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.
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.
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.
How do animals adapt to urban environments? In the case of the Tungara frog, city males put on a more elaborate display than males in forested areas.
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.
Some organisms adapt more quickly than others and may have a better chance to survive climate change. 2018 Tupper Fellow, Mike Logan, follows lizards as they adapt to islands.
At STRI, Jim Porter began the long-term ecological research that later became an important component of the winning documentary, Chasing Coral
By diving into the past lives of coral reefs, a historical ecologist may protect our present-day reefs from human impacts
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.
Giving rise to the richest alpine flora in the world, interconnections between islands of Andean paramo vegetation flicker off and on as global temperatures rise and fall during the last million years
