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Smart News / Smart News Science

A Tasmanian tiger at the Hobart Zoo in Tasmania. The last known living Tasmanian tiger died at the zoo in 1936.

Scientists Collect First RNA From an Extinct Tasmanian Tiger

No other RNA has ever been extracted from an extinct species, so the breakthrough opens doors to understanding the biology of long-gone organisms

Sea lions breed and give birth at Point La Jolla in San Diego.

San Diego Closes Popular Beach for Seven Years to Protect Sea Lions

Visitors have been getting too close to the marine mammals—taking selfies and even harassing them—as they rear their pups

Methuselah, the oldest fish living in an aquarium, was transported to California in 1938.

Methuselah, the World’s Oldest Living Aquarium Fish, Could Be More Than 100

Using a new and noninvasive technique, researchers analyzed the DNA of 33 lungfish in institutions across the U.S. and Australia to determine their ages

Study participants experienced cardiac arrest while in the hospital and received CPR in an attempt to resuscitate them.

Scientists Search for Near-Death Experiences of Cardiac Arrest Patients

Through survivor interviews and brain scans during CPR, researchers looked for evidence of awareness when people’s hearts had stopped

Many organizations classify hypertension as a blood pressure reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher, though some say 130/80 mmHg.

High Blood Pressure Is a ‘Silent Killer’ That Affects One in Three People, WHO Says

But nearly half of those living with the condition don’t know they have it, according to the organization’s first report on hypertension

Pink diamonds form when the gems' crystalline structure gets bent under intense pressure.

Geologists Unravel the Mysteries of Australia’s Rare Pink Diamonds

The dazzling, blush-colored gems likely emerged from Earth’s mantle some 1.3 billion years ago, when a supercontinent named Nuna broke up, study suggests

Two types of white blood cells, a neutrophil (top) and a lymphocyte (bottom), in human blood.

Human Cells Display a Mathematical Pattern That Repeats in Nature and Language

New research suggests adult humans have between 28 trillion and 36 trillion cells, which follow a commonly seen distribution of size and mass

Tian Tian playing in the snow. Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and their son Xiao Qi Ji will return to China by December 7.

Pandamonium

Why the National Zoo Is Saying Goodbye to Its Giant Pandas

Staff remain hopeful that members of the threatened species will be back in Washington in the near future

Some birds—including blue jays—are strong vocal learners that can mimic other birds and make lots of different sounds.

Songbirds That Learn to Make New Sounds Are the Best Problem-Solvers

Birds—and humans—are vocal learners, meaning they can imitate new vocalizations and use them to communicate

Engravings at the study site depict animal tracks.

Stone Age Engravings of Animal Tracks Reveal New Details in Namibia

Indigenous tracking experts determined the species, sex, age group and leg of depicted animals in hundreds of carvings of footprints

MDMA, also called molly or ecstasy.

MDMA Moves Closer to Approval for PTSD Treatment After New Clinical Trial

If endorsed by the FDA, the drug would become the first psychedelic approved for mental health treatment in the United States

A quarry in the Cerro Blanco Forest in southern Ecuador, which is facing threats from construction and deforestation.

Humans Have Exceeded Six of the Nine Boundaries Keeping Earth Habitable

Scientists find we are “well outside the safe operating space for humanity” in a new study meant to assess the health of our planet

Many reports of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) are later discovered to be some type of balloon.

NASA Report Finds No Evidence of Extraterrestrial Origin for UFO Sightings

However, no explanation can be ruled out, per the agency, which also appointed its first director of research into the subject

Marc Abrahams, creator of the Ig Nobel Prizes, speaks at the 2003 ceremony. The first ceremony was held in 1991.

Smart Toilets and Licking Rocks: Ig Nobel Prizes Celebrate Strange Scientific Achievements

Winning research projects reanimated dead spiders and examined how anchovy sexual activity influences ocean mixing

A potential polar ring galaxy called NGC 4632. The composite image combines a capture of the galaxy's main disk, taken with the Subaru Telescope, with radio wave data of the hydrogen ring, which has been digitally colorized as white.

‘Spectacular’ Polar Ring Galaxies May Be More Common Than Thought, Study Suggests

Astronomers have found two candidates for this rare type of galaxy, surrounded by a halo of hydrogen gas—and they could provide insights about dark matter

One of the two specimens presented to Mexico's Congress, photographed during a press conference of Mexican journalist and self-proclaimed UFO expert Jaime Maussan, in Mexico City on September 13, 2023.

Alleged Alien Corpses Displayed to Mexican Congress Did Not Convince Scientists

Self-described UFO expert Jaime Maussan, whose claims of extraterrestrials have been debunked in the past, said the specimens were “non-human”

FDA panelists say phenylephrine itself isn't dangerous, but taking it could lead to sick patients delaying effective treatment.

Leading Decongestant in Cold and Flu Medicines Doesn’t Work, FDA Advisory Panel Says

Phenylephrine, a popular ingredient in over-the-counter remedies, is no better than a placebo, per the panel

Frank Rubio poses in front of a window on the International Space Station looking out to Earth below. Rubio has been stationed on the ISS since September of last year.

NASA Astronaut Sets Record for Longest Trip to Space by an American

When Frank Rubio returns from the International Space Station on September 27, he will have spent 371 consecutive days in space

A wild boar in Bavaria, Germany. Levels of radioactive contamination in the animals have not declined significantly since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986.

Why Germany’s Wild Boars Are Radioactive

Fallout from nuclear tests conducted in the mid-20th century may contribute to the high levels of radiation seen in the animals today, a new study finds

A new round of Covid-19 vaccinations was recommended by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisers on Tuesday.

What to Know About the New Covid-19 Vaccines, Now Recommended by CDC Advisers

Experts say the latest boosters are effective against emerging variants including EG.5.1 and BA.2.86

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