Press Releases
- 4,000-Year-Old Shaman's Stones Discovered Near Boquete, Panama
Photo- Casita_de_Piedra_Rockshelter
Composite copy: Stones found in precolombian shaman's cache, Boquete, Panama, Composite photo by Ruth Dickau. Casita de Piedra rockshelter: Casita de Piedra rockshelter. Photo by Eduardo Bejerano
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- Why Spiders Do Not Stick to Their Own Sticky Web Sites
Photo - Ancient Popcorn Discovered in Peru
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Cobs date roughly from 6500-4000 years ago. A) Proto-Confite Morocho race; b) Confite Chavinense maize race; c) Proto-Alazan maize race.
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- A Whole New Meaning for Thinking on Your Feet
Photo- Nephila clavipes,
a big tropical spider, has plenty of room in its body for its brain. Credit: Pamela Belding.
- Mysmena
The brains of smaller spiders, like nymphs in the genus Mysmena, extend out of their body cavity into their legs. Credit: Wcislo lab.
- Nephila clavipes,
a big tropical spider, has plenty of room in its body for its brain. Credit: Pamela Belding.
- Two New Bee Species Are Mysterious Pieces in the Panama Puzzle
Photo- Abejas_de_David
David Roubik, STRI staff scientist, attracts bees by applying scents to paper cards. As bees come to collect the scents, Dave nets them so that he can see the characteristics that distinguish one species from another. Melipona insularis, the new bee species from Coiba Island in Panama, has fuzzy yellow hairs on its abdomen.
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David Roubik, STRI staff scientist, making the crossing from mainland Panama to Panama's Coiba Island. - David_Roubik
David Roubik, STRI staff scientist, sorts bee collection on Rancheria Island - David_Roubik_2
David Roubik, STRI staff scientist, nets Melipona insularis, the new bee species from Panama's Coiba Island, in its forest habitat
- Roubik, D.W., Camargo, J.M.F. 2011. The Panama microplate, island studies and relictual species of Melipona (Melikerria) (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini). Systematic Entomology. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3113.2011.00587.x - [ Download PDF ]
- Abejas_de_David
David Roubik, STRI staff scientist, attracts bees by applying scents to paper cards. As bees come to collect the scents, Dave nets them so that he can see the characteristics that distinguish one species from another. Melipona insularis, the new bee species from Coiba Island in Panama, has fuzzy yellow hairs on its abdomen.
- Hitchhiking Snails Fly from Ocean to Ocean
Photo - What Makes Rainforests Unique? History, Not Ecology
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Credit: Christian Ziegler - cover_liza2.jpg
Credit: Christian Ziegler
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- Landslides: How Rainfall Dried up Panama's Drinking Water
Photo - Reforestation Research in Latin America Helps Build Better Forests
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Jefferson S. Hall, staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, directs the Agua Salud Project, a 700 hectare experiment in the Panama Canal Watershed aimed at measuring how land use practices affect water flow, carbon storage and biodiversity. Credit: Marcos Guerra, STRI - DSCN3262.jpg
Diogenes Ibarra measures the growth of native tree saplings to see how they perform in different environmental settings. Credit: STRI Archives.
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First Rainforests Arose When Plants Solved Plumbing Problem
Photo- Tropical Forest Canopy
Credit: STRI Archives
- Tropical Forest Canopy
- Why Are Vines Overtaking the American Tropics?
A Million-Dollar Question
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Lianas, or woody vines, are overgrowing the tropical forests of the Americas. Stefan Schnitzer studies lianas at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's research station on Barro Colorado Island in Panama. Credit: Marcos Guerra, STRI. - 1297434911
Heart-shaped seed of a liana, Entada spp.
Videos
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJKy1PVD0OI
S. Joseph Wright, staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, describes research showing that lianas, woody vines, are on the rise in the tropical forests of the Americas.
