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Science

According to a new study, beautiful people are indeed happier but not always for the same reasons.

Ask Smithsonian 2017

How Much is Being Attractive Worth?

For men and women, looking good can mean extra cash in your bank account

Michelangelo's Expulsion from Paradise.

How Does the Brain Process Art?

New imaging techniques are mapping the locations of our aesthetic response

After Ebola is confirmed, doctors and scientists converge within days.

The Hunt for Ebola

A CDC team races to Uganda just days after an outbreak of the killer virus to try to pinpoint exactly how it is transmitted to humans

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Rare and Intimate Photos of a Gorilla Family in the Wild

Two photographers ventured deep into the forests of central Africa to capture touching photos of a 33-year-old wild silverback and his clan

When completed in late 2013, the $2.2 billion Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System will power 140,000 California homes.

Take a Look at the World’s Largest Solar Thermal Farm

When completed in 2013, this series of 170,000 mirrors will power 140,000 California homes

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What Scared Dinosaurs? The Terror Croc

Deinosuchus, an enormous alliagtoroid, undoubtedly gave dinosaurs much to fear

Black-headed Spider Monkey (Ateles fusciceps)

Alan Dudley’s Wondrous Array of Animal Skulls

A new book delivers fascinating photographs of over 300 skulls from the British taxidermist’s personal collection—the largest in the world

An artist’s reconstruction of Purgatorius, a probable primate ancestor.

Five Early Primates You Should Know

Scientists have identified dozens of early primates, based on teeth, but still have a hard time assessing how these mammals relate to modern primates

Eating a fatty sandwich for breakfast could impact your cardiovascular health by the afternoon.

Even in Healthy Adults, High-Fat Fast Foods Affect Arteries Almost Immediately

In a new study, people who ate a pair of fatty sausage and egg sandwiches for breakfast showed reduced blood vessel health by the afternoon

Fossil teeth, found by Ferdinand Hayden in Montana, which Joseph Leidy attributed to the dinosaur “Trachodon.”

Finding Hayden’s Dinosaurs

Thanks to some historical detectivework, a pair of researchers has relocated one of the earliest recognized dinosaur sites in the American west

Models indicate that climate change will cause more frequent hurricanes, but the overall trend can’t be linked with a particular event, such as Hurricane Sandy (above, on October 29).

Can We Link Hurricane Sandy to Climate Change?

Models indicate that climate change will cause more frequent and intense hurricanes, but the overall trend can’t be linked with any particular storm

A mount of Cetiosaurus at the New Walk Museum in Leicester. While the neck of this sauropod is almost completely known, no skull has ever been described.

C is for Cetiosaurus

Sauropods are iconic dinosaurs, but the first of their kind ever found was initially thought to be a huge crocodile

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Nikon Announces the Winners of its “Small World” Competition

See a selection of beautiful images captured by scientists gazing through light microscopes

Defying its reputation as aloof, this tortoiseshell cat was labelled “the friendliest cat we met”

Judging a Cat (Wrongly) by the Color of its Coat

Black cats aren’t evil, and torties aren’t always aloof. But people often think coat color and behavior are linked

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Why Are Humans Primates?

People may seem very different from lemurs, monkeys and apes, but all primates share a few key physical and behavioral characteristics

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Tracking the Twists and Turns of Hurricanes

Incredibly powerful supercomputers and a willingness to acknowledge that they’re not perfect has made weather scientists become much more effective in forecasting hurricanes.

According to author Kevin Dutton, psychopaths have a distinct set of personality characteristics. Pictured is Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates in Psycho.

The Pros to Being a Psychopath

In a new book, Oxford research psychologist Kevin Dutton argues that psychopaths are poised to perform well under pressure

Part of a multi-step sequence by which Tyrannosaurus could have beheaded Triceratops, based on research by Fowler et al.

Did Tyrannosaurus Ever Battle Triceratops?

We love to imagine Tyrannosaurus fighting Triceratops to the death, but did such battles ever happen?

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Turning Your Hand Into a Remote Control

A Microsoft prototype called Digits could put the power to control everything from TV screens to smart phones in a device you wear on your wrist

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Scientific Illustrations: Your Go-To Guides for Halloween Costumes

The details are what separate a good outfit from an amazing one. The images in the Biodiversity Heritage Library can help you make the leap

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