large red dots, with attached small blue dots against completely black background.
Sönke Johnsen
The colonial false gold coral Savalia sp.

Two corals displaying bioluminescence in the Bahamas in 2009.

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Diagonal bright red lines with blue dots attached against completely black background.
Sönke Johnsen
The bamboo octocoral Isidella sp.

Two corals displaying bioluminescence in the Bahamas in 2009.

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Small light blue dots in lines against black background.
Copyright 2020 MBARI
Shaggy bamboo octocoral Isidella tentaculum

Image provided by MBARI, used with permission. Image must carry credit to MBARI in all uses (e.g., Photo: MBARI) and may not be modified to remove MBARI logo watermark. Image may only be used for media coverage of DeLeo et al.

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A hollow circle coral with long, thin pieces coming out from it in a spoke.
NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Deepwater Wonders of Wake
A magnificent coral Iridogorgia magnispiralis

Deep-sea octocorals that are known to be bioluminescent.

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