Smart News: Latest Discoveries & News

Gibbons were among the endangered species discovered on illicit Facebook groups during a recent study of illegal animal trafficking.

Animal Traffickers Use Facebook to Boost Sales

There’s plenty to dislike about using social media to sell endangered species

March 4, 2016

Verona, the home of Romeo and Juliet, is preventing new eateries from opening that primarily serve kebabs, gyros and fried food

March 4, 2016

Interacting with a velociraptor robot is just part of the Henn-na Hotel's efficient charm.

Cool Finds

Japan Has a Hotel Staffed by Robots

Androids, velociraptors and talking toys are all part of the experience at the Henn-na Hotel

March 4, 2016

New Research

440-Million-Year-Old Fossilized Fungi May Be The Oldest Land Dwellers Yet Discovered

Though not the oldest living creatures, these fungi may have paved the way for living creatures to take hold of the land

March 3, 2016

The country could drop the Union Jack in favor of a design with a more distinctive national symbol

March 3, 2016

Artists are up in arms over Anish Kapoor’s exclusive rights to “vantablack”

March 2, 2016

Sled dogs may not have enough snow during the 2016 Iditarod.

Could a warm winter make the famous sled race go to the dogs?

March 2, 2016

Shoppers walk down a corridor in Istanbul's fabled Grand Bazaar.

Cool Finds

Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar Is Getting a Makeover

The bazaar has withstood at least seven fires and several major earthquakes

March 2, 2016

Almonds are just one of the crops commonly treated with flubendiamide, a pesticide that has come under fire from the EPA.

Trending Today

The FDA Will Ban a Common Pesticide

Flubendiamide is used in about 200 crops like almonds and soybeans

March 2, 2016

Were these small prints left by Stone Age babies...or lizards?

New Research

“Baby Hands” on Rock Paintings Were Probably Lizard Prints

The prints could have held symbolic meaning for Stone Age humans

March 2, 2016

This could have been Britain during World War II, but Operation Bernhard was foiled after the Allies learned about the plan.

The Nazis Planned to Bomb Britain With Forged Bank Notes

But Operation Bernhard never made it rain

March 1, 2016

A huge pile of used disposable Nestle Nespresso coffee capsules in various colors on a garbage heap in Switzerland. The popular capsules are collected after use in order to recycle the aluminum parts.

You won’t find coffee pods in its government buildings

March 1, 2016

She knows where this photo was taken—and so might a new neural network.

New Research

Google’s New A.I. Can Tell Exactly Where a Photo Was Taken

A new neural network is better than humans at sussing out the location of a picture

March 1, 2016

New Research

How to Tell if Fluffy Is in Pain, According to the Experts

A new study identifies 25 ways to tell if your kitty isn’t feeling well

March 1, 2016

The Eleanor Roosevelt Monument in Riverside Park, New York, was dedicated at 72nd Street on October 5, 1996.

Cool Finds

It’s Way Too Hard to Find Statues of Notable Women in the U.S.

Only a handful of the country’s sculptures honor women

February 29, 2016

The leap year has a long history, stretching all the way back to 46 B.C.E.

February 29, 2016

New Research

Pluto’s North Pole Is Streaked With Canyons

Enormous pits and frozen valleys straddle Pluto’s northern hemisphere

February 26, 2016

This 1956 poster is just one of thousands of items of Rosa Parks' personal collection now digitized by the Library of Congress.

Cool Finds

Rosa Parks’ Papers Are Now Online

Read about everything from her meditations on the Civil Rights Movement to her recipe for “featherlite” peanut butter pancakes

February 26, 2016

New Research

As Oceans Warm, Little Penguins Are Left Hungry

The world’s smallest penguin is struggling to find fish in warmer waters

February 26, 2016

The secretly-made 3D scan of Nefertiti's bust.

Cool Finds

Thanks to Sneaky Scanners, Anyone Can 3D Print a Copy of Nefertiti’s Bust

Scans of the famous sculpture are free for the taking

February 26, 2016