Smart News Science

An elephant in the southeast Okavango Delta, Botswana in 2019

Experts Aren’t Sure Why Botswana's Elephants Are Dying by the Hundreds

After being slowed by the global pandemic, tests are now underway

“For the elite, the nobility, everything did change radically—the administration of the country, legal frameworks, the organization of the landscape,” says study co-author Richard Madgwick. “But at a lower level, people adapted to the new normal rapidly.”

New Research

How Did the Norman Conquest Change English Cuisine?

After the invasion of 1066, pork and possibly chicken spiked in popularity

New research suggests this legless amphibian called a caecilian may be the first known amphibian to possess a venomous bite.

This Worm-Like Amphibian May Pack a Venomous Bite

A new study suggests that legless burrowers called caecilians may be the first known amphibian to have venom glands in their mouths

A North American beaver pictured in Denali National Park, Alaska. In recent years, beavers have been spotted further north in the Alaskan tundra than ever before.

Beavers Are Accelerating Climate Change in Alaska

As the Arctic warms, the furry animals are moving in—and redeveloping

Canada's white-throated sparrows have remixed their classic song by trading a series of triplets for doublets at the end.

New Research

Canada’s White-Throated Sparrows Are Changing Their Tune

The new song is catching on and spreading across the country at an unprecedented speed

Augie and her three golden retriever "siblings" celebrate her 20th birthday in April

Meet Augie, the 20-Year-Old Golden Retriever Who Might Have Just Set an Age Record

The doggo's recent birthday may be an all-timer for her breed

A worker disinfects a hog pen in Suining in southwest China's Sichuan province in February 2020.

New Swine Flu Strain With Pandemic Potential Isn’t Cause for Alarm

The findings are a reminder not to forget about seasonal viruses, but also shows that virus surveillance systems work

Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway, rode the self-balancing personal transportation device outside his home in 2002.

As Segway Retires, Its Inventor Gears Up to Grow Organs

Dean Kamen, inventor of the soon-to-be obsolete Segway, has assembled a team to mass-produce human organs for transplant

The Federal University of Minas Gerais’ Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden houses 260,000 artifacts ranging from fossils to folk art.

Second Brazilian Museum Fire in Two Years Sparks Calls for Reform

Authorities are assessing the damage caused by a June 15 blaze at the Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden in Belo Horizonte

Steller sea lions sitting on rocks on the shore of Campbell River in British Columbia, Canada.

Headless Sea Lions Are Washing Up in British Columbia

Biologists and local beachgoers who have encountered the decapitated marine mammals suggest humans may be to blame

NASA has allotted $35,000 to be split among the three winning designs.

NASA Needs Your Help Designing a 'Lunar Loo'

Entries need to balance size, weight, functionality in microgravity and lunar gravity—and, of course, user experience

A whale shark off the coast of Australia.

Whale Sharks Have Tiny Teeth on Their Eyeballs

The 'dermal denticles' probably help protect the eyes of these gentle giants, scientists say

The Maya city of Tikal thrived for hundreds of years but was abandoned in the ninth century A.D.

New Research

Why Did the Maya Abandon the Ancient City of Tikal?

New research suggests mercury and toxic algae poisoned the settlement's reservoirs

Without wiggling, a paradise tree snake couldn't glide nearly as far.

New Research

Flying Snakes Need to Wriggle Through the Air to Glide

The paradise tree snake flattens its body and swerves in three dimensions to glide through the canopy

Ducks might be responsible for ferrying fish eggs to new bodies of water, according to new research.

New Research

Fish Eggs Can Survive a Journey Through Both Ends of a Duck

A new study finds some eggs remain viable even after being eaten and pooped out by waterfowl

Venus transited the face of the sun on June 5-6, 2012, captured here in a still of a timelapse from NASA's Space Dynamics Observatory.

Watch This Mesmerizing Time-Lapse of the Sun’s Last Decade

NASA released the hour-long video in honor of the ten-year anniversary of its satellite, the Solar Dynamics Observatory

Most large wildlife fatalities caused by car crashes in Maine are deer and moose.

Roadkill Reduced During Lockdowns, but Traffic Is Increasing Again

California, Idaho and Maine saw considerably fewer roadkill deaths in the first few weeks of stay-at-home orders

A jackal in Yarkon Park, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Scientists Propose a New Name for Nature in the Time of COVID-19: The 'Anthropause'

Human travel came to a halt during COVID-19, and scientists argue that this worldwide 'pause' presents a rare opportunity to study our impact on animals

Lightning flashes over Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2014. On October 31, 2018, the longest lightning bolt ever recorded struck in Brazil, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

Record-Breaking Lightning Bolts Spark Excitement

Officials confirmed two 'megaflash' lightning bolts in Brazil and Argentina that struck down previous world records

Researchers used these five replica clay pipes to "smoke" tobacco and other native plants.

Early Residents of the Pacific Northwest Smoked Smooth Sumac

Researchers used a new technique to detect the chemical fingerprints of specific plant species in a 1,400-year-old pipe's residue

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