Smart News Science

The night sky from the Upper West Side of Manhattan glows blue after mishap at Queens facility run by Con Edison.

Electric Arc Caused New York Skyline to Glow Blue

No, it wasn’t an alien invasion

Trending Today

A German Grocery Chain Is Selling First-Of-Its-Kind "No-Kill" Eggs

Every year, billions of male chicks are euthanized by the egg and poultry industry, but new tech could end the chick culling

Harpoon aboard a Japanese whaling ship

Japan to Launch Commercial Whaling Operations This Summer

The country has announced that it is leaving the International Whaling Commission

In 2017, researchers recorded a 10-point percentage difference between African-American and Caucasian respondents who slept less than six hours per night

Nearly One-Third of Americans Sleep Fewer Than Six Hours Per Night

The survey reflects a worrying trend of national sleep deprivation, specifically among African-American and Hispanic respondents

The 1999 discovery of the Nebra Sky Disc, a 3,600-year-old bronze object adorned with gold renderings of celestial bodies, sparked resurgence of interest in deceased prince, who was buried at same archaeological site

This Bronze Age Regicide May Be World’s Oldest-Known Political Murder

The prince of Helmsdorf’s skeleton revealed three brutal injuries, including one that suggests he knew his killer and attempted to fend off the attack

Cars getting too close to the Fimmvörðuháls volcano in Iceland.

New Research

Tourists Are Getting Too Close to Volcanoes

Visitors to Iceland's volcanoes are ignoring the rules, many to get the perfect selfie

The red arrow points to where the prehistoric shark tooth got lodged in the pterosaur's neck.

What Is a Shark Tooth Doing in the Neck of a Flying Pterosaur?

A new study suggests that the winged reptile fell prey to a hungry predator lurking in the water

This isn't the first time snakes have been found inside of coral snakes' stomachs, but it is the first recorded instance of a new genus being identified from the remnants of a fellow serpent’s last meal.

Cool Finds

A New Snake Species Was Found in Another Snake’s Stomach

The so-called “mysterious dinner snake” represents not only a new species, but an entirely new genus

Prior to the new study, only one ancient individual's DNA had been retrieved: a person of aboriginal descent from the Willandra Lakes region seen here.

DNA Can Help Repatriate the Remains of Aboriginal Australians

A new study was able to match genetic material of ancient remains to the DNA of living Aboriginal communities

New Research

Cardinals in Different Regions Could Actually Be Distinct Species, Their Songs Suggest

Populations of the ubiquitous red bird have different calls and genetics in the American southwest

The "Game of Thrones'" Red Wedding has nothing on naked mole-rats

After a Murderous Rise to the Top, a Naked Mole-Rat Queen Reigns Supreme

Mole-rat monarch asserted dominance by giving birth to three pups on Monday morning—all hail her majesty

Morigenos dolphins.

Cliquey Adriatic Dolphins May Have Strategies for Avoiding Each Other

You can’t swim with us

Pine Island Glacier

New Research

Past Global Flood Shows Antarctica's Ice Is More Fragile Than We Thought

Data indicates the West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapsed after a small rise in temperature, meaning sea level could rise faster than predicted

In Bambi, the titular fawn's mother is shot by unseen antagonist "Man" in a notoriously heart-wrenching scene

Man Convicted of Poaching Ordered to Watch ‘Bambi’ Monthly While in Jail

David Berry Jr. of Missouri was implicated in a multi-year hunting operation that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of deer

The mandibles of the Dracula ant, Mystrium camillae, are the fastest known moving animal appendages, snapping shut at speeds of up to 90 meters per second.

A Dracula Ant's Snapping Jaw Is the Fastest Known Appendage in the Animal Kingdom

A new study found that the ant can snap its mandibles at a speed of up to 200 miles per hour—5,000 times faster than the blink of an eye

An artist's conception of the view from Farout.

Cool Finds

Meet Farout, the Solar System's Most Distant Minor Planet

Observations suggest the object is 300 miles in diameter, pinkish-red and 3.5 times as far away from the sun as Pluto

The collection of prints, including this Iguanodon one, reportedly represents the most diverse, detailed collection of Cretaceous fossils ever discovered in Great Britain

Cool Finds

Trove of Well-Preserved Dinosaur Footprints Unearthed Along Sussex Coast

Researchers discovered more than 85 fossilized footprints left by at least seven prehistoric species

A 2 mg dose of fentanyl (as seen in comparison with U.S. penny) proves lethal for most individuals

Fentanyl Has Outpaced Heroin as Drug Implicated Most Often in Fatal Overdoses

In 2016, more than two-thirds of fentanyl-related deaths involved at least one other drug

From left, small and large carpenter bees (Ceratina and Xylocopa, respectively, visit a wild rose in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Shrinking of Utah National Monument May Threaten Bee Biodiversity

The Grand Staircase-Escalante is home to 660 bee species, 84 of which will live outside of protected land under changes

The reticulated siren.

Cool Finds

Biologists Describe Legendary, Two-Foot-Long Salamander for the First Time

The reticulated siren was known locally as a 'leopard eel' until two researchers tracked it down and revealed its true identity

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