Smart News Science

About 230 pilot whales were stranded on an Australian beach. 

About 200 Stranded Whales Die on Australian Beach

Rescue operations saved around 30 of the animals

Heart Aerospace's ES-30, a regional electric airplane with seats for 30 passengers

Electric Planes Are Taking Flight

More airlines are ordering battery-powered aircraft to help reduce their environmental impact

An artist's renditon of the "alien goldfish." Scientists identified a toothy structure in the animal's gut, suggesting it was some kind of mollusk.

Mysterious ‘Alien Goldfish’ May Have Been a Mollusk

The bizarre creature’s anatomy had stumped scientists for decades

Donkeys are important pack animals that helped shape human civilizations.

Scientists Uncover the Story of Donkey Domestication

Humans tamed the equines about 7,000 years ago in East Africa, new research suggests

An image of Neptune captured by the Webb telescope's Near-Infrared Camera. 

Webb Telescope's Images of Neptune Showcase Its Rings and Moons

They’re the clearest pictures of the distant planet's rings in over three decades

An X-ray of the Dancing Horse earthenware sculpture, which dates to 608 to 907 C.E. during China's Tang dynasty

Art Meets Science

Chemistry Reveals the History of an Ancient Dancing Horse Sculpture

The artwork dates to China's Tang dynasty, when horses were a symbol of prosperity

Climate disasters, like flooding in Pakistan, have led to climate justice advocates pushing for "loss and damage" to be paid to developing countries.

Denmark Will Pay ‘Loss and Damage’ to Developing Countries for Climate Change Impacts

The country has pledged $13 million, which will go to the Sahel region in northwestern Africa and other impacted areas

Human composting transforms corpses into nutrient-rich soil.

California Has Legalized Human Composting

By 2027, Golden State residents will have the choice to turn their bodies into nutrient-rich compost

Ants have several key roles in keeping their environments in balance, including aerating the soil, dispersing seeds, decomposing organic material and serving as a food source. 

An Estimated 20 Quadrillion Ants Live on Earth

The weight of the world’s ants exceeds that of all wild birds and mammals combined

The blood test screens for over 50 types of cancer, some of which can not be screened for currently.

Could a Blood Test Effectively Screen for Cancers?

The innovation shows promise, but so far, it returns many false positives

James Webb Space Telescope's first images of Mars, captured by its Near-Infrared Camera (right), and a reference map (left)

James Webb Captures Its First Images of Mars

With some adjustments, the highly sensitive telescope could successfully observe the bright Red Planet

A cheetah at Erindi Private Game Reserve in Namibia

Cheetahs Arrive in India After 70 Years of Local Extinction

As part of an ambitious reintroduction plan, conservationists flew in eight of the big cats from Namibia

A flooded road in Villa Blanca, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 18, 2022 due to Hurricane Fiona. 

Hurricane Fiona Causes 'Catastrophic' Damage in Puerto Rico

The island faces major blackouts, and it could be several days before all the lights are back on

A photo of Saturn taken by NASA's Voyager 1 space probe from a distance of 34 million kilometers in 1980. 

What Caused Saturn’s Rings and Tilt? Perhaps the Destruction of a Moon

Scientists propose that about 160 million years ago, the moon was torn apart, creating the planet’s iconic rings

A rendering of the MICROSCOPE satellite in space. 

Scientists Test How Objects Fall in Space

In the most precise experiment to date, researchers confirm a principle of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity

Calli moves around on land.

Beloved Sea Lion at National Zoo Dies Unexpectedly

Calli, a 17-year-old California sea lion, is remembered by zoo staff as a good mother and ambassador for her species

The Gogo fish fossil 

World's Oldest Vertebrate Fossil Heart Found in Australia

The 380-million-year-old heart came from a prehistoric fish that is our earliest jawed ancestor

President Joe Biden speaks during the 2022 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. 

Biden Administration Allocates $900 Million for Electric Vehicle Chargers

The president says he wants these devices to be “as easy to find as gas stations are now”

A rise in cases of severe respiratory illness could be due in part to children returning to school and other public places this year. 

Virus Linked With Rare Polio-Like Condition in Children on the Rise, CDC Warns

This year, there have been 13 confirmed cases of the condition, which weakens muscles and reflexes

Barnaby Domigan with the giant earthworm

Nine-Year-Old Finds a Three-Foot-Long Earthworm in His Backyard

The New Zealand boy named the creature “Dead Fred”

loading icon