Smart News Science

The leucistic baby gator is happy and healthy, veterinarians say.

Rare, White Alligator Born at Florida Wildlife Park

The baby gator, which doesn't have a name yet, was born with leucism, a condition that affects pigmentation

Two fossilized specimens, each less than 2.5 inches in length, were originally thought to be plants. Now, scientists say they are preserved hatchling turtles.

Once Thought to Be Plants, These Rare Fossils Are Actually Baby Turtles, Scientists Say

The prehistoric specimens found in Colombia could represent one of the oldest and largest turtle species to ever exist

Adding water to beans before grinding them can help produce a more flavorful brew and cut down on mess, according to a new study.

This Simple Trick Will Help You Brew Better Coffee, According to Scientists

New research explores how moisture affects static electricity and clumping of ground coffee beans

Jonathan the tortoise in 2017

The World's Oldest Living Land Animal, a Tortoise Named Jonathan, Turns 191

Even at his advanced age, the Seychelles giant tortoise shows “no sign of slowing down,” his vet tells Guinness World Records

A wildfire in British Columbia, Canada, this summer. Global warming increases the likelihood of extreme events like wildfires.

2023 Will Officially Be the Hottest Year on Record, Scientists Say

A new report finds the global average temperature so far this year is 1.46 degrees Celsius warmer than the pre-industrial average

The Capital Kiwi Project members discovered two kiwi chicks late last month.

Wild Kiwis Born Near New Zealand's Capital for the First Time in More Than 150 Years

Conservationists discovered two brown kiwi chicks one year after the birds were reintroduced in a Wellington suburb

Polar bears live in rugged, hard-to-reach places in the Arctic.

DNA Pulled From Paw Prints May Help Researchers Study Elusive Polar Bears

As rising temperatures threaten the Arctic mammals, scientists are turning to new, non-invasive methods to study them

Female mosquitoes need to drink blood in order to produce their eggs.

Male Mosquitoes May Have Once Sucked Blood, Amber Fossils Suggest

Today, only female mosquitoes feed on the blood of animals, while males are satisfied with plant juices

Researchers studied brainstem activity of mice while the animals were awake and eating.

Scientists Examine Brain Cells That Control How Much Mice Eat

The study—the first to look at these neurons while animals are awake and consuming food—could tell us about our own appetites

A group of gray wolves in Canada. Before a wolf pack recently migrated to Colorado, gray wolves were last known to live in the state in the 1940s.

Colorado Will Reintroduce Endangered Gray Wolves This Month

In 2020, voters narrowly passed a measure in favor of wolf reintroduction, and now, wildlife officials are about to begin the controversial effort

Illustration of the thalamus, a region of the brain linked to learning and memory.

Brain Implants Show Promise for People With Traumatic Brain Injuries in Small Study

Electrodes placed in the brains of five patients led to "profound" improvements in cognitive function, even years after their injuries

Cattle tyrants usually follow behind grazing animals to snap up insects for food.

South American Bird Makes Rare Appearance in Texas, Thousands of Miles From Home

Birders are driving hours to Corpus Christi for a chance to spot the cattle tyrant, which has never been observed in the United States before

Eczema affects almost 32 million people in the United States.

Here's What Can Cause Itchiness, According to New Research

Scientists discovered a connection between a bacteria linked to eczema and an itch-causing enzyme in a study of mice

Fossilized Trisauropodiscus tracks from more than 210 million years ago (marked with 4 cm scale) compared to modern bird tracks from March 2018 (marked with 3 cm scale)

Mysterious Creatures With Bird-Like Feet Made These Tracks Long Before Birds Evolved

The footprints pre-date the earliest known fossils of avian ancestors by roughly 60 million years, per a new study

A De Winton's golden mole. A member of the species hadn't been definitely seen since 1936.

Scientists Uncover a Golden Mole Species Thought to Be 'Possibly Extinct'

A scent-detecting dog led the team to the discovery in South Africa, and traces of mole DNA helped confirm it

For the inner four planets in this solar system, each planet orbits the sun three times for every two orbits of the planet immediately to its outside. For the fourth, fifth and sixth planets, they orbit four times for every three orbits of its outer neighbor.

Astronomers Discover Rare Solar System Where Planets Orbit in Mathematical Harmony

The "resonant" planets could provide insight about how such systems form and evolve—and why our own solar system is not synced up

German researchers tested dolphins' ability to detect electric fields.

Bottlenose Dolphins May Have an Electric Sense, Study Finds

Dimples called vibrissal pits on the beaks of the mammals can perceive electricity and might help with hunting and navigation

The Geminids appear to originate from the Gemini constellation, but you can see them throughout the night sky.

How to Watch the Geminid Meteor Shower This Month

The celestial spectacle will peak on December 13 and 14, lighting up the night sky with as many as 120 shooting stars per hour

Wolverines live in snowy, high-elevation habitats.

Wolverines Receive Federal Protection as a Threatened Species in the Lower 48 States

The carnivorous mammals will increasingly face habitat loss and fragmentation because of climate change, according to scientists

A mule deer carcass in Yellowstone National Park tested positive for the fatal neurological illness known as chronic wasting disease.

'Zombie Deer Disease' Documented in Yellowstone for the First Time

The neurological condition, called chronic wasting disease, has a 100 percent fatality rate in the deer, moose and elk it infects

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