Articles

Cool Finds

Ultramarathoners Get Better With Age

Unlike sprinters or gymnasts, ultramarathoners are like a fine wine, getting better—or at least more durable—with age

January 10, 2014

New Research

These Slave-Making Ants Use Stealth, Not Force, to Take Prisoners

Chemical camouflage allow these tiny ants to sneak past enemies’ defenses and steal their babies

January 10, 2014

New Research

Washing Old Money Could Save Billions of Dollars

A simple carbon dioxide wash could clean human “sebum” off old money, making those bills good as new

January 10, 2014

New Research

The More Fires Firefighters Are Exposed to, the More Heat Resistant They Become

As firefighters are exposed to more and more fires, their bodies evolve a tolerance for those inhospitable environments

January 10, 2014

Top Carnivores Help Shape Nearly Every Aspect of Their Environment

From controlling other animals’ numbers to affecting carbon storage, the predators’ vital roles in ecosystems justify their conservation, scientists say

January 10, 2014

Trending Today

International Space Station to Get a Four Year Life Extension

Then, in 2024, it has to crash into the ocean

January 10, 2014

New Research

Emperor Penguins Have Some Tricks to Help Cope with Climate Change

Some penguin colonies live off the ice

January 10, 2014

New Research

This Drug Turns Back Time in Your Brain, Until, Like a Kid, You Can Learn New Skills

By increasing neural plasticity, this drug could open your mind to new abilities

January 10, 2014

Cool Finds

Astronomers Find What May Be a Star Within a Star

The best candidate yet for an elusive Thorne-Żytkow Object

January 10, 2014

Cool Finds

Just in Time for His Birthday, a Photo Gives a Glimpse, Possibly, of Elvis’s Teen Years

Elvis has been gone for nearly 40 years, but a newly published photo shows the King at age 13

January 10, 2014

Cool Finds

Iceland Is Making Beer Out of Dead Whales

Unsurprisingly, whale lovers do not love this idea

January 10, 2014

New Research

Readability Scores on Kids’ Books Are Bogus

Most books come with an indication of how hard they are, and those estimates are mostly wrong

January 10, 2014

New Research

The Dutch Nearly Beat James Cook to New Zealand

A shipwreck discovered off New Zealand dates to a time before Cook’s arrival

January 9, 2014

A Book’s Vocabulary Is Different If It Was Written During Hard Economic Times

Books published just after recessions have higher levels of literary misery, a new study finds

January 9, 2014

We Have A New Look

The new site design has lots of new features to explore. Tell us what you think!

January 9, 2014

Since the Haitian Earthquake Four Years Ago, Helping Hands Made a World of Difference

The Smithsonian’s Under Secretary for History, Art & Culture reflects on the effort to recover Haiti’s cultural heritage in the aftermath of the 2010 quake

January 8, 2014

Migraine Headaches and the Remarkable Power of Placebos

A new study finds that the placebo effect is just as powerful as a popular pill in treating migraines. How can doctors use that to help us feel better?

January 8, 2014

This Orb-Shaped Solar Power Device Works On The Cloudiest Days

The use of a clear “ball lens” to concentrate light into a beam of energy may improve solar power efficiency by up to 50 percent

January 8, 2014

Forty Years Ago, Women Had a Hard Time Getting Credit Cards

Despite the law, a report from 2012 found that women still pay more for credit cards

January 8, 2014

Being the Victim of Racism Seems to Accelerate Aging

This study brings further evidence to the scientific belief that “social toxins” such as racism have a very real impact on people’s lives and health

January 8, 2014