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A little Shamu with your beer?

Cool Finds

Iceland Is Making Beer Out of Dead Whales

Unsurprisingly, whale lovers do not love this idea

Image: Denise Krebs

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

A statue of Captain James Cook.

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

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

We Have A New Look

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

Paper conservator Bernard Colla treats a gouache from the Centre d‘Art collection.

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

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?

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

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

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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

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

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

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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

A mall in Dalian, China. Photo:

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”

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Photo Contest Prize Details

Grand prize and category winners

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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”

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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

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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

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

The immense emptiness of Mars' Meridiani Plains, taken by the Opportunity Rover during the month it was stuck in a sand rippled dubbed Purgatory. Full size version.

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

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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

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