Origins of agriculture
Greenhouse “time machine” sheds light on corn domestication
Febrero 07, 2014
Lower atmospheric carbon and cooler temperatures may have contributed to the domestication of corn, a new study shows.
Lower atmospheric carbon and cooler temperatures may have contributed to the domestication of corn, a new study shows.
In the Peruvian Amazon, a Smithsonian anthropologist learns that Yanesha people believe that certain personal objects become part of a person’s being.
A visit to a shaman’s garden prompts an unexpected warning about the tobacco plant spirit’s ability to do away with disrespectful visitors.
Panama’s infamous canal grass rises from the ashes of fire much faster than trees, complicating reforestation efforts.
How will tropical forests respond to a warmer climate with higher atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations? By growing plants in geodesic domes, Smithsonian scientist Klaus Winter is seeking answers.
What do warmer nights mean for the release of carbon dioxide by tropical forests?
At one of the oldest Maya sites, STRI staff archaeologist, Ashley Sharpe, discovered dog bones from the Guatemalan highlands deep within two pyramids.
White-faced capuchin monkeys in Panama’s Coiba National Park habitually use hammer and anvil stones to break hermit crab shells, snail shells, coconuts and other food items, according to visiting scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). This is the first report of habitual stone-tool use by Cebus monkeys.
A small bump in the ear canal of skulls from burials near the Gulf of Panama, may indicate that ancient coastal residents dove in icy waters to recover pearls and valuable orange Spondylus shells.
The trajectory of the renowned archaeologist of the Smithsonian Institution in Panama spans half a century and has had a tremendous impact in the field of Central American archeology and the careers of dozens of researchers. A magazine from the University of Costa Rica honors him.