Smart News

New Research

Astronomers Spy a Black Hole’s Double ‘Burp’

New observations suggest that black holes cycle between activity and rest

January 19, 2018

Trending Today

The U.K. Now Has a “Minister for Loneliness.” Here’s Why It Matters

Tracey Crouch will oversee the government’s efforts to tackle “the sad reality of modern life”

January 19, 2018

Marmots Live Longer When They Are Antisocial

The critters live an average of two years longer when they shirk social interactions

January 19, 2018

These Billboards Could Be the First to Feature Immersive Virtual Reality Drawings

Tandem billboards on Sunset Boulevard play host to a fascinating new public art installation

January 18, 2018

2017 Was Another Really Hot Year (Even Without El Niño)

Last year joins list of top three hottest ever recorded, according to multiple new reports

January 18, 2018

Cool Finds

World’s Largest Underwater Cave System Discovered in Mexico

The 215-mile sunken freshwater labyrinth is a trove of ancient Maya artifacts

January 18, 2018

Over 200,000 Endangered Antelope Suddenly Die Thanks to … Weird Weather?

A change in humidity seems to have triggered bacteria that led to widespread death of the creatures

January 18, 2018

Meteor Explodes With a Brilliant Flash Over Michigan

The blast caused shook the ground and likely scattered small hunks of space rock in the region

January 17, 2018

The Next Pandemic

Are Rats Innocent of Spreading the Black Plague?

Human pests like fleas and lice may be responsible for spreading the pandemic that devastated Medieval Europe

January 17, 2018

New Research

Why Holding in a Sneeze Can Be Dangerous

A 34-year-old man squeezed while holding nose closed, leading to a tear in his throat and a stay in the hospital

January 17, 2018

Newly Identified Vincent van Gogh Drawings Go on Display

The two works were drawn during the artist’s formative years in Paris

January 16, 2018

France Says ‘Au Revoir’ to the Word ‘Smartphone’

Hoping to prevent English tech vocabulary from entering the French language, officials have suggested ‘mobile multifunction’ as an alternative

January 16, 2018

Cool Finds

World’s Fifth-Largest Diamond Found in Lesotho

The 910-carat gem is a D-color, type-IIa stone, meaning it is completely colorless and has no visible impurities

January 16, 2018

Possible Remains of ‘Lost’ Monastery Discovered in Scotland

The elusive monastery is associated with the Book of Deer, which contains the oldest-surviving examples of Scottish Gaelic writing

January 16, 2018

Trending Today

Massive Data Project Will Help People Identify Enslaved Ancestors

Michigan State’s ‘Enslaved: The People of the Historic Slave Trade’ will combine available historical data on slavery into one searchable hub

January 16, 2018

Newly Discovered Dino Had a Rainbow of Shiny Feathers

The fossilized creature was likely a blend of hummingbird and crow

January 16, 2018

New Research

Citizen Scientists Discover an Unusual Five-Planet Solar System

Users looking through data on Exoplanet Explorers flagged four sub-Neptune planets orbiting a distant star called K2-138

January 15, 2018

Scientists’ Gender May Influence the Results of Experiments

A review of past research has found that subjects respond differently to male and female testers

January 15, 2018

New Research

Scientist Autopsy the Aftermath of the Largest Underwater Volcanic Eruption of the Last Century

In 2012, miles of floating rock appeared in the Pacific. Now, scientists have studied the Havre seamount eruption that caused the mysterious pumice ‘raft’

January 15, 2018

Cool Finds

Take a Breathtaking Trip Through the Orion Nebula in NASA’s New Video

Combining visible and infrared imagery, the new video takes viewers deep into the star nursery

January 15, 2018