Dr. Pierre Comizzoli is a reproductive cryobiologist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
Center for Conservation Genomics scientists sequence genomes and transcriptomes in large part to develop markers for detailed population studies, and to assess responses to stressors such as pathogens and climate change.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
The panda house is closed to the public beginning today, Sept. 1 to provide quiet for Mei Xiang as she enters the final stages of a pregnancy or pseudopregnancy.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
An elegant, graceful antelope (which may be behind the legend of the unicorn), the scimitar-horned oryx is supremely adapted to desert life. Currently extinct in the wild, conservation scientists are working on reintroduction programs in Tunisia, Chad and Niger.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
Rob Fleischer is research associate and former head of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Center for Conservation Genomics. His primary fields of interest are evolutionary and conservation biology. He conducts individual and collaborative research in population and evolutionary genetics, systematics, and molecular and behavioral ecology, mostly on free-ranging bird and mammal species, and their pathogens. Many of his recent projects use genomic, transcriptomic and microbiome methods. Fleischer has particular interest in:
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
As rapid economic expansion continues to shape the Asian landscape on which many species depend, time is running out for conservationists aiming to save wildlife such as tigers and leopards.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
When Echo’s five cubs were born last fall, their exact parentage was a mystery. A genetic analysis conducted by Smithsonian scientists revealed the truth.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
Next week, 4-year-old male Andean bear Quito will make his debut at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo! Get the scoop on the new guy in town from animal keeper Sara Colandrea and assistant curator Leigh Pitsko.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
Frogs, toads, salamanders and newts are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. Smithsonian scientists are working to save amphibians through projects focused in Panama and Appalachia.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
Smithsonian scientists were the first to successfully use in vitro fertilization in domestic dogs and hope to apply these techniques to save vulnerable species, such as the maned wolf.
Today’s hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry 5 p.m.)
