Smart News: Latest Discoveries & News

Ancient Diamonds Came From Seawater and Future Diamonds Might Come From The Air

Cloudy diamonds give some scientists new clues to how they formed underground, others find ways to make them out of thin air.

August 21, 2015

New Research

For A Better-Tasting Tomato, Dip It In Hot Water Before Sticking It In The Fridge

A simple chemical trick could make supermarket tomatoes taste way better.

August 21, 2015

A Large Blue butterfly (Maculinea arion)

New Research

The Story of the Butterfly That Got Adopted by A Red Ant

With unexpected infanticide and toxic chemicals, it’s a story loved by all

August 21, 2015

New Research

Grimy City Buildings Re-Pollute the Air

Filthy urban surfaces “breathe” pollutants when they’re exposed to sun

August 20, 2015

Should a composer who abandoned his home forever be returned there 72 years after his death?

August 20, 2015

The plague of insects is really harshing the vibe

August 20, 2015

Cool Finds

American Vegetarianism Has a Religious Past

Thank the creators of corn flakes and graham crackers for veggie burgers and not-dogs

August 20, 2015

Schuylkill County Deputy Coroner Joe Pothering points to human bones in embankment along Route 61 in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania August 14, 2015. Forensic archaeologists on Friday began excavating a highway embankment in eastern Pennsylvania, looking for more bones believed to be from impoverished victims of the worldwide Spanish flu pandemic in 1918.

Roadside construction reveals mass gravesite

August 20, 2015

What does luggage see when you can't see it?

Cool Finds

Follow a Piece of Luggage on a Rollercoaster Ride Through the Airport

One bag’s journey through Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport

August 20, 2015

A satirical 16th-century print showing a chastity belt

Cool Finds

Medieval Chastity Belts Are a Myth

People probably chuckled just as much then about the idea as they do today

August 20, 2015

Weston-super-mare, United Kingdom. 18th August 2015 -- A structure of a sinister fairy castle can be seen in Weston-super-Mare. High security has been put in place. Image courtesy of Martyn East on Instagram. -- Fans of street artist Bansky expect whispers of a secret sinister pop-up exhibition called 'Dismaland' in seaside town to be true. A fairy castle structure, like a sinister twist on Disneyland, can be seen by locals from Weston-super-mare beach.

The elusive street artist’s take on Disneyland is chock-full of dystopia

August 20, 2015

In the 19th century this pie might have contained birds

Cool Finds

Americans Used to Eat Robin Pie and Calf’s Foot Jelly

A food historian points out some forgotten favorites

August 20, 2015

A hummingbird sticks out its tongue in Ecuador.

New Research

Hummingbird Tongues Are Pumps, Not Straws

A tiny, quick pump mechanism lets birds slurp up nectar at a rate of 14 licks per second

August 20, 2015

Let them eat cake (at a five-star hotel)

August 19, 2015

New Research

Scientists Just Identified a Pinkie That’s Almost 2 Million Years Old

And it could be a major evolutionary breakthrough

August 19, 2015

New Research

Black Holes Might Catapult Rogue Supernovas Into Space

Like being fired from a slingshot at 4.5 million miles an hour

August 19, 2015

Two roads diverged in a wood and I — I took the one traveled by a robot, thanks.

Cool Finds

This is a Robot Taking a Leisurely, Terrifying Walk in the Woods

Mechanical humanoid robots have never been so relaxed

August 19, 2015

U.S. Army Spc. Amanda Vasquez, with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, salutes the flag in 2009.

After completing a grueling course, two women have proved they have what it takes to join the Army’s best

August 19, 2015

New Research

Plants Might Move with the Moon Just as the Oceans Do with Tides

One researcher calls it the “leaftide”

August 19, 2015

One glorious memorial (The Moon on August 2, 2015 with the International Space Station just visible as a silhouette)

Cool Finds

Go to the Moon for Less than $10,000! One Catch: Dead People Only

It’s the cheapest option yet for choosing the Moon as a final resting place

August 18, 2015