Smart News Science

Hopefully the new repellents will smell better too!

The Secret Behind New Insect Repellent's Potent Punch Is Found in Grapefruit

The EPA just approved nootkatone, a chemical found in grapefruit and cedars that kills and repels ticks, mosquitoes and other insects

Physicist Avinash Kumar of Simon Fraser University stands beside the Mpemba effect apparatus.

New Research

The Physics of Why Hot Water Sometimes Freezes Faster Than Cold Water

For decades, physicists have debated whether the phenomenon exists and how to study it

Even with lockdown measures through 2021, the decline in greenhouse gas emissions will only cool the planet 0.018 degrees.

Drop in Emissions During COVID Will Have 'No Effect' on Climate

Heavy investment in renewable energy is mandatory to significantly cool the planet, scientists say

Alvin, a remotely operated submersible, drills for samples of the deep sea floor in 2014.

Deep-Sea Microbes Exert the Least Amount of Energy Possible to Survive

Giving a whole new meaning to doing the “bare minimum”

It's all about identifying cracks—microcracks, in this case—in the armor.

New Research

The Scientific Reason Why Razors Don't Stay Sharp for Long

When soft hair hits the blade’s weak points, it causes the metal to chip apart

An artist's illustration of the Triassic reptile Tanystropheus hydroides hunting with its long neck.

Study Reveals This Mysterious, Super Long-Necked Triassic Reptile Was a Marine Hunter

The creature’s neck was stiff like a giraffe’s and was nearly three times the length of its torso

The pairing of Francisco de Zurbarán’s The Martyrdom of Saint Serapion and Jan Asselijn’s The Threatened Swan in the Rijksmuseum's "Rembrandt and Velazquez" exhibition inspired MosAIc's creators.

Art Meets Science

How an Algorithm Draws Unexpected Connections Between Works of Art

Given a starting image, the artificial intelligence can identify objects that match its colors, textures and themes

They're here until Thursday!

Perseid Meteor Shower Reaches Peak Starting Tonight

The early mornings of August 11, 12 and 13 are the best times to view the annual summer 'shooting star' display

A fox in Germany (not pictured here) spirited away more than 100 shoes.

Sole-Searching, Shoe-Swiping Fox Caught in Germany

The crafty urban dweller built a colorful collection of footwear dominated by Crocs

An illustration of high-altitude "shallow lightning" storms on Jupiter

The Forecast on Jupiter Is Cloudy With a Chance of 'Mushballs'

New research describes the gas giant's wild weather

A 99-million-year-old piece of amber trapped this worker hell ant grasping an ancient relative of modern cockroaches in its unique jaws, which swung upwards unlike all modern ants.

New Research

Amber Fossil Shows 'Hell Ant' Was Unlike Anything Alive Today

The 99-million-year-old ant had scythe-like jaws that swung upward to pin prey against a horn-like head appendage

To understand the ozone's composition, scientists analyzed sunlight that filtered through the Earth's atmosphere and reflected off the moon.

Scientists Use Moon as Mirror in Hunt for Extraterrestrial Life

The Hubble Telescope captured reflections of ultraviolet light to test for ozone layers

Each of the more than 50 animatronic dinosaurs remains fully functional.

These Life-Size, Animatronic Dinosaurs Are Heading to New Homes

Yesterday, an auction house in Canada offloaded more than 50 robotic reptiles in a unique online sale

As natural space is converted to cropland, pastures, cities and suburbia, certain short-lived animals like pigeons and rats, thrive.

In Cities and Farms, Disease-Carrying Animals Thrive

When humans dominate wild land, disease-carrying animals take over and biodiversity suffers

Emperor penguins standing on sea ice at the Brunt ice shelf in Antarctica.

Satellites Spy Poop-Stained Ice, Revealing New Emperor Penguin Colonies

Researchers found eight new colonies, but all were small and located in parts of Antarctica predicted to be ravaged by climate change

Critterpedia allows users to identify Australian spider and snake species with the snap of a photo.

This Australian App Is Like 'Shazam' for Spiders and Snakes

New AI tool will help users identify venomous species

The view from Dome A during daylight hours is shown here. At night, this spot might offer the best stargazing in the world, scientists say.

This Might Be the Best Stargazing Spot on Earth, According to Scientists

A frigid hill near Antarctica’s South Pole has all the qualifications to be a superior telescope site, researchers say

A wild bumble bee seen pollinating a blueberry bush.

New Research

Wild Bees Are Worth $1.5 Billion for Six U.S. Crops

Study also finds that crop yields are often limited by a lack of pollinators

A hypothetical escape route for Regimbartia attenuata

When This Beetle Gets Eaten by a Frog, It Heads for the 'Back Door'

New research details how this Japanese water beetle travels through the bowels of its predator to emerge out the other end, alive and unharmed

Two packages of unidentified seeds that arrived, unsolicited in the mailboxes of Washington State residents. Packaging appeared to indicate that the seeds originated in China.

Americans Plant Mysterious Seeds Despite Government Warnings

The USDA urges people not to plant unsolicited seeds they receive. Evidence suggests the packages are part of a scam designed to boost online sales

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