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- Online Access to the Plants of the World Is Available
The Global Plants Initiative Meets at the Smithsonian in Panama Jan. 11-13
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Herbarium specimen
Identify plants using your handheld computer or phone! Plant collectors dry plants and mount them on paper sheets that are stored in plant collections called herbaria. This plant specimen was collected in Panama nearly 100 years ago by Henri Pittier. The Global Plants Initiative puts high resolution scans of the specimens used by botanists to name plants on the internet. Representatives from 36 countries are meeting at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute from Jan. 11-13. - STRIHerbarium.jpg
Herbarium cabinet
The goal of the Global Plants Initiative, meeting at the Smithsonian in Panama from Jan 11-13, is to make plant specimens, currently stored in herbarium cabinets like this one in Panama, available around the world on the Internet. The GPI online data base currently holds more than 1.5 million images. - DSC0006.jpg
Latin American Plants Initiative group photo
The Latin American Plants Initiative, representing GPI partners from Central and South America, met in late 2009 in Medellin, Colombia. The Global Plants Initiative currently partners with 175 museums, universities and herbaria from 60 countries and is actively working to further extend participation.
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- Tropical Forest Diversity Increased during Ancient Global Warming Event
Photo- Pollen PETM
Transmitted light microscopy photos of several pollen and spore taxa from the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. Photos by Maria Carolina Vargas, Colombian Petroleum Institute - Carlos Jaramillo
Photo by Marcos Guerra
Videos
- Pollen PETM
- Smithsonian Researchers Report that Regional Sea Temperature Rise and Coral Bleaching Event Has Reached Western Caribbean
Photo- Dying sponges
Credit: Arcadio Castillo - Abnormal sea temperatures not only affect corals, but also affect other reef organisms like these sponges. - Sea surface temperatures, September, 2009
Downloaded from the NOAA sea surface temperature site - Sea surface temperatures, September, 2010
Downloaded from the NOAA sea surface temperature site
- Dying sponges
- Smithsonian and Arizona State University Launch Virtual Classroom
- Frog Killer Caught in the Act:
Measuring Life’s Data Loss in Panama by Barcoding
Photo - Biodiversity's Holy Grail Is in the Soil
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Scott Mangan conducted seedling experiments to determine the effect of soil collected around trees of the same species, and trees of other species.
- Tropical Biodiversity Is about the Neighbors
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Cavanillesia plantanifolia seedling. Photo by Christian Ziegler - Ziegler1469.jpg
Liza Comita measures seedling using a caliper. Photo by Christian Ziegler
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- Extinct Giant Shark Nursery Discovered in Panama
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Catalina Pimiento excavating in Panama's Gatun Formation. Credit: Catalina Pimiento - 100_2027.jpg
Extinct giant shark, Carcharolcles megalodon, tooth in Panama's Gatun Formation. Credit: Catalina Pimiento
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- First Radio Tracking of Tropical Orchid Bees
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Helicopter overflight to track bees. Roland Kays - Kays_bees-4[1].jpg
Radio tagged orchid bee. Credit: Roland Kays
- Bee PLOSone
STRI
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- Two New Frog Species Discovered in Panama's Fungal War Zone
Photo- Pristimantis educatoris
Photo: Andrew Crawford - Pristimantis adnus
Photo: Andrew Crawford
- Pristimantis educatoris
- 1200 Howler Monkeys on Panama's Barro Colorado Island
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Baby Howler Monkey with bot fly lesion on neck. - IMG_5450.jpg
Howler monkey eating Astrocaryum fruit. - IMG_1877_2.jpg
Eight University of Panama students participated in a pre-census workshop.
