Smart News

Researchers Crack Open the Mysterious Plain of Jars

After 80 years, archeologists get the chance to explore the Laotian plateau dotted with giant stone jars

April 6, 2016

Illustration of the New York slave market.

The New York Slave Revolt of 1712 Was a Bloody Prelude to Decades of Hardship

304 years ago today, a group of black slaves rose up against white colonists in New York

April 6, 2016

Lot 62, Willamette Meteorite Slice: The 15.6 ton Willamette Meteorite is probably the largest meteor ever found the continental United States. Discovered in Oregon in 1902 and exhibited at the 1905 World’s Fair in Portland, it eventually ended up in the American Museum of Natural History in New York. In 1990, Oregon and a coalition of Native Americans sued to get the meteor back. They lost, but the museum agreed to never cut the meteor again, making this 1.15 pound slice incredibly rare

Sneak a Peek at the Multi-Million Dollar Meteorites Soon up for Sale

Christie's is auctioning off dozens of rare and important meteorites, including pieces of the rock that exploded over Russia in 2013

April 6, 2016

Weird Animals

Eco-Celebrity Crane Inspires Wetland Protection in Taiwan

An endangered Siberian crane that has made Taiwan home is inspiring locals to protect the wetlands

April 5, 2016

Researchers once thought these holes were from food prep. They were wrong.

Neolithic People Were Also Strip Miners

Quarries are changing how archaeologists think about the Stone Age

April 5, 2016

Silverside fish are among the species protected by a new West Coast commercial fishing ban on foraging fish.

NOAA Just Moved to Protect Puny Fish

Why a new ban is a big deal for the ocean's tiniest creatures

April 5, 2016

Every single one of the 148 million pixels in this portrait was based on Rembrandt's body of work.

"New" Rembrandt Created, 347 Years After the Dutch Master's Death

The painting was created using data from more than 168,000 fragments of Rembrandt’s work

April 5, 2016

Bullet Helps Revive Lawrence of Arabia's Reputation

A bullet from a Colt pistol found at the site of one of T.E. Lawrence's most famous battles helps verify the authenticity of his stories

April 5, 2016

Horse Poop Helps Unravel the Mystery of Hannibal’s Route Through the Alps

Researchers have found a large deposit of horse manure in the Col de Traversette pass, likely left by the ancient general's army

April 5, 2016

Three Things to Know About Judi Dench's Theater Career

The acclaimed actor's career spans decades

April 5, 2016

Three Surprising Finds from the New Alan Lomax Archive

A new online database shares more than 17,000 recordings from the folk music archivist

April 5, 2016

An Incan mummy found at Mount Llullaillaco, Argentina, in 1999, which was used in the study

What Mummy DNA Reveals About the Spread and Decline of People in the Americas

Researchers have pieced together how humans spread from Alaska to Argentina and the extent of devastation from the introduction of European disease

April 4, 2016

After 36 Years, Archivists Finally Found the Wright Brothers’ Airplane Patent

The missing patent was found safe and sound in a Kansas storage facility

April 4, 2016

I Scream, You Scream: A Vanilla Ice Cream Shortage Is Looming

Just in time for the summer

April 4, 2016

Archaeologists Spy New Viking Settlement From Space

Space archaeologists think they may have found a second Viking colony in the Americas

April 1, 2016

When quinoa prices rise, do quinoa farmers starve?

Don’t Worry: Eating Quinoa Doesn't Hurt Peruvian Farmers

A new study shows that the grain helps rather than hurts

April 1, 2016

It turns out art really does change lives.

Museum Programs Affect Teens for a Lifetime

A first-of-its-kind study shows that the effects of arts programs can last well into adulthood

April 1, 2016

The little brown bat infected with white-nose syndrome found in the state of Washington