Smart News

Mississippi Officially Ratifies Amendment to Ban Slavery, 148 Years Late

The movie Lincoln helped kick Mississippi into action on finally ratifying the 13th Amendment

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The Fashion World Has No Excuse, But There’s a Good Reason Bill Cosby Wore Crazy Sweaters

The story behind Bill Cosby's sweaters has a lot more to do with television production than fashion

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Amateur Naturalists Are Discovering All Kinds of New Insect Species

More and more, amateurs are contributing to the discovery of new species, especially of insects - but can they keep ahead of the extinction curve?

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Researchers Treat Sinusitis the Same Way They Clean Ships

Yes, researchers think about your nose like a dirty ship hull that needs cleaning. But it does seem to work

Geneticists Think They Can Fix Tasteless Tomatoes

By identifying the genes that control the production of volatile chemicals, we could soon turn the bland tomato's flavor back on

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Nuclear Bombs Made It Possible to Carbon Date Human Tissue

The fallout of the nuclear bomb era is still alive today - in our muscles

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Moles Can Smell in Stereo

We see and hear with eyes and ears process those images and sounds single pieces of information. It turns out moles do the same thing, except with smell

The 50th parallel

Europe Is Warmer Than Canada Because of the Gulf Stream, Right? Not So Fast

A long-accepted explanation for a warm Europe is up for debate

In Space, Infectious Diseases Reveal Their True Nature

It turns out that microgravity might reveal a thing or two about the nasty bacteria

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New York Is Running Out of Ways to Separate Gifted Pre-Schoolers From Well-Prepared Ones

Actually figuring out which four-years-old are naturally smart and which have simply prepared, is harder than you might think

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Saving Top Predators Could Have a Climate Change Benefit, Too

Through their effect on the food web, shifting predator populations can change greenhouse gas levels

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Trolls Are Ruining Science Journalism

Negative comments, regardless of their merit, could sway readers' perceptions

Chimpanzees Remember Things Faster Than You Do

Chimpanzees are several times stronger than us, generally healthier, and research suggests that they might have better memories too

Guess What the Most Abundant Organism on Earth Is?

If you had to guess the most abundant organism on the planet, you might think of ants, or maybe bacteria. But a newly discovered virus might trump them all

Appreciate Weird, Adorable Pangolins Before They’re Gone

Across Asia, a plague of hunting has hit pangolins, though it's not too late to save these intriguing creatures from extinction

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Newly Approved Retinal Implants Can Help Blind People See

The first retinal implants ever approved for use in the U.S. could help with a certain type of blindness

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The Last Massive Exploding Meteor Hit Earth in 1908, Leveling 800 Square Miles of Forest

In 1908, a meteor exploding in mid-air released the energy equivalent to "185 Hiroshima bombs"

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Ask Smithsonian 2017

Water Never Goes Bad, So Why Does It Need an Expiration Date?

Really, you shouldn't be worried about the water, but about the bottle.

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Massive Meteor Breaks Up Over Russia, Sends Dozens to Hospital

The mid-air explosion of a 10-ton meteor injured more than 500 people

Zora Ball, the first grader who coded a computer game.

First Grader Codes Her Own Computer Game

The seven-year-old Philadelphia student just became the world's youngest known person ever to code a computer game

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