The queen gets to
keep her daughter

Why did some bee species become social, while the majority have remained solitary? On Barro Colorado Island, a bee that adopts both strategies interchangeably, may unlock the evolutionary origins of sociality in insects

Story location

Barro Colorado Island

Chemical Ecology Evolutionary Ecology Entomology Evolutionary Biology Connections in nature: Plants, Animals, Microbes and Environments Barro Colorado navy-blue William Wcislo

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How new species
arise in the sea

Study Sheds New Light on Fundamental
Question in Evolutionary Biology

Story location

Bocas del Toro, Panama
Cover Photo by Carlos and Allison Estapé

Evolutionary Biology Molecular Genetics and Genomics Marine Biology Zoology Origins of Species and Societies Bocas del Toro navy-blue Owen McMillan

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Lisina Hoch’s generosity
spanned decades

Quietly behind the scenes, the Hoch family funds pioneering research in the rainforest canopy, exploration of both the Caribbean and the Pacific and the development of an “ecological village” in Gamboa. We mourn the passing of Lisina Hoch, family matriarch and visionary STRI supporter and remember her many family trips to Panama.

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Words, Birds, and Watercolor:
an Interview with Charlotte Steeves

Charlotte Steeves studies the relationship between land use and seasonal river stream flow at STRI as part of the Agua Salud project. She has been a STRI intern since January 2018. However, her involvement with Panama goes back much further: In some ways it seems like she’s been preparing for this adventure for her whole life. 

Story location

Panama
Katie Griswold, Intern in the O’Dea Lab

Hydrology Geology Animal Behavior Zoology Origins of Species and Societies Agua Salud Naos navy-blue Jefferson Hall

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14 reasons to leave
the STRI bubble

For many visiting researchers, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute becomes more than a job. It becomes your home and your primary social circle, so much that you sometime forget there is a world outside of work. But you would be remiss to skip out on all the opportunities beyond the STRI bubble. Here are 14 reasons to get out and go.

Story location

Panama
by Katie Griswold

Origins of Species and Societies Naos navy-blue Aaron O'Dea

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First study of humpback whale
survivors of killer whale attacks
in the Southeastern Pacific

Attacks on humpback whales may be on the rise, according to an analysis of scars on humpback whales published in Endangered Species Research.

Animal Behavior Conservation Biology Fisheries and Marine Conservation Biodiversity Ecology Global Change Zoology Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet Naos navy-blue Hector M. Guzman

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Jacobus Boomsma receives
Hamilton Award, Collin Lab
student takes first prize,
new boardwalk in Galeta and more

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Farewell
Joan Siedenburg

Many in the STRI community will remember Joan Siedenburg, who died on June 9 at 92 years of age, as a wonderful friend of tropical research in Panama. Her yearly visits to STRI gave her a chance to participate directly in both the discovery process and in outreach to local communities.

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Ira Rubinoff,
Emeritus Director,
retires from STRI

After more than 50 years at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, director emeritus Ira Rubinoff has announced his retirement. He will travel to Vienna with his wife, Anabella, who was recently designated Panama’s ambassador to Austria.

Story location

Panama City

Marine Biology Biodiversity Forest Ecology Global Change Ecology Hydrology Invasion Biology Long-term monitoring Zoology Canopy Biology Ecosystem Services Fisheries and Marine Conservation Geography and Biogeography Reforestation and Silviculture Connections in nature: Plants, Animals, Microbes and Environments Life in Deep Time Origins of Species and Societies Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet Earl S. Tupper Barro Colorado Bocas del Toro Gamboa Punta Culebra Punta Galeta Canopy Access Cranes Coibita Island Fortuna Naos CTPA Agua Salud navy-blue Ira Rubinoff

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Smithsonian Researchers
Name New Ocean Zone

New ocean zone is home to many new species of reef fish

Story location

Curaçao

Marine Biology Exploration Fisheries and Marine Conservation Biodiversity Zoology Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet Naos navy-blue D. Ross Robertson

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