Smart News: Latest Discoveries & News

A special fish tank designed for experiments aboard the International Space Station.

New Research

Fish Don’t Do So Well in Space

The International Space Station’s resident fish shed light on life in microgravity

January 16, 2017

After successfully deploying ten satellites into orbit, the rocket’s first stage adeptly landed on a floating platform

January 16, 2017

Sending teensy satellites into space isn’t just an experiment in cute—it’s an effort to reduce the cost of sending tech into space

January 16, 2017

This pendant is thought to have been owned by Karoline Cohn, who was born in the same city in the same year as Anne Frank.

Researchers say the remarkable find likely belonged to another victim who may have known Frank and her family

January 16, 2017

The Javan myna is critically endangered in its natural Indonesian habitat, but exploding populations in Singapore have made it a nuisance there.

New Research

How Escaped Exotic Pet Birds Could Help Save Threatened Species

Though usually seen as a threat to local populations, these escapees could also help in the recovery of creatures in trouble

January 16, 2017

In 1957, The U.S. Flew a Jet Around the World to Prove it Could Drop a Nuclear Bomb Anywhere

The B-52 bomber that made the flight was part of a new bomber class that was still proving its worth

January 16, 2017

Some states still celebrate the birthdays of Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the same day.

Some States Celebrate MLK Day and Robert E. Lee’s Birthday on the Same Day

Martin Luther King, Jr. has been celebrated on the third Monday in January since the federal holiday was first observed in 1986

January 16, 2017

New Research

Remains From 800-Year-Old “Trojan Woman” Record Early Maternal Infection

Bacterial nodes on the skeleton and DNA from her fetus show the woman likely died from an infection of her placenta

January 16, 2017

When it comes to representation, this coin is more than worth its weight in 24-karat gold.

Cool Finds

New $100 Coin Features First-Ever African-American Lady Liberty

She’ll put a new face on a familiar allegory

January 13, 2017

A ruby seadragon, Phyllopteryx dewysea that washed up on the Point Culver cliffs in Western Australia.

Cool Finds

Watch the First Footage of the Rare Ruby Seadragon Alive in the Wild

The sneaky critter has never been seen in its natural habitat before

January 13, 2017

Scarce resources could push killer whales into menopause.

New Research

Orca Moms Might Go Into Menopause Because of Their Daughters

Competition could explain this evolutionary mystery

January 13, 2017

Cool Finds

Austin Is Looking for Its First Artist-in-Residence

Winning artists will be embeded in city agencies to help bring in new eyes to reconsider old problems

January 13, 2017

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden with Guest Librarian Daliyah Marie Arana

Daliyah Maria Arana has read more than 1,000 books

January 13, 2017

Civil Rights-era freedom riders are just one of the groups whose history is honored in three new national monuments.

President Obama designated three Southern sites critical to sharing that story

January 13, 2017

The Heinkel He-280, the world's first jet fighter, was developed in Nazi Germany during World War II.

Since First Successfully Used More Than 75 Years Ago, Ejection Seats Have Saved Thousands

The faster an airplane is moving, the harder it is to get out of: that’s why ejection seats are so important

January 13, 2017

Album cover for the Live At Folsom Prison album.

This 1951 Prison B-Movie Inspired “Folsom Prison Blues”

Johnny Cash’s live prison concert made him the voice for rehabilitation over punishment

January 13, 2017

Now, writers can find inspiration in the historic library of one of America's most famous authors.

Cool Finds

You Can Write Inside Mark Twain’s Library

Commune with Clemens in his historic home

January 13, 2017

Cool Finds

A Physicist Figured Out the Best Way to Get Ketchup Out of the Bottle

Tapping the “57” has nothing to do with it

January 13, 2017

Bruce Springsteen performs with drummer Max Weinberg in 2008.

A new center will celebrate the glory days of Boss and other American musical icons

January 13, 2017

New Research

Turmeric May Be Tasty, But It’s Not a Cure-All

New study shoots down the trendy “remedy”

January 13, 2017