May 20th, 2021, 6:00AM / BY Emily Leclerc
Coral reef health is an important indicator of the ocean’s well-being. Scientists can study corals to learn more about how climate change is affecting the oceans. (Wise Hok Wai Lum, CC-BY-SA-4.0)
Coral reefs house roughly a quarter of all known marine species, making them some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. But as their environments have become less friendly from climate change in recent decades, corals are struggling to stay healthy and support the life that relies on them.
Now, thanks to an emerging technique called environmental DNA (eDNA), researchers at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History can support worldwide efforts to understand how corals and the communities that depend on them are responding to global ocean change. What they find could help scientists understand and anticipate the threats coral reefs face.
May 14th, 2021, 11:00AM / BY Abigail Eisenstadt
Zircons are the oldest minerals in the world and come in colors like the rich blue above. Researchers have now used these gemstones to identify when modern plate tectonics began. (Ken Larsen)
Zircon minerals are the oldest-known Earth material. Some formed even before the planet s crust became the rigid continental plates that move according to modern plate tectonics.
New research on ancient zircons suggests that Earth’s modern plate tectonics likely formed around 3.6 billion years ago. The paper, published in the journal Geochemical Perspective Letters, reveals how one of Earth’s defining geologic features likely formed and set the stage for the emergence of life.
April 30th, 2021, 6:00AM / BY Anna Torres
Filmmaker and Director Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu will talk about the role of storytelling in her film “Kapaemahu” in a panel discussion presented by the Mother Tongue Film Festival on May 14. (Still from “Kapaemahu,” courtesy of Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu)
An evening with Food Journalist Mark Bittman, the Mother Tongue Film Festival and a virtual science café; stream these free programs and more this May through the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
Sixth Annual Mother Tongue Film Festival
Ongoing Filmmaker and Director Christopher Auchter will talk about the role of storytelling in his film “The Mountain of Sgaana” in a panel discussion on May 14. (Still from “The Mountain of Sgaana,” courtesy of Christopher Auchter)