Smart News Science

An interpretation of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

As Global Food Prices Climb, So Does the Probability of Riots

Rising food prices set the stage for riots and instability

Dirty Curiosity Rover Could Seed Mars With Earthly Bacteria

Curiosity is loaded with bacteria, and it could contaminate Mars

In 2009, Getting a Seasonal Flu Shot Put You At Risk for That Year’s Pandemic Swine Flu

People who got the seasonal flu shot were more affected by the pandemic H1N1

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For Athletes, Time Really Does Slow Down

Neuroscientists now think that the perception of time might really slow down for athletes before the big moment

Nature’s Sunscreen: A Big Bushy Beard

Beards block sunlight and could help prevent sunburns, but there may be side effects

Oil hangs in the water following the blow-out of the Macondo well, June 19, 2010.

How Scientists Know the Tar Balls Hurricane Isaac Dredged Up Came From the BP Oil Spill

Scientists confirm that oil strewn by hurricane Isaac derived from BP's blown-out Macondo well

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Admitting That Big Ugly Spider Is Terrifying Will Make It Less Frightening

Talk about your fear while you do the thing you fear most, and you might have better luck overcoming your phobia

Even More Evidence That Football Causes Brain Injury

A new study found football players were nearly four times more likely to have died from Alzheimer's disease or Lou Gehrig's disease

Junk DNA Isn’t Junk, and That Isn’t Really News

News that about 80 percent of our DNA is functional might surprise some, but won't surprise geneticists

10,000 Yosemite Visitors May Have Been Exposed to Deadly Hantavirus

Up to 10,000 people who stayed in Yosemite National Park between June and August may have been exposed to a deadly, mouse-borne hantavirus

Cold War–Era Science Shows Beer Will Survive a Nuclear Apocalypse

In 1955, scientists dropped nukes on beer and soda to see how they held up

An octopus in the eastern Pacific

Global Warming Could Increase Biodiversity

Gentle global warming could be a boon for marine biodiversity

Birds Hold Funerals For Fallen Comrades

Researchers observed that western scrub jays hold funeral reveries for fallen comrades

Today, passenger pigeons’ habitat consists of a few museum display cases around the U.S.

Extinction Rates Are Biased And Much Worse Than You Thought

The IUCN's Red List of endangered species looks bad, but the reality is probably much, much worse

A 2002 wildfire in Colorado

Fires Are Escaping Our Ability to Predict Their Behavior

Today's fires are bigger, weirder, and way harder to model

An artist’s conception of a feeding black hole, or quasar.

Astronomers Find More Than 1,500,000 New Black Holes

Recent findings triple the number of known black holes in the universe

The X-ray on the left shows one of the girls’ hands at 2-and-a-half-years old. On the right, her same hand is shown at 12-years old.

50-Year Mystery Surrounding Death of Two Sisters Solved

Doctors discover the genetic cause of an extremely rare, almost always fatal condition called Winchester syndrome

Here’s How Hurricane Naming Works

Who gets to chose hurricane names, and how do they do it?

New Maps Will Keep Ecotourists From Ruining Dolphins’ All-Important Naps

Ecotourists in Hawaii might be inadvertently harming the very dolphin species they hope to interact with by interrupting essential daytime naps

Whodunnit?

It Wasn’t Me – Could Identical Twins Get Away With Murder?

Identical twins can actually get away with crimes by blaming one another

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