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Smart News

Women’s Brains Stay Younger Longer, New Research Shows

Researchers found that women’s brains continually create more energy than men’s whether an individual is 25 or 82

New Research

Was Alexander the Great Pronounced Dead Prematurely?

A new theory suggests he was only paralyzed when he was declared dead, but it’s impossible to prove he had Guillain-Barré Syndrome with the existing facts

Trending Today

Magnetic North Is Cruising Toward Siberia, Puzzling Scientists

It has drifted so far that scientists made an emergency revision to the World Magnetic Model

Maria Sibylla Merian, Untitled (Toucan), 1701–1705

80,000 Watercolor Portraits (and Counting) Paint a Pre-Photography Picture of the Planet

The Watercolour World enables users to compare historical paintings with contemporary images of landscapes

The Gulf fritillary butterfly is one of many that call the sanctuary home.

Border Wall Construction Threatens Texas Butterfly Sanctuary

Construction vehicles and law enforcement arrived at the National Butterfly Center on Sunday, sparking confusion among staff members

Mansa Musa as seen in the Catalan Atlas.

Cool Finds

New Exhibition Highlights Story of the Richest Man Who Ever Lived

Read about Mansa Musa, emperor of Mali, who once disrupted Egypt’s economy just by passing through

As glaciers melt, the Himalayan region will face extreme weather ranging from floods to drought and unpredictable monsoon rains

The Himalayas Could Lose Two-Thirds of Its Glaciers by 2100

Even if the most ambitious global climate targets are met, the Asian mountain range is poised to lose at least one-third of its glaciers

New Research

Flushing the Toilet Is the First Step in Making Better Bricks

Incorporating biosolids from sewage treatment plants into bricks makes more insulating bricks and keeps the sterilized sewage out of landfills

Machu Picchu, aka the 'Old Mountain'

The Travel Company Making Machu Picchu Wheelchair Accessible

Wheel the World offers travelers specialized wheelchairs that can traverse difficult terrain

It's their beach now.

A Horde of Elephant Seals Conquered a California Beach During the Shutdown

They shall leave when it pleases them

Princess Margaret (1930-2002), photo Cecil Beaton (1904-80), London, UK, 1951.

Princess Margaret’s Iconic 21st Birthday Dress Goes on Display

The gown is the centerpiece of a new exhibition on Christian Dior at the Victoria and Albert Museum

Is this dog smarter than its owner, or "DSTO"?

The Oxford English Dictionary Wants Your Work-Related Slang

You can submit entries through an online form or tweet it with the hashtag #wordsatwork

Climate Change May Cause Increased Rates of Heart Defects in Babies

A new study predicts that increases in maternal heat exposure across the United States will lead to 7,000 additional cases of congenital heart defects

Pandamonium

Pandas Weren’t Always Picky Eaters

A new study suggests the all-bamboo diet was adopted in the recent past, not millions of years ago

Charred residue containing evidence of beer making.

Cool Finds

Oldest Evidence of British Beer Found in Highway Dig

Charred residues show cracked grain and starch molecules likely used as part of a beer brewing session in 400 B.C.

The team analyzed 135 squirrel specimens under visible and ultraviolet light

Flying Squirrels Glow Fluorescent Pink Under Ultraviolet Light

The bubblegum pink coloring could help New World flying squirrels navigate, communicate or blend into their environments

Common fruit flies are ideal for complex genetic screens because of their short lifespan, relatively small genome and low cost.

Meet Nemuri, the Gene That Puts Flies to Sleep and Helps Them Fight Infection

A team of researchers looked at 8,015 genes and found one that made the insects super-sleepers

The June 6, 2019, event will mirror paratrooper landings on D-Day

What to Expect for ‘D-Day 75’

Preparations for the 75th anniversary of D-Day are already underway, and will include the flight of 30 Douglas C-47 Skytrains

Detail from one of the fragments showing the name "Merlin."

Fragments of Early Arthurian Legend Found in 16th-Century Book

The seven manuscript fragments, which date to the 13th century, tell the story of Merlin leading a battle charge

Sunflower sea stars in British Columbia, just weeks before wasting disease turned them to mush.

New Research

Why Almost All of the West Coast’s Sunflower Sea Stars Have Wilted Away

A new study suggests most of the keystone predators have died off due to an unknown pathogen and increasing ocean temperatures

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