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Smart News / Smart News Science

Trash collects on Ballona Creek in California after rainfall.

Good News

California Passes Sweeping New Plastic Waste Law

The legislation requires that all packaging in the state must be recyclable or compostable within ten years

The van Gogh painting is one of the Courtauld Gallery’s best-known works.

Climate Activists Glue Themselves to Van Gogh Painting in London

The protesters hope to combat political inaction in the face of the climate crisis

Both Pfizer and Moderna already developed updated shots to target Omicron variant BA.1, and their data showcasing superior antibody responses against the Omicron variant were evaluated by the panel of experts deciding which strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus should be included in updated booster shots.

FDA Panel Endorses Updated Covid Boosters Targeting Omicron Subvariants

Updated vaccines will target both virus strains that dominated in the past and current Omicron subvariants

The vaccine, known as BPL-1357, was developed by experts at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and contains four strains of non-infectious, chemically inactivated avian influenza, thought to be not highly pathogenic.

Universal Flu Vaccine Enters Clinical Trials in Humans

The test will inoculate 100 volunteers with a vaccine that protected mice from lethal doses of six different flu strains

Thousands of Northern Gannets gather nest material as they prepare for the new breeding season on the Bass Rock.

Avian Flu Hits U.K.’s Seabird Colonies

Thousands of wild birds have died

CAPSTONE is currently in low-Earth orbit and will take about four months to reach lunar orbit. (Pictured: An illustration of CAPSTONE)

The Revolution in Moon Exploration

NASA Launches CubeSat to Orbit the Moon

The CAPSTONE mission will help the agency plan upcoming lunar missions

About 3.8 million concussions from sports-related injuries occur every year in the U.S.

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

This Wearable Sensor May Help Detect Concussions Early in Athletes

Researchers developed a small, flexible patch that sticks on the back of an athlete’s neck and can identify whiplash

Scientists are studying ancient wolves to better understand the domestication of dogs.

Dogs May Have Evolved From Two Different Wolf Populations

A massive new wolf family tree dating back 100,000 years could help researchers understand where dogs were first domesticated

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A Surprisingly High Number of Wildfires Are Caused by Electrocuted Birds

Researchers determined 44 wildland fires were ignited by avian electrocutions in the contiguous United States from January 2014 through December 2018

The Tower of London with the slogan "End Polio Now" on World Polio Day in October 2021

Poliovirus Found in London Sewage

No cases have been reported and the overall risk to the public is low, but public health officials are urging vaccination

Sammy B torpedo tubes

World’s Deepest Shipwreck Discovered Four Miles Underwater in the Philippines

The U.S. destroyer was sunk during World War II

Fresh copi on ice

Can Rebranding Invasive Carp Make It More Appealing to Eat?

Illinois is giving the problematic fish a new name—copi—in hopes of tempting more diners to chow down

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Climate Change May Be Responsible for Sriracha Hot Sauce Shortage

The region where crucial peppers are grown is experiencing the worst megadrought in at least 1200 years

A frog-eating bat

Wild Bats Can Recognize a Phone’s Ringtone Four Years Later

The findings could help researchers understand more about the advantages and disadvantages of long-term memory in animals

The bacterium, roughly the shape and size of an eyelash, was first discovered in 2009 in the mangrove swamps of Guadeloupe, an island in the Lesser Antilles. The bacteria appeared as long translucent centimeter-long strings on decaying leaf matter in the water.

World’s Largest Bacterium Discovered in Caribbean Mangrove Swamps

The bacterium is the size of an eyelash and visible to the naked eye

An digital illustration of a black hole in space

Hubble Space Telescope May Have Spotted a Moving Black Hole

Two teams analyzed data from NASA’s telescope and found a compact object, which may be either a black hole or a neutron star

The carbon-rich asteroid is of interest to researchers because the chunk of rock has remained unchanged since the formation of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago.

Building Blocks of Life Found on Samples Collected From an Asteroid

The find suggests that amino acids could land on Earth on meteorites

Scientists assessed changes in the gut microbiome of superworms (Zophobas morio) in a new study.

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

Polystyrene-Eating ‘Superworms’ May Provide Clues for Better Recycling

Scientists find enzymes in the gut microbiome of beetle larvae that can degrade one of the most widely used plastics

The image captured in South Texas shows cactus bees (Diadasia rinconis) in a rare and intimate moment as they swarm into a mating ball for a chance to mate with one female bee.  

Good News

Winners of the 2022 Big Picture Natural World Photography Competition Announced

From mating bees to starfish devouring a sea lion, the photos captured the beauty and diversity of life on Earth

Previously other companies have used 3D printing technology to produce custom prosthetic limbs from lightweight plastics and materials. Still, the ear implant is the first known example of a 3D implant made from living tissue.

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

Surgeons Transplant 3-D-Printed Ear Made From Patient’s Own Cells

The 3-D printed implant is the first made from living tissue

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