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Smart News / Smart News Science

ElliQ can make small talk, answer questions, remind users to take medication, help contact friends and family, initiate conversation and help with other daily activities.

Innovation for Good

New York State Purchases Robot Companions for the Elderly

The state has bought more than 800 ElliQ robots to combat loneliness in older adults

Fish like Epinephelides armatus, also known as breaksea cod, tend to be rated as uglier than fish like Holacanthus ciliaris, or queen angelfish.

Ugly Fish Need Love, Too

New research finds that less attractive reef fish are more likely to be threatened

Boeing's Ascent/Entry Suit (AES) design was drawn up by ILC Dover, an engineering development and manufacturing company based in Delaware.

Boeing Reveals New Space Suit Design for Starliner Missions

The snazzy outfit, unveiled at the Kennedy Space Center, is expected to be worn by astronauts starting in 2023

Los Angeles recently appointed its first-ever chief heat officer.

Los Angeles Becomes Latest City to Hire ‘Chief Heat Officer’

As temperatures rise, these new leaders in L.A., Miami and Phoenix are trying to reduce heat-related deaths and hospitalizations

The Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica

Antarctica’s ‘Doomsday Glacier’ Melting at Fastest Rate in 5,500 Years

Researchers used penguin bones and shells to track ice loss in the Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers

The record-breaking stingray was caught by a local fisherman.

Good News

Stingray Found in Cambodia Sets Record for World’s Largest Freshwater Fish

The enormous fish is 13 feet long and weighs 661 pounds

On May 26, and endangered baby crane hatched at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

Good News

Endangered Whooping Crane Hatches at Smithsonian National Zoo Site

An abandoned egg from a wild nest in Wisconsin was given to surrogate parents in Virginia

A polar bear on glacial ice in southeast Greenland. 

A Clever Population of Polar Bears Survives on Glacial Ice in Greenland

The genetically distinct group of predators uses calved ice to hunt seals when the sea ice has melted

In total, researchers made CT scans of the inner ears of 147 frog species. With these scans, the team determined that Brachycephalus toads' semicircular canals are the smallest ever recorded for adult vertebrates.

The Pumpkin Toadlet’s Miniature Size Makes It a Lousy Hopper

These amphibians’ tiny inner ear canals make balancing mid-jump a challenge

A screenshot from Google's new tool, Dynamic World

A New Satellite Tool Shows You How the Planet’s Landscape Changes Day by Day

From forests and wetlands to urban development, color-coded maps explore Earth’s evolution in great detail

The gravestones say that the women died of “pestilence.”

Where Did the Black Death Start? Thanks to Ancient DNA, Scientists May Have Answers

The devastating disease possibly began in what is now northern Kyrgyzstan

The EPA is recommending lower levels of PFAS in drinking water.

EPA Warns Against Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water

The federal agency’s new limits on drinking water contaminants take aim at synthetic substances called PFAS that are linked with health issues

Researchers found microplastics in snow samples from the Ross Island region in Antarctica. 

In a First, Microplastics Are Found in Fresh Antarctic Snow

The research highlights the extent of plastic pollution and transmission even in remote regions of the world

Vets of the study say that if breeders and the public stop selecting the bulldog’s current characteristic features, the future English bulldog will have a longer face, trimmer head, and no skin folds.

The Selective Breeding of English Bulldogs Has Led to a Lot of Health Problems

Their deep facial folds, pronounced underbite and other distinctive features lead to issues

Despite only uncovering one bone, researchers were able to identify it as an abelisaurid by the distinct structures that stuck out on the top left and top right of the neck vertebrae called epipophyses. (Pictured: Graduate student, Belal Salem holding the neck vertebra of the unamed abelisaurid theropod found in the Bahariya Oasis)

New Dinosaur Species With Bulldog-Like Face Uncovered in Egypt

The fossil is the first evidence of a bipedal abelisaurid in the one of the world’s richest fossil deposits

Korora, the world’s smallest living penguin

Hundreds of Little Blue Penguins Are Turning Up Dead in New Zealand

Rising ocean temperatures are likely causing the flightless birds to starve to death

New research shows how seals use their whiskers to aid them as they hunt. 

Seals Use Their Whiskers to Help Hunt in the Deep Ocean

New video footage shows rhythmic whisker movements that have never been observed before in seals in the wild

Before and after images of four study participants who recieved 36 weeks of treatment for severe alopecia areata with the drug baricitinib.

Innovation for Good

FDA Approves First Drug to Treat Hair Loss Caused By Alopecia

In a clinical trial with 1200 patients, more than half grew their hair back after a year

An octopus, sea star, bivalves and dozens of cup coral all share the same overhang in an area adjacent to the Hudson Canyon off the coast of New York and New Jersey.

Good News

This Underwater Canyon Could Become America’s Newest Marine Sanctuary

Hudson Canyon, the largest submarine canyon on the East Coast, is home to hundreds of species of fish and marine mammals

Vaccinations could begin as soon as next week if the FDA authorizes either the Pfizer or Moderna shots for kids under 5. 

Innovation for Good

FDA Says Both Moderna and Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccines Are Effective for the Youngest Children

A panel of experts is set to vote Wednesday on whether the agency should authorize the use of the vaccines for little kids

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