Smart News

Cool Finds

No One Wants to Admit They’re Ugly, Which Makes It Hard to Fight Beauty Bias

Nobody wants to join the ugly lobby, but that might be what we need to battle “lookism”

March 31, 2014

Cool Finds

Even Caves Need a Spring Cleaning

Volunteers removed two tons of detritus from Lehman Cave in Great Basin National Park

March 31, 2014

Cool Finds

Here’s How Tourism Worked in the 1860s

One of the only constants: Paris is popular.

March 31, 2014

Trending Today

Japan Has Been Ordered to Stop Whaling Near Antarctica

The United Nations called foul on Japan’s claim that whaling is done for scientific purposes

March 31, 2014

Cool Finds

In a Few Small Countries, Tourists Massively Outnumber Locals

To attract enough tourists to overwhelm its population, a country needs something special to attract them.

March 31, 2014

Cool Finds

The Definitive Guide to the Dogs on the Titanic

There were twelve dogs on the Titanic. Here’s what happened to them.

March 31, 2014

New Research

Crows Understand Water Displacement Better Than Your Kid

Even Aesop knew that crows were so smart they understood how to get water to their beaks.

March 31, 2014

New Research

Humans Playing Online Games Organize Themselves into Fractals

Players may be acting in a future, space-based world, but they still organize themselves into the fractals that humans have always fallen into

March 28, 2014

Cool Finds

George Washington Liked Ice Cream So Much He Bought Ice Cream-Making Equipment for the Capital

Washington used to serve ice cream to guests at the capital

March 28, 2014

Cool Finds

You Can Watch the First Ever Operation to Transplant a 3D-Printed Skull Into a Person’s Head

The operation, which took place on a 22-year-old Dutch woman, was a success

March 28, 2014

Cool Finds

It Once Took Tens of Thousands of Men to Recover an Astronaut from Landing

Splashdown support teams were absolutely massive

March 28, 2014

New Research

Kids Get Confused by Anthropomorphized Animals in Storybooks

This doesn’t mean we should stop reading them those books, however

March 28, 2014

Cool Finds

There Are Hundreds of Examples of Mind-Controlling Parasites

Parasites that hijack other creatures’ minds are not at all rare

March 28, 2014

Cool Finds

The Golden Gate Bridge Will Soon Get a Suicide Net Add-On

After record suicide numbers last year, the city will vote in May whether or not to install the net

March 28, 2014

Cool Finds

This Firefly Time-Lapse Video Is Beautiful

A visit to a serene lake in Missouri kicked off an obsession with creating time-lapse images of fireflies

March 28, 2014

Cool Finds

“Sell By” And “Best By” Dates on Food Are Basically Made Up—But Hard to Get Rid Of

Where do these dates even come from, and why do we have them?

March 28, 2014

New Research

Booking Your Vacation At Work? Bad Idea

Study finds that booking a vacation at work tends to lead to purchasing more expensive hotels and being less satisfied with your trip

March 27, 2014

Cool Finds

Scholars Translate Ancient Guilt Trip in Letter From Soldier to Family

A new translation of an 1,800-year-old letter illustrates the hardships suffered by soldiers on the Roman frontier

March 27, 2014

New Research

Chimpanzees Have Bromances, Too

Male chimps can forge long-lasting friendships

March 27, 2014

Trending Today

Detroit’s Art Might Be Safe, But Delaware’s Isn’t

Detroit (for now) has prevented a massive sale of artwork, but Delaware’s art museum hasn’t been so lucky

March 27, 2014