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Smart News / Smart News Science

As comets near the sun, they begin to form a head and tail.

Meet Leonard, the Brightest Comet of the Year

The celestial object will reach peak visibility in the northern hemisphere on December 12 and should be visible until the end of the month

Plastic makes up 80 percent of all marine debris found, from surface waters to deep-sea sediments 

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Hosts Life in the Open Ocean

Coastal plants and animals are thriving on the plastic debris, posing potential ecological risks

Other biodegradable bioplastics from algae, cornstarch, sawdust have lower emissions over their lifetime than regular oil-based plastics but still, need the energy provided by the fossil-fuel energy grid to manufacture.

Scientists Made an Eco-Friendly Plastic Using DNA From Salmon Sperm

The material requires 97 percent less carbon emissions to make than petroleum-based plastics

Four different audio recorders placed in different regions of the north-western Arctic collected eight years' worth of acoustic data, providing a sneak peek into the lives of cetaceans.

As Arctic Sea Ice Retreats, Orcas Are on the Move, Spurring Changes in the Food Chain

Acoustic recordings reveal the marine behemoths are moving into once icy areas, which causes competition for resources with other species

The quadrocopter dubbed “SNAG” has feet and legs modeled after a peregrine falcon

With Falcon-Like Claws, This Aerial Drone Can Land, Grip and Perch on Branches

The quadrocopter was also able to catch objects tossed by researchers, such as bean bags and tennis balls

The footprints from site A (left) look similar to those excavated from site G (right), but they are much wider. 

A Set of Ancient Footprints May Have Belonged to an Unknown Human Ancestor

The prints were originally attributed to bears, but further analysis reveals that they don’t match bears—or any known human ancestors either

Ankylosaurs were herbivores that lived during the Late Cretaceous period. 

New Species of Ankylosaur Unearthed in Chile Had a Flat, Weapon-Like Tail

About 80 percent of the skeleton was found intact and the specimen may reveal an early evolutionary split in the species

An increase in rainfall could create a feedback loop that leads to more warming, the study authors conclude.

The Arctic Could Be Dominated by Rain Instead of Snow Within Decades

New research suggests that the transformation may happen faster than anticipated

Using AI, supercomputers and a Frankenstein approach, scientists designed living robots from frogs' stem cells.

Scientists Unveiled the World’s First Living Robots Last Year. Now, They Can Reproduce

By clustering free-floating stem cells together, ‘xenobots’ can assemble baby bots

The dinosaur remains of Parrosaurus missouriensis took a total of four years to excavate from an undisclosed area in Southern Missouri.  

Fossil Hotbed Uncovered in Missouri Confirms New Species of Duck-Billed Dinosaur

After years of excavating, the team found a tail, two arms and a skull belonging to a dino that would have been 35 feet long

The researchers note that the gum looks and feels like the type of gum found in convivence stores and can be stored at normal temperatures for years without damaging the ACE2 protein molecules that trap the SARS-coV-2 particles.  

Covid-19

Could This Chewing Gum Reduce the Spread of Covid-19?

Preliminary results show the viral load in infected saliva was reduced viral load by 95 percent, but the research has a long way to go

Cat owners can keep themselves, their pets, and wildlife safe by keeping their feline indoors.

Outdoor Pet Cats Are Spreading a Brain Parasite to Wildlife

It is one of the most common parasites in the world and has infected approximately one-third of people globally, including some 40 million Americans

By mating with the same partner each year, the albatross couples build trust, communication and coordination to help them raise demanding chicks successfully.

Albatrosses Mate for Life, but Climate Change Has Doubled Their ‘Divorce’ Rates

Food scarcity is causing the birds to return late for mating season, which decreases the chance of successfully hatching a chick

Jan Piecha earned a spot as a finalist with their picture of three young raccoons, titled "Secrets." 

Ten Hilarious Winners of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

The annual contest is a joyful celebration of the natural world

Scientists have created other living inks out of bacteria, but this is the first that doesn't require the addition of other materials like acids, extracts and silica.

‘Living Ink’ Made From E. Coli Could One Day Be Used in Cancer Treatments or Self-Healing Buildings

Though the microbial material is still in the very beginning stages of development, researchers are hopeful about future applications

To identify what bacteria lives in the stomachs of vulture bees and how it compares to other bee species, researchers set up 16 bait stations with roughly two ounces of raw chicken hung from branches 4.9 feet off the ground.

Why Vulture Bees Prefer Rotting Flesh Over Pollen

The insects’ gut microbiomes contained acid-loving bacteria that help digest meat

To reduce the risk of contracting and spreading Omicron, experts offer the same proven advice as they do against all Covid-19 variants: social distancing, masking, and getting vaccinated and boosted.

What Experts Do and Don’t Know About the Omicron Covid-19 Variant

Scientists have dubbed Omicron a “variant of concern,” but warn against panic

Not much is known about mysterious quasisatellites because of their small dimensions, distance, and ability to conceal themselves in the shadows. Kamoʻoalewa is the first quasisatellite to move within observing range of large telescopes.

A Chip Off the Moon May Be Tailing Earth on Its Orbit Around the Sun

Researchers suspect the fragment may have been debris from a cratering event on the lunar surface

An arena consisting of a plexiglass box, infrared lights and cameras captured the spiders' delicate movements.

Using Night Vision and A.I., Scientists Recorded Spiders’ Entire Choreography for Web Building

This research could shed light on how the circuits in our own minds work since animal brains are built out of the ‘same fundamental building blocks’

Astronomers and planetary scientists interested in understanding how often or when the weather patterns occur use past and present images to compare how the planets change over time.

Say Cheese, Outer Planets! Hubble Captures New Images of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune

New images of the solar system’s giants give astronomers insight into atmospheric activity on other worlds

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