Sara Hashemi

6 days ago | smithsonianmag.com | Sara Hashemi

The annual spectacle, which is happening now, will last until around April 25—but the best viewing will fall between the 21 and 22 The annual Lyrid meteor shower will soon peak, lighting up the night sky with dazzling shooting stars. Lyrid meteors began appearing this week, and the shower will last until around April 25—but the best time to view it will be from the night of April 21 into the early hours of April 22.

1 week ago | smithsonianmag.com | Sara Hashemi

The James Webb Space Telescope spotted possible signatures for life in an exoplanet’s atmosphere. Still, researchers caution it’s far too early to call the findings definitive Scientists have detected what they say is the “strongest evidence yet” for the existence of extraterrestrial life, found on a giant planet 124 light-years away. The James Webb Space Telescope spotted possible chemical signatures that, on Earth, are only produced by life, such as algae.

1 week ago | smithsonianmag.com | Sara Hashemi

Footage from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park shows the large mammals huddling together around the herd’s calves When a 5.2 magnitude earthquake shook their enclosure on Monday, a group of African elephants at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park instinctively sprang into action to protect each other. The moment was caught on the camera as the quake rocked Southern California, offering a rare glimpse at how elephants react to danger.

1 week ago | smithsonianmag.com | Sara Hashemi

Chinese researchers analyzed the first-ever soil samples returned from the far side of the moon, but further samples will be needed to verify their findings Soil samples from the far side of the moon suggest the little-known, distant face of our natural satellite is much drier than the side that faces Earth, according to a new analysis.

1 week ago | smithsonianmag.com | Sara Hashemi

Atlantic salmon exposed to a common anti-anxiety drug migrate faster, according to new research. That’s not necessarily a good thing Humans take a lot of medication, and small doses of those drugs—including antibiotics, antidepressants, birth control and more—find their way in the environment through wastewater, even after it’s treated. Nearly have been detected in waterways all over the world, even in Antarctica. Now, a new study sheds light on how these drugs affect wildlife behavior.