Smithsonian Magazine on MSN

Jupiter’s Moon Europa Is a Top Candidate for Hosting Alien Life. But It May Lack the Geologic Activity Needed to Birth Microbes

On Earth, deep-sea vents may have given rise to the planet’s first life. But nothing of the sort seems to be happening at the ...
Discover Wildlife

“Imagine committing fratricide before you can walk.” This parasitic birds lays its eggs in the nests of other species

Does a cuckoo know it's a cuckoo? The answer is more difficult than you might think, explains Richard Pallardy ...