Acanthamoeba is a protozoan pathogen that causes infections in the eye or brain that can lead to blindness or death. Currently, diagnosis is difficult and treatments are harsh and untargeted. A pair of new studies, part of the MitoCarta Tree of Life consortium, accurately annotates the organism’s genome and identifies mitochondrial proteins that could be targets for safer, more effective treatments.

Researchers used GPS data from 172 jaguars to identify priority habitats and potential movement corridors across the species' range, revealing a vast connected South American stronghold but also substantial connectivity gaps in several regions outside the Amazon.

National happiness is influenced by complex relationships beyond basic economic factors, according to a study published September 30, 2026 in the open access journal PLOS One by Javier I. Borráz-León of the Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation, Mexico City and colleagues, which finds that cats and their parasites are strongly correlated with both positive and negative happiness scores worldwide.

For nearly 30 years, a small fossil from Scotland has been celebrated as one of the earliest known reptiles. A new study is rewriting that story.

A bird attacking a butterfly will often find its beak snapping at thin air. According to new research, that split-second miss isn't just bad luck. It's caused by a visual illusion from the butterfly's wings.

As a deadly fungal disease ravages wild frog populations around the globe, scientists have identified potential locations in Panama where amphibians might persist despite the presence of disease, according to new research from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) published today in the Journal for Nature Conservation.