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- New Thick-Shelled Turtle Species Lived with World’s Biggest Snake
- Sand Fly Survey in Panama Reveals Leishmania Strain and Its Potential Control
- Eating Like a Bird Helps Forests Grow
- Social Bees Have Bigger Brain Area for Learning, Memory: Smithsonian Reports
Photo - Females Shut Down Male-Male Sperm Competition in Leafcutter Ants
Photo - HSBC Climate Partnership yields initial research findings
Photo - Smithsonian Hosts 2010 International CAM Workshop in Panama
Photo - Chagas Disease Surveillance Focuses on Palms, Undercover Bugs
Photo- Sticky trap with Rhodnius spp
Photo: Abad Franch - Attalea butyracea 2
Photo: STRI archives - Attalea butyracea
Photo: Abad Franch
- Sticky trap with Rhodnius spp
- Live Webcast: HSBC Climate Partnership Research
Today, Monday, March 1, 2010
Starting at 9AM US EST - New Species Reports for Panama in Smithsonian Online Marine Plant Guide
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Photographer: Barrett L. Brooks - Plocamium_violaceum_68881-scan.jpg
Photographer: Dianne Littler - Dictyota_humifusa_66115-situ.jpg
Photographer: Dianne Littler
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- Stress and Trade-offs Explain Life’s Diversity: New Smithsonian Model
Photo - Smithsonian Institution, Arizona State University announce education and research partnership in the fields of ecosystem services, sustainability, biofuels and cybertaxonomy.
- Climate Change Implicated in Fast Tree Growth
Forest Monitoring Study Reveals Effects of Climate Change - Punishment Important in Plant-Pollinator Relationship
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Charlotte Jander places bags over fig fruits to control pollination. Credit: Marcos Guerra
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- Amphibian Rescue Expedition Discovers Chytrid Fungus on Rescued Frogs in Panama
- Catching a Killer One Spore at a Time
Photos- Swabbing Litoria wilcoxii
Save The Frogs! - Learning to detect chytridiomycosis
Marcos Guerra, STRI
- Swabbing Litoria wilcoxii
- The First Neotropical Rainforest Was Home of the Titanoboa
Photos- Cerrejon 2007-030
STRI - Cover Figure PNAS_11
STRI
- MOV01145
STRI
- Cerrejon 2007-030
- 2009 Legacy Awards Recognize Panamanian Achievement at the Smithsonian Institution
- “Panamanian Passages” Exhibit Showcases Panama’s History
- Killer Bees May Increase Food Supplies for Native Bees
Photo - China's New Climate Center Welcomes Citizen Scientists
Photo - Panama Butterfly Migrations Linked to El Niño, Climate Change
Photo- Picture 1252334311
STRI
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- Eminent Ecologist Award Presented to Stephen P. Hubbell
- Sex in the Caribbean: Environmental Change Drives Evolutionary Change--Eventually
Photo - “Panama at the Smithsonian” Program Series Highlights Relationship
between the Smithsonian and the Republic of Panama - Putting Smithsonian Science to Work:
A New Plan for Panama's Coiba National Park and World Heritage Site
Photos - New Guide to Tropical Seedlings: Essential to Climate Change Research
Photos- Robin Foster BCI.jpg
Credit: Marcos Guerra, STRI - Mosannona garwoodii.jpg
Credit: Rolando Perez, STRI
- Robin Foster BCI.jpg
- Andes Mountains Are Older Than Previously Believed
Photos - Fossil Teeth of Browsing Horse Found in Panama Canal Earthworks
Photos- Aldo Rincon
STRI - Anchitherium clarencei
Credit: courtesy, Aldo Rincon
- Aldo Rincon
- First Jaguar Photo Taken at Smithsonian Research Station in Panama
Photos- Jaguar
Credit: Jackie Willis
- Jaguar
- Temporary Infidelity may contribute to the Stability of Ancient Relationships
Photos- Ant queen tending fungus garden
Credit: Sophie A.O. Armitage - Michael Poulsen inspecting ant nest, Gamboa, Panama
Credit: David R. Nash
- Ant queen tending fungus garden
- Smithsonian Scientists Receive Coveted BBVA Ecology and Conservation Award
Photos - Genital Stimulation Opens Door for Cryptic Female Choice in Tsetse Flies
Photos - Live-in Domestics: Mites as Maids in Tropical Rainforest Sweat Bee Nests
- Descoberta em uma floresta fossilizada a maior serpente do mundo
- World’s Largest Snake Discovered in Fossilized Rainforest
Photos - Extinction Most Likely for Rare Trees in the Amazon Rainforest
Photos - A Recipe for Saving the World’s Oceans from an Extinction Crisis
Photos - Smithsonian Works with Embera Community to Offset Carbon Emissions
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Photo by Marcos Guerra, STRI: Bonarge Pacheco, Jeremía Casarí, Eldredge Bermingham
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- The Drivers of Tropical Deforestation Are Changing, Say Scientists
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Forest clearing in the Peruvian Amazon. Credit: Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com - aerial-rainforest-Flight_1022_1519.jpg
