Smart News

Runaway Sprinkles from the Museum of Ice Cream Create ‘Environmental Hazard’ in Miami Beach

Here’s the scoop: officials are worried that the museum’s fake sprinkles will get washed into oceans and eaten by marine creatures

January 10, 2018

New York Directive Restricts Inmates’ Literature Options

A pilot directive affecting three New York State prisons stipulates that inmates can only receive packages from six approved vendors

January 9, 2018

New Research

Climate Change Is Turning Green Sea Turtles Female. That’s a Problem

Over 99 percent of turtle hatchlings in northern Australia are female due to increasing sand and sea temperatures

January 9, 2018

Cool Finds

Rare Scraps of Paper Unearthed in the Sludge of Famed Pirate Ship

The 300-year-old fragments found in Blackbeard’s flagship show someone on board was likely literate and interested in sea stories

January 9, 2018

Trending Today

After More Than 90 Years, Looted Mummy Parts Repatriated to Egypt

The skull and two hands were illegally acquired by a tourist in 1927 and were confiscated from an antiquities dealer

January 9, 2018

These Letters Tell the Inside Story of Mary, Queen of Scots’ Imprisonment

A collection of 43 letters relating to the latter years of the queen’s confinement was recently donated to the British Library

January 8, 2018

New Research

16th-Century Child Mummy Had Oldest Known Case of Hepatitis B

Long thought to suffer from smallpox, the genome of the 500-year-old mummy shows signs of HPB

January 8, 2018

250,000 Circus Items Donated to Illinois State University

The donation includes clown props, photos, posters and costumes

January 8, 2018

Women Who Shaped History

New Website Explores the Women in Architecture Your History Books Didn’t Teach You About

‘Pioneering Women of American Architecture’ features in-depth profiles of unsung architects who made significant contributions to the field

January 8, 2018

Trending Today

Toxic Algae Closes Important Maine Shellfish Region

The unprecedented late-season bloom may be linked to warming waters and could be a preview of things to come

January 5, 2018

Future of Energy

Administration Proposes Opening Nearly All U.S. Coastlines to Offshore Drilling

Over 90 percent of America’s waters will be available for oil and gas drilling under proposed plan

January 5, 2018

Humans Like Helpers, But Bonobos Prefer Bullies

A new study has found that bonobos gravitate towards characters that push and steal toys

January 5, 2018

New Research

How Peacock Spiders Make Rainbows on Their Backsides

The adorable arachnids use specialized scales to break light into its component colors to produce some of nature’s tiniest rainbows

January 5, 2018

Asteroid-Sampling Spacecraft Captures Haunting View of Earth in Space

OSIRIS-REx tested its cameras by taking a gorgeous photo of its home planet

January 5, 2018

New Research

This Is the Largest Known Prime Number Yet

The newly discovered prime is 23 million digits long

January 4, 2018

New Research

UV Light Could Help Stop the Bat-Killing White Nose Syndrome

Research shows the fungus is susceptible to UV light. The problem is getting bats into the tanning beds

January 4, 2018

Indian Jewels Swiped From Venice Museum in “Movie-Worthy” Heist

The thieves reportedly deactivated the alarm system and walked off with the goods in broad daylight

January 4, 2018

Why Americans Missed Out on Public Domain Day (Again)

Aleister Crowley, Dorothy Parker, and René Magritte joined the public domain in 2018, but not in the United States

January 4, 2018

India to Cap Number of Taj Mahal Visitors

Spurred by safety and conservation concerns, officials plan to limit the number of domestic tourists to 40,000 per day

January 4, 2018

New Research

Big Data Traces the World’s Most Distinctive Musical Traditions

An analysis of 8,200 recordings from 137 nations shows nations in sub-Saharan Africa have the most unique rhythms and melodies

January 4, 2018