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Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Why do small marine organisms matter for the future of our oceans?

September 15, 2020

Beneficial partnerships between diverse marine organisms are often favorable to the health of marine ecosystems as well. Listen to STRI postdoctoral fellow and marine and evolutionary biologist Matthieu Leray describe how mutualistic relationships among coral reefs and small marine species or microorganisms may help them cope with climate change.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

How do Giraffes and Elephants alter the african savanna landscape?

September 15, 2020

Through their foraging behavior across the diverse topography of the African savanna, megaherbivores may be unknowingly influencing the growth and survival of vegetation on valleys and plateaus, while preserving steep slopes as habitat refugia.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Peruvian Amazonian shaman rose to power on promises of liberation and immortality

September 14, 2020

Anthropologist Fernando Santos-Granero has pieced together the story of a change agent whose life spanned an important period in South American history in his book, Slavery and Utopia , now available in English and Spanish.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Animated maps of sea level rise: the Isthmus of Panama during the last 26,000 years

September 11, 2020

These maps dramatically illustrate how rising sea levels completely altered the shape of Panama’s coastline, creating islands and submerging large areas of land.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

An untraditional path for science

September 09, 2020

For Panamanian marine biologist Yehudi Rodríguez, her curiosity about sharks began early in life, watching the National Geographic programs and listening to her father’s stories as an underwater fisherman. This persistent interest led her to pave a path where there were not many opportunities, and to learn as much as possible from the people she encountered during her research projects in the...

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Fossil trees on Peru’s Central Andean Plateau tell a tale of dramatic environmental change

August 28, 2020

As the Earth’s surface transforms, entire ecosystems come and go. The anatomy of fossil plants growing in the Andean Altiplano region 10 million years ago calls current paleoclimate models into question, suggesting that the area was more humid than models predict.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Brian Gratwicke Building an amphibian ark and searching for a cure for the amphibian Chytrid Fungus

August 27, 2020

Join Brian as he gives us an update on the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project, its progress over the last 10 years, and its efforts to sustain this collection of living frogs and identify clear solutions to the amphibian crisis.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Mother bats use baby talk to communicate with their pups

August 26, 2020

Just as humans with their babies, adult female bats change their vocalizations when interacting with “babbling” pups, which could be interpreted as positive feedback to their offspring during vocal practice

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Kirk Broders to Become STRI Research Associate

August 19, 2020

STRI will miss Kirk and his family when they move back to the U.S., but look forward to continued collaboration.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

How and when to reintroduce frogs into their natural habitat?

August 19, 2020

Returning endangered frogs back to nature is not an easy task, particularly when their main threats are not under control. In this talk (Spanish), former STRI fellow and current director of the Summit Municipal Park, Dr. Angie Estrada, explains what is causing so many amphibian species around the world to be at risk for extinction and discusses the different approaches that scientists are...

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