Gold mine in the Amazon rainforest. Credit: Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com
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- Eldredge Bermingham Is Named Director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Photo - Insect Warning Colors Aid Cancer and Tropical Disease Drug Discovery
Photo - Smithsonian Coral Biodiversity Survey of Panama’s Pearl Islands
- Smithsonian Inaugurates Landscape Study of Tropical Forest Ecosystem Services
- Smithsonian Scientist Receives 2008 Medal for Excellence in Tropical Botany
- Smithsonian Researchers Show Major Role of Bats in Plant Protection
- Turtle Nesting Threatened by Logging Practices in Gabon, Smithsonian Warns
- Smithsonian Scientists Highlight Environmental Impacts of Biofuels
- First Electrophysical Recording of Sleep in a Wild Animal Reveals Captive Sloths Sleep More
- Smithsonian Launches Bocas del Toro Database for Biodiversity Day
- Smithsonian to Host Pollen Specialists at Annual Meeting in Panama: American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists Sept. 8-12
Photo - Smithsonian Scientists Show Differing Patterns of Rainforest Biodiversity
-Study Has Implications for Species Conservation-
Photo- Large Caterpillar
(Credit: Milan Janda)
A youngster holds a Hercules moth caterpillar-one of 500 species of caterpillars, ambrosia beetles and fruit flies studied by Smithsonian scientists in Papua New Guinea.
- Large Caterpillar
- Internship Program - Alexandra Kniewasser
- Satellite Survey Links Tropical Park Fires with Poverty and Corruption
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(Credit: Christian Ziegler)
- MODIS Firemap.jpg
(Credit: NASA)
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- Smithsonian Scientists Connect Climate Change, Origins of Agriculture in Mexico
Photo- By Piperno, Laguna Tuxpan, Iguala Valley.jpg
(Credit: Ruth Dickau)
- By Piperno, Laguna Tuxpan, Iguala Valley.jpg
- Scientists Discover Five New Species of Sea Slugs from the Tropical Eastern Pacific
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Credit: Alicia Hermosillo - Cuthona behrensi.jpg
Credit: Alicia Hermosillo
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- Eldredge Bermingham is Named Acting Director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
- Sea Snails break the Law. Scientists at the Smithsonian discover the re- evolution of a useful skill
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(Crepipatella dilatata, by: Rachel Collin)
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- Drought Limits Tropical Plant Distributions, Scientists at the Smithsonian Report
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(Severely wilted tropical tree seedling, by: Bettina Engelbrecht)
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- Scientists Report New Take on Sexual Signaling
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(Male Fiddler Crab, by: John Christy) - Rodman1.jpg
(Tae Won Kim photo)
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- Smithsonian Study Concludes Caribbean Extinctions Occurred 2 Million Years After Apparent Cause Photo
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(by: Aaron ODea) - ODea collecting.jpg
(by: Marina Pacheco) - Finger Island.jpg
(by Aaron ODea) - Smithsonian Scientists Discover New Marine Species in Eastern Pacific Photo
- Tylodina fungina
(by: Antonio Baeza) - R/V Urraca
(by: Marcos Guerra) - Smithsonian Receives $8 million HSBC Grant; Funding Will Expand Climate Change Research on Forests Photo
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(by: Christian Ziegler) - Smithsonian Scientists Report Ancient Chili Pepper History; Americans Cultivated and Traded Chili Peppers 6,000 Years Ago Photo
- The Panama Canal and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Photo
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(by: Christian Ziegler) - The Party Doesn't Start Until the Hosts Arrive: Parasite Invasions Depend on Host Invasions
Photos- Miura at elkhorn.jpg
- Batillaria at elkhorn.jpg
(by: Mark E. Torchin) - Batillarina and trematode.jpg
(by: Mark E. Torchin)
- Kunming Declaration (21 July, 2006) - The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation calls for conservation, research in tropical Asia
- Direct link established between tropical tree - and insect diversity Photo
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(by Marcos Guerra) - The Occult Life of Things Photo
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(by Marcos Guerra) - Smithsonian Coordinates Management Planning for Panama's Coiba National Park and World Heritage
Site Developing new models for scientifically-informed conservation of tropical forest and coral reef habitats - Better models of tropical forest dynamics are urgently needed to improve global change predictions.
