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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

Cool Finds

Society Doesn’t Quite Know What to Make of Professional Snugglers

One snuggling operation in Wisconsin recently shut down when authorities thought it was a front for a brothel

In Mexico, parasitic corn fungus makes for a great tortilla filling.

Cool Finds

Five Parasitic Species People Love to Eat

From tapeworms to lampreys, some people don’t mind eating the bloodsuckers

Adam West as Batman, c. 1966

Trending Today

It’s the 75th Anniversary of Batman’s Creation

What’s the source of Batman’s lasting appeal?

Cool Finds

Michelangelo’s David Has Weak Ankles

The iconic statue may be in danger of collapse

Campbell's by Andy Warhol

Cool Finds

It Took Three Years to Restore 23 Pieces of Art Andy Warhol Made on a Computer in the 1980s

Trapped in an obsolete computer format, these works are finally seeing the digital light of day

A wolf-dog (left) and a mastiff.

Cool Finds

New Hampshire Has Too Many Wolf-Dogs

Are they domesticated pets or wild animals?

Pistols equipped with silencers, confiscated from drug dealers.

Cool Finds

Sales of Gun Silencers Have Shot Up Nearly 37 Percent Last Year

Proponents argue that they make firearms safer; others say it’s just the opposite

New Research

Facebook Users Most Often Unfriend People They Knew From High School

And how does that make the victim of the unfriending feel? Surprised, usually

Elvis back stage after a show at the New Frontier Hotel

Cool Finds

Elvis’ First Big Vegas Show Was a Total Flop

Playing to the middle-aged crowd at the New Frontier Hotel, Elvis’ first Vegas show didn’t go over so well

Cool Finds

When Museum Specimen Get Infested With Bugs, Curators Have to Freeze Them

Freezing and heating can oftentimes keep invertebrate enemies at bay

Cool Finds

These MRI-Scanned Fruits And Vegetables Unfold Like Alien Births

An MRI technologist’s hobby turns every-day foods into something new and intriguing

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Trending Today

How Gabriel Garcia Marquez Became a Writer

Marquez attributed his writing to drawing as a child…and Franz Kafka

Trending Today

5 Great Historical Myths And Traditions About Hot Cross Buns, a Pre-Easter Pastry

From solidifying friendships to driving evil spirits away, legends abound about these sweet dough balls

In modern role-playing games, like BioWare's Mass Effect series, gamers are being called upon to make emotional decisions.

Cool Finds

Pretty Soon, Video Games Will Be Able to Read Your Emotions

Video games are becoming increasingly adept at reading our emotions

The Paris Metro map, edited.

Cool Finds

This Architect Spends His Free Time Reinventing the World’s Subway Maps

The new system is meant to be easy to read and understand, no matter how foreign the place

The stolen diamond looked nothing like these

Trending Today

This May Have Been the Worst Diamond Heist in History

An Albuquerque museum was robbed of a diamond that was returned the next day

Tear gas being used on protesters in Caracas in February.

Cool Finds

Here’s a Six-Minute Explainer for the Turmoil Currently Underway in Venezuela

The 2014 protests have affected not just political activists but ordinary citizens, too

Cool Finds

Almost 2 Million People Ran a U.S. Half Marathon Last Year—And Most of Them Were Women

Fitness trendsters, take note: it’s about time you go run 13.1 miles

Detroit Institute of Arts

Trending Today

Bidders Are Clamoring for Detroit’s Artwork, But the City Isn’t Selling

As the bankruptcy fight rages on, Detroit’s artworks are still objects of interest

Cool Finds

A Recent Uptick in Cancer Patient Suicides in Russia Might Be Tied to the Unavailability of Painkillers

Procuring strong painkillers in Russia - even when the prognosis is death - is exceedingly difficult

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