One of many challenges to endangered frog conservation is the diseases they develop in captivity. Understanding how to prevent them is key to successful husbandry practices.
Perhaps old species, like some older people, gradually lose their ability to deal with changes in their environment. Aaron O’Dea and colleagues show that when the Caribbean was cut off from the Pacific by the rise of the Panama land bridge, evolutionarily old species took longer to expand into new habitats than evolutionarily younger species did.
Biodiversity is the key to successful reforestation and climate-change mitigation because each tree species has its own way of getting the nutrients it needs to survive.
Which mosquito species is likely to transmit the virus that causes the next epidemic? Join José Loaiza, Smithsonian research associate, senior scientist at Panama’s government research bureau, INDICASAT, and University of Panama professor, as he visits back yards and used-tire lots to find the answer.
From tiny banana seeds to giant coconuts, it’s tough for seeds to survive in tropical soils where they are under attack by fungi, bacteria, insects and animals. By understanding how seeds defend themselves, tropical biologists contribute to reforestation, crop management and sustainable agriculture in the tropics.
Inspired by a universal call-to-action from the Interacademy Partnership (IAP) within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC), in conjunction with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and other organizations, is bringing together a global team to design inclusive and equitable research-based science education .
More than thirty years after its inception, the Tupper Fellowship remains the most prestigious postdoctoral academic appointment offered by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. We are currently seeking qualified candidates from around the world.
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.
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.
