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Smart News

The Story Behind Big Sur’s Glowing Waves

Photographer George Krieger captured the unusual scene in vivid detail

Cool Finds

Rare Yellow Cardinal Spotted at Alabama Bird Feeder

The bird’s distinctive coloration may be caused by a genetic mutation or a health issue

"Untitled, 1969" and other works by artist and activist Howardena Pindell are the focus of a new show at the Modern Contemporary Art Chicago.

Howardena Pindell Gets Her First Major Museum Survey

The multidisciplinary artist and activist reshaped what art could be

How a city is arranged can influence whether it heats up in comparison to surrounding areas

New Research

Order Makes Cities Easy to Navigate—It May Also Make Them Hotter

Physics and statistics can describe how building patterns relate to cities’ tendency to hold heat

"Les Choristes"

Cool Finds

Stolen Degas Found in Luggage Compartment of French Bus

No one claimed the suitcase containing “Les Choristes” stolen from a Marseille Museum in 2009

Is This the Seal of the Prophet Isaiah?

One archaeologist believes the relic may have belonged to the biblical figure, but there are major problems with her interpretation

‘Frankenstein’ Manuscript Shows the Evolution of Mary Shelley’s Monster

A British publisher is releasing 1,000 facsimiles of the two notebooks in which Shelly scrawled her iconic novel

Cave art found in India

New Research

Did Cave Acoustics Play a Role in the Development of Language?

In a new paper, researchers hypothesize that the location of cave art and sounds early humans heard might be linked

Musicians from the Yanada Shinko perform at Misawa Air Base, Japan, April 6, 2013.

Cool Finds

Why Music Is Not a Universal Language

Physics and culture shape music, but as a recent video essay breaks it down, the results are more varied that most people think

This map shows total fishing activity across the world's oceans as detected by satellite tracking.

New Research

Tracking Fishing Vessels Reveals Industry’s Toll on the Ocean

Satellites and artificial intelligence fill in gaps in global fisheries knowledge

Books!

Cool Finds

Turkish Garbage Collectors Curate Their Own Library

The sanitation workers have already amassed a collection of more than 6,000 books

How Vampire Bats Can Survive on a Diet of Blood

Their diet may seem unusual, but a unique genome and gut bacteria help the critters get the nutrients they need

The Aluminaire House was designed in 1931 by architects Albert Frey and A. Lawrence Kocher.

First American Project by Desert Modernism Architect to be Rebuilt in Palm Springs

It will join the rest of Albert Frey’s work

If you look closely at the lower right of galaxy NGC 613, the baby supernova pops into existence at the end of one of the galaxy's spiral arms.

New Research

Amateur Astronomer Captures Supernova’s First Winks of Light

Scientists say the chances were less than one in a million

An Atlantic sixgill pup found off the coast of Belize.

New Research

Scientists Identify New Species of Elusive Deep-Sea Shark

DNA analysis has shown that Atlantic-dwelling sixgill sharks are distinct from their relatives in the Indian and Pacific oceans

In this April 10, 2015 photo, Brayan Lopez, 9, plays a Taino wood drum while students perform a ceremonial dance in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico.

Ancient DNA Contradicts Historical Narrative of ‘Extinct’ Caribbean Taíno Population

Researchers create Caribbean’s first complete ancient human genome, find Taíno genes in living people

Roman mosaics date back to the Bronze Age, and a new one has just been discovered at the Roman Baths in Bath, England.

Oldest Mosaic at Roman Baths Found During Excavations

Mosaics have a long history, but this is considered the oldest at the site

Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park gives a view of Neníisótoyóú’u (Longs Peak) in Colorado, left of center.

Cool Finds

This Account is Reclaiming the Indigenous Names for Mountains One Geotag at a Time

A Navajo climber is leading a social media campaign to spread awareness of the indigenous names of peaks

Art Meets Science

The Touching Story Behind This Award-Winning Wildlife Image

Taken by Jo-Anne McArthur, the photo shows a rescued baby gorilla hugging her caretaker

Ask Smithsonian

Is the Fall Equinox the Secret to the Pyramids’ Near-Perfect Alignment?

One engineer says yes

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