Articles

Expose Wounds to the Right Kind of Sounds, And They Heal Faster

Treatment with low-intensity ultrasound could help chronic wounds to heal

January 8, 2014

Finally, an Opiate Test That Doesn’t Confuse Poppy Seeds With Heroin

The days of heroin users leaning on bagels as a scapegoat are probably numbered

January 8, 2014

Some Chinese Malls Have “Husband Storage” Facilities for the Shopping-Averse

They offer a range of activities and services to “meet the needs of male customers,” such as smoking, internet, drinking, snacks and “beautiful attendants”

January 8, 2014

Photo Contest Prize Details

Grand prize and category winners

January 8, 2014

Hunter-Gatherers Ruined Their Teeth by Eating Too Many Acorns

Wild nuts such as acorns, pine nuts and pistachios are highly cariogenic, or those “producing and promoting the development of tooth decay”

January 8, 2014

Meet Some of the Lucky(?) People Shortlisted for a One-Way Trip to Mars

Applicants who missed out on this selection round but who are still bent on living out their final days 140 million miles away can reapply in the future

January 8, 2014

People Don’t Make More Friends, They Just Replace Their Old Ones

We each have a limited capacity for maintaining friendships, so to make new friends, we have to let one go

January 7, 2014

You Switch Between Devices 21 Times Every Hour

Right now, you’re probably using your computer and phone, and perhaps a television, an iPad, and if you’re really fancy a smart watch

January 7, 2014

After Ten Years on Mars, Here Are the Most Beautiful Photos Taken by the Rovers

Over the last decade, Spirit and Opportunity captured stunning photos of rocks, dunes and vistas

January 7, 2014

Copyright Law Kept These Famous Works From Entering the Public Domain This Year

Here is a list of books, movies, music & scientific research that would have entered the public domain today had the 1978 copyright law not been passed

January 7, 2014

This Clear, Flexible Electronic Circuit Can Fit on the Surface of a Contact Lens

The technology could someday be used in implantable medical devices or environmental sensors

January 7, 2014

Plutonium From Nuclear Tests Lingers in the Atmosphere

Don’t worry, scientists say that it’s not a threat to human health but instead could be a marker of how air circulates

January 7, 2014

This K’Nex Machine Is 23 Feet Tall And Has Over 100,000 Pieces

Inside, there are two lifts, three motors, eight paths, a 20 foot free-fall and more

January 7, 2014

Ask Smithsonian 2017

What Happens to All the Salt We Dump On the Roads?

In the U.S., road crews scatter about 137 pounds of salt per person annually to melt ice. Where does it go after that?

January 6, 2014

Why Supervolcanic Eruptions Are Even Rarer Than We Thought

Supervolcanoes are not just really, really big volcanoes—they’re fundamentally different things, driven by different forces

January 6, 2014

Is Today Really the Most Depressing Day of the Year?

Blue Monday: scientifically-grounded downer day or invention made up to sell more vacations and protein shakes?

January 6, 2014

From 2004 to 2010, the Number of Injuries From Walking in Telephone Poles Almost Tripled

Stop walking and using your smart phone at the same time.

January 6, 2014

Kids Who’ve Had a Concussion Shouldn’t Do Their Homework, It Makes Recovery Take Longer

People who’ve suffered a concussion should take time off from any taxing mental activity

January 6, 2014

7 Medical Advances to Watch in 2014

These breakthroughs range from making body parts on a 3D printer to getting the body to fight cancer on its own

January 6, 2014

Dinosaur Poop Is Harder to Find Than It Should Be

Why don’t archaeologists find fossilized poop all over the place? In a word: roaches

January 6, 2014