In hopes of modeling growth, mortality and size distributions of tropical trees, Helene Muller-Landau, University of Minnesota and colleagues from the Smithsonian's Center for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS) tested predictions based on the theory of metabolic ecology with data collected from tropical forests worldwide. The results- no good fit and improved alternative models-- are published in two articles in Blackwell's Ecology Letters.
Photos
- Ziegler1317
(by Christian Ziegler) - Ziegler1469
(by Christian Ziegler) - Salomon Aguilar
(by Christian Ziegler) - CTFSplot
- A new Smithsonian guide to the highly biodiverse marine environment of Panama's Bocas del Toro Province
- Tropical pollen biodiversity tracks global warming over millions of years
- Butterfly speciation event
Photos- Heurippa
(by Christian Salcedo) - Heurippa Live Salcedo
(by Christian Salcedo) - Jesus Mavarez
(by Marcos Guerra)
- Heurippa
- Chimps, gorillas and humans harvest honey- and stingless bee nests in Ugandan reserve
- First Amazon-Andean crop plant transfer and corn processing in Peru 3600-4000 years ago
- Liquid Jungle Lab environs--home to five new species First floral and faunal inventory of Panama’s Bahia Honda region
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Photos- Bahia Honda, Panama
(by Niko Lopez) - Actinopus
(by Diomedes Quintero)
- Bahia Honda, Panama
- A new Smithsonian guide to the highly biodiverse marine environment of Panama's Bocas del Toro Province - 12/26/2005
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Photos- Sponge samples
(by Leslie Harris) - Cris
(by Leslie Harris) - Skittles
(by John Norenburg) - Reef
(by Rosana Arrocha)
- Sponge samples
- An (Ecological) Origin of Species for Tropical Reef Fish - 4/6/2005
Adobe Acrobat file - 20Kb - Oldest evidence for processing of wild cereals: starch grains from barley, wheat, on Paleolithic grinding stone. - 8/20/2004
Adobe Acrobat file - 14Kb - The Panama Canal as a natural biological invasion experiment. - 8/19/2004
Adobe Acrobat file - 20Kb - New highways drive accelerating deforestation in Amazonia - 5/21/2004
Adobe Acrobat file - 18Kb - Undisturbed Amazonian forests are changing, say scientists - 3/10/2004
Adobe Acrobat file - 20Kb - Researchers discover new family of Atlantic corals in groundbreaking study - 2/25/2004
Adobe Acrobat file - 21Kb - New, non-radioactive screen for antimalarial compounds - 2/16/2004
Adobe Acrobat file - 25Kb - The scoop on poop: Insect feces, dead leaves may provide clues to health of world - 2/5/2004
Adobe Acrobat file - 23Kb - Armies of fighting fungi protect chocolate trees - 12/23/2003
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