Smart News: Latest Discoveries & News

The Sunspot Observatory in New Mexico was closed for ten days due to a ‘security threat,’ though aliens and solar flares have been ruled out

September 17, 2018

Delacroix, the Visionary Romantic Artist, Gets First Major North American Retrospective

A new exhibition at the Met features nearly 150 of Delacroix’s paintings, drawings and prints

September 17, 2018

An amphipod with its victim clamped on its back.

Kidnapper Crustaceans Use Tiny Mollusks as Unwitting Shields

Amphipods wear the so-called sea angels, which secrete chemicals that keep certain predators at bay, like backpacks

September 14, 2018

The satirical awards celebrate some of the strangest scientific research

September 14, 2018

The master female ceramicist likely created large vases, known as pithoi, similar to these

Her 3,000-Year-Old Bones Showed Unusual Signs of Wear. It Turns Out, She Was a Master Ceramicist

After analyzing the woman’s skeleton, researchers unlocked her past as an ancient Greek artisan

September 14, 2018

New Research

How Much Plastic Does It Take To Kill a Sea Turtle?

A new study suggests one piece of plastic has a 22 percent chance of killing a turtle that eats it, and 14 pieces will kill half

September 14, 2018

Diane Leather winning the women's 880 yards in 2:15.8 on May 12, 1956.

Record-Breaking Distance Runner Diane Leather Never Let Lack of Opportunity Slow Her Down

The first woman to run a mile in less than five minutes has died at age 85

September 14, 2018

A popular 19th-century slide depicts rats jumping into the throat of a sleeping man

Art Meets Science

Before There Was Streaming, the Victorians Had “Magic Lanterns”

New research finds these early image projectors, which brought world landmarks, fairytale favorites to life, were a regular part of middle-class life

September 14, 2018

The new report finds that one in nine people are undernourished globally.

A new report warns that war and increased natural disasters from climate change are beginning to reverse gains made in recent decades

September 13, 2018

Cool Finds

Military Invests in ‘Molar Mic’ That Can Route Calls Through Your Teeth

Too lazy to pick up the phone? Open wide… this new device latches onto your chompers to transmit sound via the cranial bones

September 13, 2018

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured incredible images of Hurricane Florence on Sept. 10.

Many museums are closing their doors, while zoos and aquariums are moving their animals indoors

September 13, 2018

Ancient beer wasn’t exactly the crisp, cold beverage we know today. Researchers think it probably looked more like thin porridge or gruel.

Traces of 13,000-Year-Old Beer Found in Israel

According to the authors of a new study, the discovery marks the earliest-known evidence of beer production among ancient peoples

September 13, 2018

Experts Are Searching for a 19th-Century Philosopher’s Strange Memorial Rings

Jeremy Bentham requested that rings containing locks of his hair be sent to 26 people. He also wanted his body to be put on display

September 13, 2018

Charles-Dominique-Joseph Eisen, Preparatory sketch with a drawn frame for an illustration of the "Comedy Les Moissonneurs," 1768

Cornelius Wasn’t the Only Gurlitt Sibling to Inherit Nazi-Looted Art

Nicoline Benita Renate Gurlitt received 18 works from her father’s trove of stolen art, and four of these works were just returned to their rightful owners

September 13, 2018

Though the mummified penguins died years ago due to "extreme climatic anomalies," modern day penguins are still at risk of the same fate in today's changing climate.

Here’s How Hundreds of Baby Penguins Became Mummified in Antarctica

A new study posits that ‘extreme climatic anomalies’ caused the penguins to become mummified in two mass die-offs hundred of years ago

September 13, 2018

FDA’s largest enforcement action to date gave warnings and fines to 1,300 retailers and requested plans to prevent teen vaping from five manufacturers

September 12, 2018