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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

People Are More Likely to Pay Greed Forward Than Good Deeds

People have little incentive to be nice to one another unless they are part of a specific group that creates some sense of shared identity

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Hear, For the First Time, Leonardo Da Vinci’s Curious “Viola Organista”

Based on da Vinci’s designs, a modern instrument maker built a viola organista

Today Is World Toilet Day, Celebrate Accordingly

Celebrate by appreciating your fancy toilet and considering those who live without one

One of the computer-generated creations, an Ecuadorian strawberry dessert.

A Computer Can Design an Original Recipe That’s Not Totally Disgusting

Both pro and at-home chefs may someday turn to algorithms for inspiration

There Are People Who Wrestle Bears, And They Say the Bears Could Win If They Wanted To

We’ve been over what to do if you’re faced with a bear. But there are people who invite destruction into their lives and intentionally fight bears

Florida Man Arrested For Shooting Robotic Deer

It turns out that states all over the country are using robo-deer to catch people who might try to hunt off season

Physical bitcoins exist, but the currency is a digital one.

Powering the 21st Century

Bitcoins May Power the Next Election Cycle

Soon, you might be able to donate bitcoins to your favorite poltician’s campaign

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Watch Beethoven’s Ninth Played on a Glockenspiel Made out of Tools

You’ve probably heard Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony before. But chances are you haven’t heard it played on a glockenspiel made out of tools

China Is Slowly Undoing Its One-Child Policy

The addition of an extra exemption will let more Chinese families have more than one child

The distribution of drug deaths in American counties from 2008 to 2009

Deaths From Drug Overdoses Are Soaring

Across America, the rate of drug overdose deaths has risen by 300%

For just $875,000, you, too, could live in scenic Malta. Or anywhere else in the European Union.

Want European Union Citizenship? You Can Buy It

Got a million dollars sitting around? Move to Europe, and bring your friends

Underwater kite design by Minesto

Powering the 21st Century

Underwater Kites Can Harness Ocean Currents to Create Clean Energy

If researchers were to figure out how to harness the power of the currents, there is ample energy to be had

This Is the Most Expensive Piece of Art Ever Auctioned

All told, that auction raked in $691.5 million, the highest anyone has ever made at an auction in history

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Rethinking the Paleo Diet: Would You Eat the Contents of a Deer’s Stomach?

Animal stomachs for everybody!

Franz Marc’s Horses in a Landscape was one of the recovered pieces of art.

A Trove of Art, Recovered Decades After Nazis Stole It, Is Going On Virtual Display

After more than 70 years, these great works of art are starting to go online

The Price of a Starbucks Coffee Has Nothing To Do With the Price of Coffee Beans

Despite the dropping price of coffee don’t expect your Starbucks receipt to get any lighter

The USPS Will Make Sunday Deliveries Just for Amazon

The US Postal Service announced that it would make special Sunday deliveries for Amazon.com customers

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Listen to “Huh”—a Universal Word—in Russian, Icelandic, Lao And Siwu

Researchers think “huh” is a great example of “convergent cultural evolution of linguistic items,” or a word that came out of a conversational need

You don’t need to take Google’s personality test; you’re already revealing enough on Twitter.

Analyzing Your Tweets Could Help Advertisers Understand Your Personality And Sell You More Stuff

By scraping your tweets, these researchers can get insight into your personality

Big-Breasted Mannequins Take a Craze for Plastic Surgery to Its Logical Conclusion

Whether in Sweden, the U.S. or Venezuela, however, it seems that women simply want to recognize a bit of themselves in store windows

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