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Science

An artist’s reconstruction of Homo antecessor, a hominid species that butchered and ate its own kind. A new study suggests the cannibalism was a form of territorial defense.

Early Cannibalism Tied to Territorial Defense?

Researchers say chimpanzee behavior may help explain why human ancestors ate each other 800,000 years ago

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Spider-Man versus Dinosaur Duel Even Weirder Than it Sounds

Spider-Man once saved his city from a terrible dinosaur, but you’ll never guess what he wanted as a reward

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Collage of Arts and Sciences: Now In Session

Our newest blog explores the fertile ground where art and science meet

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The Mysterious Martharaptor

Utah paleontologists unveil Martharaptor, an enigmatic Cretaceous dinosaur

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Rare People Who Remember Everything

Scientists are taking a closer look at the extremely rare people who remember everything from their pasts. And yes, their brains are different.

Engaging in a firefight, along with other combat stresses, could lead to long-term changes in the connections between the midbrain and prefrontal cortex.

Combat Stress in Afghanistan Could Alter Soldiers’ Long-term Neural Makeup

A new study finds returning combat soldiers perform worse on an attention-draining task and experience long-term changes to their brains

Viewers of this video were asked to count how many times white-shirted players passed the ball. Fifty percent of them didn’t see the woman in the gorilla suit.

But Did You See the Gorilla? The Problem With Inattentional Blindness

The most effective cloaking device is the human mind

Malaria parasites infect two blood cells.

Scientists Find a New Way to Exploit and Attack Malaria

The stealthy parasite kills one million people a year; there may be a drug that can stop its deadly damage

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How Do You Make a Building Invisible to an Earthquake?

Engineer William Parnell may have found a way to save at-risk cities from destruction

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How Can a Jellyfish This Slow Be So Deadly? It’s Invisible

One of the world’s most devastating predators is brainless, slow and voracious

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What the Discovery of Hundreds of New Planets Means for Astronomy—and Philosophy

New telescopes are allowing us to look at space more accurately than ever – and what they uncover could change our world

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How Biomimicry is Inspiring Human Innovation

Creative minds are increasingly turning to nature—banyan tree leaves, butterfly wings, a bird’s beak— for fresh design solutions

Although the first documented use of @ was in 1536, the symbol did not rise from modern obscurity until 1971.

The Accidental History of the @ Symbol

Once a rarely used key on the typewriter, the graceful character has become the very symbol of modern electronic communication

The pogo stick remained essentially unchanged for 80 years. Recently, three inventors have created powerful new gravity-defying machines that can leap over (small) buildings in a single bound.

How the Pogo Stick Leapt From Classic Toy to Extreme Sport

Three lone inventors took the gadget that had changed little since it was invented more than 80 years ago and transformed it into a gnarly, big air machine

Shanthi, 34, and Kandula, 8, in the Elephant Trails yard after the first phase of renovations were completed in 2010 at the Smithsonian National Zoo.

Found: A Time Capsule at the National Zoo

While renovating the Elephant House, construction workers discovered a mysterious box hidden in a wall

The "Gateway to Space" in Spaceport America, a 4,000-square-foot gallery where visitors can watch launches.

A Sneak Peek at the First Commercial Spaceport

The hub of Richard Branson’s plans for Virgin Galactic, where tourists and scientists alike take off for the great beyond

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Stomach Contents Preserve Sinocalliopteryx Snacks

Rare stomach contents reveal the last meals of two fluffy dinosaur predators

Geoengineering could replicate the cooling effects of a massive volcanic eruption as a tool to reduce climate change.

Is Geoengineering the Answer to Climate Change?

A new study looks directly at the immediate expenses of intentionally cooling our climate, but what are the long-term costs?

The superbug behind a deadly outbreak

Attack of the Superbugs

Gene detectives tracking a outbreak at the National Institutes of Health reminded of how much we don’t know about how infections spread through a hospital

Despite being famous for its size, Spinosaurus is mostly known from fragments such as this bit of upper jaw. We don’t really know how large this carnivore was.

Catching a Dinosaur by the Tail

We love to debate dinosaur size, but a lack of tails complicates our attempts to find out who the biggest dinosaurs of all were

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