Alexa Robles-Gil

Jan 24, 2025 | science.org | Alexa Robles-Gil

When should a child stop breastfeeding? It was as pressing a question for ancient Romans as it is for parents today, and opinions tended to fall along an urban-rural divide: According to a study of the chemical makeup of ancient teeth published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nexus, people in cities tended to wean their babies earlier than those living in the country, mirroring a modern pattern.

Jan 16, 2025 | smithsonianmag.com | Alexa Robles-Gil |Alexa Robles Gil

At dawn on a day in August, biologist Santiago Monroy and producer José Álvarez traversed through the Colombian forests and moors in search of birds. They carried with them parabolic microphones, recorders, cameras and field gear. They traveled more than 600 miles to gather audio. The journey took them from the Eastern Plains to the Chingaza moor, and finally to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

Dec 6, 2024 | smithsonianmag.com | Alexa Robles-Gil |Alexa Robles Gil

Only about 110 individuals of the species, called ʻalalā, are left in the world, making them the most endangered crows on Earth On the slopes of the Haleakalā volcano in the Kīpahulu Forest Reserve, Hawaiian crows, known as ʻalalā, are flying free. The species has been extinct in the wild since 2002, and past efforts to reintroduce them to their native range were unsuccessful. Now, employing a new strategy, scientists released five crows in November to a new island—Maui.

Dec 5, 2024 | smithsonianmag.com | Alexa Robles-Gil |Alexa Robles Gil

In the southern Gulf of California, a pod of killer whales surfaces in the glassy morning water. It’s hunting time. But for this group of orcas—unlike other orca groups in the Pacific or the Atlantic—it seems no prey is too large. Not even a whale shark, the biggest fish species on Earth. In a new study published in Frontiers in Marine Science on November 28, scientists shared videos and photos showcasing the animals’ behavior.

Dec 3, 2024 | smithsonianmag.com | Alexa Robles-Gil |Alexa Robles Gil

In a new study, scientists examined bromalites, including fossilized feces and vomit, to reveal prehistoric diets and reconstruct the timeline of how dinosaurs established dominion over the world Prehistoric poop is full of secrets. Now, one of those secrets—the key to the rise and dominion of dinosaurs—might have finally been revealed.