Smart News Science

The football field-length International Space Station photographed by Expedition 56 crew members on Oct. 4, 2018.

NASA Plans to Crash the International Space Station Into the Ocean in 2031

The ISS will join other decommissioned spacecraft on the seafloor at Point Nemo, the farthest point from land in the Pacific

Tc’ih-Léh-Dûñ is a 523-acre property donated to the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council.

More Than 500 Acres of Redwood Forest Returned to Indigenous Tribes

The land is home to 200 acres of old-growth trees and federally threatened animals such as the northern spotted owl and the marbled murrelet

The celestial bodies are known as NGC 7764A and reside in the Phoenix constellation 425 million light-years away from Earth.

Hubble Space Telescope Snaps Stunning Photo of a Faraway Galactic Trio

Some of the galaxies in the image resemble Star Trek’s Starship Enterprise

Scientists used satellites to get a birds-eye view of the jaw-dropping bolts.

Intense Lightning 'Megaflashes' Stretched Almost 500 Miles Across Three U.S. States

The bolts, which occurred in 2020, broke records for distance and duration

More than a third of Americans cook with gas stoves, which can emit formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and nitric oxides.

Gas Stoves Are Worse for Climate and Health Than Previously Thought

A new study is heating up the debate over gas-powered stovetops

Warmer winters and shrinking snow depths have made it easier for white-tailed deer to migrate further north.

Wolves Keep Brain Worm–Spreading Deer Away From Moose Populations in Minnesota

Wildlife managers now face the challenge of creating conservation plans for all three species while maintaining balance between predator and prey animals

This is the first chick fostered by same-sex penguin parents at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, New York.

Meet Elmer and Lima, a Same-Sex Penguin Couple Fostering a Chick at a Syracuse Zoo

The two male birds are 'exemplary' parents, says the zoo’s director

Fisheries biologists caught invasive armored catfish in Houston bayous in 2017. 

More Than 400 Invasive Fish Dumped From Aquariums Found in Texas River

Plecos, or suckermouth armored catfish, are efficient, algae-eating tank cleaners, but they are native to South America with few natural predators

African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) were able to regrow a functional limb within 18 months of the novel treatment.

Frogs Can Regrow Lost Legs in the Lab. Now, Researchers Say Human Limb Regeneration Could Happen 'in Our Lifetime'

A 24-hour treatment using a five-drug cocktail kickstarted a yearlong regrowth process in the amphibians

Big brown bats Eptesicus fuscus (pictured) are a Yangochiroptera species that uses complex sounds to echolocate. 

A Tiny, Partially Missing Bone Structure in Bat Ears May Have Cleared the Way for Echolocation to Evolve

Nearly 90 percent of the nighttime hunters use sound to find prey

Monarch butterflies cluster together to stay warm.

Monarch Butterfly Numbers Soar in California After Dramatic Losses

The orange-winged insect's population increased from 2,000 in 2020 to nearly 250,000 in 2021

Hippos may appear inactive, but a recent study shows that they’re listening closely to their surroundings.

A Hippo's Response to an Unknown Caller? A Blast of Poop and a Rowdy Holler

The lumbering animals respond calmly to their grunting and groaning friends, but a stranger's voice often prompted a loud, filthy territorial response

Last November, a team of scientists and photographers spent 200 hours studying the vast reef during a dive expedition supported by UNESCO.

Good News

Researchers Find a Pristine Coral Reef Off the Coast of Tahiti

With rose-shaped corals as far as the eye can see, it is one of the largest healthy reefs on record

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida in 2015

A Chunk of a SpaceX Rocket Is Going to Slam Into the Moon

After a chaotic orbit of 7 years, the Falcon 9 booster is predicted to crash into the lunar surface this March

An adult chimera crab was about the size of a quarter with big eyes that took up about 16 percent of its size. Pictured: An artist's rendition of what the crab may have looked like.

This Tiny, Googly-Eyed Prehistoric Crab Was a Fast-Swimming Predator With Sharp Vision

The 95-million-year-old crab had crystal clear eyesight and oar-like legs that helped it snatch up prey

Seventy percent of all crop species depend on insects for pollination, but a new study shows a decrease in pollinators in areas exposed to air pollution.   

Air Pollution Makes It Harder for Insect Pollinators to Find Flowers

Some bug populations were reduced up to 70 percent in areas exposed to diesel exhaust and ozone contamination

The monkeys escaped into a wooded area where state troopers and state wildlife officials launched a search effort that included the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Pennsylvania Department of Health officials.

All Animals Are Accounted for After Truck Carrying 100 Lab Monkeys Crashed in Pennsylvania

Only three monkeys escaped during the accident, all of which were successfully recaptured

Despite the species’ name, European green crabs’ color varies widely from dark brown to dark green with patches of yellow or orange.

Nearly 70,000 Invasive Green Crabs Were Captured in Washington State Last Fall

State government officials took emergency actions this month to eradicate the non-native species

The oil slick in the ocean extended an area of over 320 football fields and has dirtied waters and beaches, resulting in many dead birds and seals washing up onshore.  

Tsunami-Triggered Oil Spill Devastates Marine Wildlife on Peru's Coast After Volcanic Eruption in Tonga

The country declared a 90-day environmental emergency after 264,000 gallons of crude oil contaminated a biodiverse swath of its coastal ecosystems

The recent explosion was so powerful that it obliterated parts of the volcanic island of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, splitting it in two.

NASA Says Tonga Eruption Was More Powerful Than an Atomic Bomb

The recent blast was the equivalent of 4 to 18 megatons of TNT, according to scientists

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