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Smart News / Smart News Science

Scientists theorize that hydrogen from solar wind combines with oxygen in tiny glass beads to form water on the moon's surface.

Scientists Find Water in Glass Beads From the Moon

This means the lunar surface could hold up to 300 billion tons of water, a new study estimates

Swahili people maintained matrilineal family burial gardens such as this one in Faza, Kenya.

Ancient DNA Confirms the Origin Story of the Swahili People

Medieval individuals in the coastal East African civilization had almost equal parts African and Asian ancestry, a new study finds

The A.I.-generated image of Pope Francis in a puffer jacket.

The Ethics of Creating A.I.-Generated Images of Public Figures

Viral pictures of Pope Francis wearing a trendy white puffer coat were fabricated with A.I., but tricked internet users across the globe

The meatball made with woolly mammoth DNA was unveiled at a museum in the Netherlands this week.

This Massive Meatball Was Made With Woolly Mammoth DNA

Meant to be more sustainable than animal meat, this lab-grown alternative might offer a glimpse into the future of food production

Researchers think old masters like Sandro Botticelli, who painted Lamentation Over the Dead Christ, may have mixed egg into their oil paints to alter certain qualities.

Art Meets Science

Why Did Old Masters Use Eggs in Oil Paintings?

A new study explores how artists may have added yolk to alter the properties of their paints

Gut bacteria, more than genetics, impact mice's motivation to exercise, a recent study suggests.

Could Gut Bacteria Impact Your Motivation to Exercise?

In a study of mice, researchers show their microbiomes play a role in how much they run and how quickly they grow fatigued

Infinitely many copies of a 13-sided shape can be arranged with no overlaps or gaps in a pattern that never repeats.

At Long Last, Mathematicians Have Found a Shape With a Pattern That Never Repeats

Experts have searched for decades for a polygon that only makes non-repeating patterns. But no one knew it was possible until now

Black widows are the most venomous spider in North America, with venom about 15 times as potent as a rattlesnake's.

Black Widow Spiders Are Being Killed Off by Non-Native Brown Widows

Despite their reputation as fearsome predators, black widows are on the defensive due to attacks by their cousins, a study shows

Top: The citizen science photo of an alleged juvenile goblin shark found on the beach of Anafi Island in Greece. Bottom: A juvenile female goblin shark found near Shimizu, Japan.

Were Scientists Duped by a Plastic Shark Toy?

Researchers withdrew a report of a rare and elusive goblin shark spotted in Greece after their peers raised concerns about the alleged discovery

Zebrafish experience what's known as "emotional contagion" and react when their peers are afraid.

Fish May Sense Each Other’s Fear

Zebrafish respond when their peers act afraid, an ability regulated by the same hormone that drives human empathy, a new study shows

Amid a multi-year drought, record winter rainfall has led to conditions perfect for fungi.

Winter Rains Bring Mushroom Boom in California

Fungi are popping up in numbers the West Coast may not see again for years

A digitally colorized view of Vibrio vulnificus bacteria under a scanning electron microscope

These Flesh-Eating Bacteria Are Thriving Because of Climate Change

New research finds that infections caused by Vibrio vulnificus have increased over the last 30 years and expanded to new geographic areas

Activists from Just Stop Oil marched from London's Pentonville Prison in February 2023 in support of the U.K.'s political prisoners, including seven from their organization.

In Landmark Pledge, British Lawyers Say They Won’t Act in the Interest of Fossil Fuels

The litigators refuse to represent new coal, oil and gas developments or prosecute peaceful climate protesters

Skywatchers can see five planets this week.

How to Watch Five Planets Align in the Night Sky This Week

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will appear as if in a parade in the Western sky on Tuesday

Dill, Jalapeño and Gherkin, the three newly hatched radiated tortoises at the Houston Zoo.

90-Year-Old Tortoise Fathers His First Offspring at Houston Zoo

Critically endangered radiated tortoises don’t reproduce often, so this is a win for the species

An illustration of exoplanet VHS 1256 b, which is surrounded by clouds of hot silicate particles.

James Webb Telescope Spots Raging Dust Storms on an Exoplanet

The far-off world also has signs of water, methane, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide

Marion Island is home to a quarter of all wandering albatrosses in the world.

The Ambitious Plan to Stop Mice From Eating Seabirds

Conservationists want to clear Marion Island of the pests, which are wreaking havoc on albatross and other nesting species

A portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven by August von Kloeber. The composer suffered from health problems throughout his adult life, including hearing loss and gastrointestinal issues.

DNA From Beethoven’s Hair Reveals Clues About His Death

The composer was predisposed to liver disease and had hepatitis B at the end of his life, a new study finds

Google Bard is currently limited to some users ages 18 and up.

Google Launches A.I. Chatbot—How Does it Compare to ChatGPT and Bing?

Bard might give incorrect answers, but it “doesn’t go off the rails”

Snow petrels were among the seabird species that did not reproduce in Antarctica's Dronning Maud Land region in 2021-22.

Strong Snowstorms Prevented Tens of Thousands of Antarctic Seabirds From Breeding

With their nesting sites buried under a blanket of snow, some petrels and skuas made no attempts at reproducing in December 2021 and January 2022

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