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Smart News / Smart News Science

After the researchers identified it as a subterranean river and gathered at the site in Antarctica, they drilled down 1640 feet below the ice's surface using a hot water hose to melt the ice.

Hidden Life Found Far Beneath World’s Largest Ice Shelf

Hundreds of shrimp-like creatures were found living 1640 feet beneath Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf

Later this summer, people will be able to call, text or online chat the number 988 to connect with mental health counselors.

The Future of Mental Health

Beginning in Mid-July, Dial 988 for the Mental Health Hotline

The three-digit code will be like 911, but for mental health emergencies only

Scientists had long speculated that egg-laying dinosaurs would have an umbilical scar, but this study is the first to find evidence of one. (Pictured: artist representation of a Psittacosaurus and its umbilical scar)

First Dinosaur Belly Button Discovered in Fossil From China

The navel was found with unique imaging technology and is similar to scars living alligators sport

A different giant karst sinkhole at Leye-Fengshan Global Geopark in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. A new sinkhole was recently discovered in China earlier this month. 

Ancient Forest Discovered in Chinese Sinkhole

Researchers say the forest may contain small animal species unknown to scientists

Scientists measured a carbon dioxide concentration of 420.99 parts per million, an increase of 1.8 ppm over 2021. 

Carbon Dioxide Levels Now Higher Than Ever in Human History

Levels have risen more than 50 percent in the last two centuries alone

Mountain goats at Yellowstone National Park

Good News

National Parks Aim to Phase Out All Single-Use Plastics by 2032

Visitors to the iconic U.S. sites will see utensils and cups made from biodegradable, compostable and recycled materials

Colon cancer cell illustration

Good News

Small Cancer Trial Resulted in Complete Remission for All Participants

The results are promising, but experts say the trial should be replicated

Unlike the other three mRNA vaccines currently available in the U.S., Novavax's vaccine is made from small nanoparticles made of proteins from the coronavirus's surface.

Innovation for Good

FDA Advisers Recommend Novavax’s Covid-19 Vaccine for Use in Adults

The vote of support is a step forward for the long-in-production protein-based vaccine that may be a different option from current mRNA-based vaccines

Charles Darwin first proposed that chickens may have descended from the red jungle fowl because of their similar appearances. (Pictured: A red jungle fowl)

Researchers Pinpoint Date When Chickens Were First Domesticated

New findings push back the fowl’s domestication thousands of years

There's more than meets the eye going on when someone pops a bottle of bubbly.

What Really Happens When You Pop Champagne, According to Science

Researchers now have a clearer picture of the supersonic shock waves that form when carbon dioxide escapes from a bottle of bubbly

The eggs laid at at Galveston Island State Park were transported to an incubation facility, which will improve their chance of survival.

Good News

107 Critically Endangered Sea Turtle Eggs Found in Texas State Park

This is the first time in ten years that a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle has nested at the park

A common bottlenose dolphin swimming off the coast of France. 

Dolphins Have Different Whistles Based on Their Environment

Genetics have little influence on the differences between dolphin whistles, but location and population demographics play an important role

A Mexican wolf pup less than 14 days old is given a health check before being placed into a wild den in New Mexico.

Eleven Mexican Gray Wolf Pups Released Into the Wild

The pups were part of a cross-fostering program to boost genetic diversity in the endangered subspecies

Each pup was rewarded with toys like tennis balls if they picked out the virus successfully in sweat samples.

Dogs Sniff Out Covid-19 With Surprising Accuracy

Canines were even able to detect asymptomatic cases

In a new study, researchers collected over 7 million sleep records from 47,628 people and compared those to local meteorological data. 

Climate Change May Affect Our Ability to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

New research suggests that higher temperatures may lead of 50 to 58 hours of lost sleep per person every year by the end of the century

A bison walking on a road in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. 

Woman Gored by a Bison in Yellowstone National Park

An Ohio woman came within ten feet of the animal and was thrown ten feet in the air

Giraffes may have evolved such long necks, in part, because of sexual competition.

An Extinct, Head-Butting Animal May Help Explain Giraffes’ Long Necks

The giraffe’s ancestor used its sturdy head and neck to fight for mates

The seagrass Posidonia australis.

World’s Largest Plant Is a Seagrass That Clones Itself

The 4,500-year-old plant lives off the coast of Australia

 Researchers speculate that type two inflammation that occurs in allergic conditions may reduce levels of the ACE2 receptor on the surface of airway cells, where SARS-CoV-2’s spike protein binds to. (Pictured: Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 under and electron microscope)

Some Allergies Associated With Lower Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

An NIH study found that food allergies reduced risk of infection by 50 percent

Uranus (left) and Neptune (right)

Why Neptune Appears Bluer Than Its Cousin Uranus

Though the solar system’s two outermost planets are very similar, their color is a puzzling difference

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