Smart News: Latest Discoveries & News

A re-engraving of the best-known picture of Jane Austen, the "memoir portrait," based on a drawing by her sister Cassandra.

Researchers Float (Unlikely) Theory That Jane Austen Died of Arsenic Poisoning

A contested hypothesis says the author’s glasses may offer new insight into her death

March 13, 2017

These two diagrams appear in Chester Greenwood's patent for hinged earmuffs.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

The Teenager Who Patented Earmuffs Kept His Town Employed for 60 Years

Chester Greenwood became an earmuff tycoon whose factory kept his hometown in business

March 13, 2017

This once-secret memo lays out methods for secret writing once used by intelligence agencies.

The National Archives wants you…to make documents more accessible to future generations

March 13, 2017

Take in the spectacular view with a new VR simulation of the International Space Station.

Virtual Travel

Take a Virtual Trip to the International Space Station

New VR simulation turns you into an orbiting astronaut

March 13, 2017

A reproduction of the "Tower of Blue Horses," which hasn't been spotted since the late 1940s.

Cool Finds

Two New Exhibitions Celebrate a Long-Lost Painting

The “Tower of the Blue Horses” is gone, but not forgotten

March 13, 2017

The Bizarre Beliefs of Astronomer Percival Lowell

Lowell’s theories were treated with skepticism even in his own lifetime

March 13, 2017

In the early days of the Civil Rights Movements, students took a stand by sitting down.

The lunch counter where John Lewis and others were arrested will now be part of a soul food eatery and music venue

March 13, 2017

Chris Bertish at his finishing line in Antigua

South African surfer Chris Bertish spent 93 days paddling 4,050 miles between Morocco and Antigua

March 10, 2017

A boy rides his bike by the recently discovered statue that may be of Pharaoh Ramses II, one of the Egypt's most famous ancient rulers.

Huge Statue of Egyptian Pharaoh Discovered in Cairo

It may be a likeness of Ramses II, ancient Egypt’s most powerful ruler

March 10, 2017

An artists rendering of how a solar sail might be powered by a radio beam from the surface of a planet

New Research

Are Fast Radio Bursts from Alien Spacecraft? It’s Unlikely, but Possible

A new paper raises the (distant) possibility that the unusual high-energy bursts from the cosmos are from intergalactic ships

March 10, 2017

“Pink Noise” May Improve Sleep and Memory in Older Adults

A new study has found that sound stimulation at night can lull people into a deep sleep

March 10, 2017

Would these eyes deceive you? New study says yes.

Dogs Use Deception to Get Treats, Study Shows

When a human partner withheld tasty snacks, the dogs got sneaky

March 10, 2017

The little moon has drawn comparisons to ravioli, empanadas, and hamburger.

Cool Finds

One of Saturn’s Moons is Making Astronomers Hungry

New images of the tiny moon are drawing comparisons to a ravioli, empanadas, walnuts, hamburgers…nom, nom, nom

March 10, 2017

Sylvia Townsend Warner, the author whose first book was chosen as the first Book of the Month selection in 1926, was openly involved in relationships with both men and women, a fact that scandalized readers.

Don’t Judge the Book-of-the-Month Club By Its Cover

Although today you might associate its name with staid offerings, the club’s first book was by an openly queer author

March 10, 2017

New Research

Ancient Brain Training Technique Can Boost Memory

Participants who practiced the Memory Palace method for 40 days showed changes in brain activity and improved memory months later

March 10, 2017

Daylight saving time, which has a history dating back to Benjamin Franklin, starts this Sunday.

During (and After) WWII, Some States Had Year-Round Daylight Saving Time

A 1963 ‘Time Magazine’ article called it “a chaos of time”

March 10, 2017

The limestone arch on the island of Gozo was expected to stand several more decades, but a vicious storm Wednesday took out the natural wonder

March 9, 2017

Portrait of Alexander Hamilton by John Trumbull, 1806

Collection of Alexander Hamilton’s Documents Can Now Be Viewed Online

Among them are Hamilton’s first report as Secretary of Treasury, and a steamy love letter to his wife

March 9, 2017

Mildred and Richard Loving, subjects of the documentary The Loving Story and the feature-film Loving. Their story will be a topic of discussion at the History Film Forum.

The four-day Forum looks into time travel, black America, Poe and other depictions of history in the media

March 9, 2017

New Research

Bumblebees May Smell Each Other’s Footprints to Keep Track of Flowers

In a new study, bumblebees were able to discriminate the foot odor left behind by their nestmates, strange bees and themselves

March 9, 2017