Smart News: Latest Discoveries & News

Cool Finds

Virtual Reality is Coming to Real-Life Rollercoasters

Soar with Superman or pilot an alien-fighting jet

March 9, 2016

A view of the total solar eclipse captured from Donggala, Indonesia.

Parts of the pacific and Indonesia went dark last night as the moon moved directly between Earth and the sun

March 9, 2016

Italy wants its Neapolitan pizza to be added to Unesco’s cultural heritage list

March 9, 2016

The suspected Confederate blockade runner found near the mouth of the Cape Fear River

Cool Finds

Civil War Blockade Runner Found in North Carolina Waters

Sonar scan finds possible remains of a Confederate steamship used to outrun the Union Navy

March 8, 2016

A diver sorts through the remains of a ship that sank in 1025 A.D. off the coast of Turkey. Though this site is out of the line of most cyclonic activity, similar sunken ships may contain a trove of information for climate scientists.

New Research

Ancient Shipwrecks Offer Clues Into the History of Hurricanes

Patterns in ancient shipwrecks are helping scientists fill in the gaps of the patchy hurricane records

March 8, 2016

Digital database points to puzzle plagiarism

March 8, 2016

Cool Finds

Don’t Miss Jupiter Shine Bright Tonight

As Earth moves between Jupiter and the sun, the gas giant will outshine the stars

March 8, 2016

New Research

Wading Birds ‘Pay’ Alligators for Their Protection

It’s a give-and-take relationship: alligators may chow down on a few chicks, but they keep predators at bay

March 8, 2016

A satellite photo of an almost-finished solar farm near Walt Disney World in Orlando reveals a familiar face.

Future of Energy

The Shifting Shapes of Solar Farms

They’re more than just massive fields of black panels

March 8, 2016

This psychedelic form is actually a map of pathways inside a human brain. The different colors show the ways various parts of the brain communicate—left with right sides in red, front with back in green, and the brain to the rest of the body in blue.

From winding brain pathways to sparkling moth scales, these evocative images both teach and amaze

March 8, 2016

A prototype airplane lavatory by Boeing uses UV rays to zap germs.

A new Boeing prototype lavatory zaps germs with UV rays

March 8, 2016

In this image, a chimp throws a rock at another chimp. But in West Africa, scientists think the animals may also ritualistically throw stones at hollow trees.

New Research

Chimps May Be Performing Rituals at “Shrine Trees”

Scientists think that chimps throwing and stacking stones at hollow trees may be evidence of early rituals

March 7, 2016

Cool Finds

This Machine Makes Music With Marbles

The absurd-looking device is a marble-powered, one-man band

March 7, 2016

Are you brave enough to slide down the side of a skyscraper?

Going to the bank just got that much scarier

March 7, 2016

New Research

Martian Volcanoes Spewed So Much Lava That the Planet’s Surface Shifted

Volcanic upheaval could explain some of the mysteries of Mars’ strange surface

March 7, 2016

Paul Johnson explores "landthropology" through his nature photography.

Cool Finds

This Designer Makes Animations With Nature

Paul Johnson turns Twin Cities landscapes into hypnotic stop-motion

March 7, 2016

An annular solar eclipse is observed in Yantai, Shandong province, China, January 15, 2010.

Cool Finds

A Solar Eclipse Will Darken Pacific Skies This Week

Though the actual eclipse can only be seen from select locations, don’t miss the live stream of the event online

March 7, 2016

Cool Finds

Deep-Sea Robot Spies Ghostly, Unknown Octopus

Previously-undiscovered octopus spotted hanging out on the ocean floor

March 7, 2016

The $4 billion train station has been called beautiful and a boondoggle

March 4, 2016

Meet GN-z11, the "newest" old galaxy discovered by Hubble.

Cool Finds

Hubble Spotted the Oldest Galaxy It Has Ever Seen

Look back in time with a glimpse at a galaxy that’s 13.4 billion light years away

March 4, 2016