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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

Cool Finds

15 Minutes of Wet Clay Has Never Been More Hypnotic

As the potter adds different strokes, the design spins and melds and transforms in front of your eyes

Boston Breakers vs Florida Magic Jack playing in the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) before the league folded in 2012.

Cool Finds

Women’s Soccer League Stunted by Low Pay Rates

While Thierry Henry is guaranteed to make $4.3 million in the MLS this year, a NWSL player will be lucky to make $30,000

The suspect cockatoo is on the left, perched just above the Virgin's head.

Cool Finds

Why Is There a Cockatoo in This Italian Renaissance Painting?

The bird’s presence in the painting lends insight into trade between Europe and Australia in the 15th century

New Research

Not Everyone Thinks Extreme Happiness Is an Ideal State of Being

Being happy—but not too happy—is the safest route.

Cool Finds

The Restaurant That Invented Tiramisu Has Shut Down

Tiramisu is actually a relatively young dessert, invented in the late 1970s

A Tibetan mastiff.

Cool Finds

A Tibetan Mastiff Just Sold for Almost $2 Million

Designer dogs are only the latest luxury good fad in China

Cool Finds

Game Delayed Due to Bees

One can only assume that Oprah has something to do with this

Trending Today

How to Find a Four-Leaf Clover

With a few scientific tips, you can maximize your odds of securing a lucky charm this St. Patrick’s Day

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Cool Finds

Cookie Monster’s First Name Is Sid, And Other Icon’s “Real” Names

Many fictional characters have full names, even if you never hear them

Cool Finds

More Than 900 Workers Have Already Died Building Qatar’s World Cup Infrastructure

The International Trade Union Confederation says that if conditions don’t improve, at least 4,000 migrants will die before kick-off

Play on, my mathematicians!

Cool Finds

Mathematicians Say Candy Crush Really Is Hard

You can feel better about your obsession with Candy Crush. The game isn’t just mindless swiping; it’s an actually difficult math problem.

Boros Bunker Berlin

Cool Finds

A 20-Acre Industrial Park in China Is Being Transformed Into an Arts District

Near the Chinese city of Shenzhen, a 20-acre factory complex, abandoned for 10 years, is slowly being reclaimed

Angel Haze, whose album dropped in December after months of fighting with her label.

Cool Finds

The Number of Female Rappers Signed to Major Labels Dropped From 40 to Just Three

Female MC’s, rappers and producers haven’t gone away; they just aren’t getting contracts with major labels anymore

In Orbit

Cool Finds

Two Artists Lived on a Giant Hamster Wheel for Ten Days

The exhibit, In Orbit, is on display at a Williamsburg gallery

Cool Finds

If the World Continues to Heat Up, Chipotle Says Guacamole Could Be in Jeopardy

Of course, guacamole isn’t the only staple of modern society threatened by climate change

Cool Finds

Some Tattoo Inks Can Burn You During an MRI

It’s rare, and no good reason to skip your MRI, but it can happen

New Research

Musicians Are Better Able to Identify a World-Class Orchestra by Sight Than by Sound

Allowing musicians to both hear and see an orchestra playing actually lowers their ability to tell if it’s world-class

New Research

If You’re Not Straight, You’re at Higher Risk for Domestic Violence

And most help-centers and laws focus exclusively on straight female victims

New Research

Sea Level Rise Might Drown a Fifth of All UNESCO World Heritage Sites

The Statue of Liberty and the Sydney Opera House are under threat

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