Smart News Science

Budgie love triangles are more complex than you might think

When Choosing a Mate, These Female Birds Prefer Brains Over Beauty or Brawn

After observing initially scorned male budgies performing complex cognitive tasks, females shifted mating preferences

Romaine lettuce was recently affected by an E. coli outbreak

The Government Shutdown Is Affecting FDA Food Inspections—but Don’t Panic

FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb says the agency will resume scheduling inspections of ‘high risk’ foods next week

Shucked oyster shells lay beneath the moonlight at Fanny Bay Oyster Company on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

New Research

Oysters Open and Close Their Shells as the Moon Wanes and Waxes

A new study suggests the mollusks may widen and narrow their shells depending on movement of plankton, which shifts with the lunar cycle

In trials, the app correctly identified breathing patterns indicative of impending overdose 90 percent of the time

This App Tracks Breathing to Identify Opioid Overdoses Before They Turn Deadly

Second Chance transforms smartphones into sonar systems, tracking users’ breathing and sending for help if a potential overdose is detected

Cool Finds

Planet Hunter TESS Is Already Spotting Hundreds of Crazy New Worlds

The first data from the space telescope's mission tallies more than 200 potential planets, including some just 50 light-years away

An Iguana Species Last Documented by Charles Darwin Has Been Reintroduced to a Galápagos Island

The Galápagos land iguana on Santiago Island was decimated by invasive animals like cats, dogs and pigs

What Llama-Poop-Eating Mites Tell Us About the Rise and Fall of the Inca Empire

Lake-dwelling mite populations boomed at the height of the Andean civilization but dropped following the arrival of Spanish conquistadors

Why Scientists Want to Engineer Spicy Tomatoes

With genetic tinkering, the fruits may offer an easy source of capsaicin, the beneficial compound that gives peppers their heat

New Research

Dragonflies Embark on an Epic, Multi-Generational Migration Each Year

Monarch butterflies aren't the only migratory marathoners in North America

The poison mimic frog, or Ranitomeya imitator, is one of the world's only known genetically monogamous frogs.

Scientists Identify Gene Pattern That Makes Some Animals Monogamous

A new study has found that 24 genes show similar activity in the brain tissue of five species that stick with one mate at a time

The most common allergy for adults is shellfish.

A Lot of American Adults Have Food Allergies—and a Lot Mistakenly Think They Do

A new study found that 19 percent of adults believe they had a food allergy, but only 10 percent have symptoms consistent with the condition

The researchers posit that Darwin contracted Lyme disease while exploring the expanses of Great Britain

Did Charles Darwin Have Lyme Disease?

New study attributes British naturalist's persistent poor health to tick-borne disease

Trending Today

Loss-of-Confidence Project Aims to Foster Culture of Self-Correction in the Scientific Record

Psychologists can submit a statement on how they lost confidence in one of their own findings to help end the stigma around admitting errors

Yutu-2 sets off on its inaugural journey.

Best Photos From China's Far Side Moon Landing

The Chang'e-4 probe and its rover, Yutu-2, are the first spacecraft to land on the little-explored lunar region

Trending Today

Threatened Bluefin Tuna Sells for Record $3 Million in New Year's Sale

The 612-pound fish will go to a sushi restaurant, but without intervention the prized species will not be on the plate for much longer

When TrailGuard spots unknown persons or vehicles entering a nature reserve, it immediately alerts nearby rangers

New AI Camera Helps Conservationists Spot Elephant Poachers

TrailGuard AI uses machine learning to sort through images in real-time and identify relevant threats

A sparkling violetear (Colibri coruscans) and a brown violetear (Colibri delphinae) display their neck side-feathers to dissuade each other from using their weaponized bills, which have strongly serrated edges and dagger-like tips.

Some Hummingbirds Evolved Bills That Make Them Better at Fighting—but Worse at Feeding

A new study adds complexity to the notion that hummingbirds are ‘all about drinking efficiently from flowers,’ as one researcher puts it

It took six days for the scientists to complete the game. Eventually, X emerged victorious

World’s Tiniest Tic-Tac-Toe Game Is Made of DNA Tiles

Brought to you by the creators of the mini 'Mona Lisa', the game offers a dynamic, rather than static, way to manipulate microscopic structures

The shell mound erected above the woman's grave prevented acidic soil from destroying her remains

Archaeologists Identify Oldest Known Human Burial in Lower Central America

The unusually muscular young woman was buried in what is now Nicaragua nearly 6,000 years ago

New York City Has Banned Plastic Foam Containers

Single-use foam products 'cannot be recycled in a manner that is economically feasible, environmentally effective, and safe for employees,' the city said

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