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Smart News / Smart News Science

Leaded gasoline has been banned in the U.S. for decades but was still used in other parts of the world. Less than 20 years ago, 117 countries still used leaded gas.

Planet Positive

Leaded Gasoline Use in Vehicles Has Now Officially Ended Worldwide

A refinery in Algeria used the world’s last stockpile of the fuel

Fossil fuel-free steel was made for the first time in Sweden using "green" hydrogen technology.

Innovation for Good

Fossil Fuel–Free ‘Green’ Steel Produced for the First Time

A Swedish consortium delivered the first batch of the metal—made using ‘green’ hydrogen—to an automobile manufacturer for truck production

Female octopuses were far more likely than males to 'throw' objects at others.

Female Octopuses Throw Things at Male Harassers

Scientists observed common Sydney octopuses launching shells and silt at particularly annoying individuals

If you see this bug, officials want you to kill it. The spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect that can cause millions of dollars in damage to crops and forests.

Trending Today

See a Spotted Lanternfly? Squash It, Officials Say

The invasive insect poses a huge threat to agriculture and trees in the Northeast United States

Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana's southeastern coast at 11:55 am eastern on Sunday.

Hurricane Ida Slams Louisiana Coast on the 16th Anniversary of Katrina

The Category 4 hurricane made landfall in southeastern Louisiana midday Sunday, causing extensive flooding and power outages

Officials located the nest after netting and tagging three hornets between August 11- 17. One of the hornets slipped out of the tracking device, another one was never found, but the third one led entomologists to the nest.

Entomologists Eradicated the First Asian Giant ‘Murder’ Hornet Nest of 2021

The hive was located just two miles from where officials found another nest in 2020

Comirnaty was coined with Co- as the prefix, followed with -mirna as a nod to mRNA, and ends in the -ty suffix, representing both the words community and immunity.

Why the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine Is Called Comirnaty

The vaccine is pronounced koe-mir’-na-tee and represents a mash-up of words related to the coronavirus pandemic

Asian paper wasp nests take on a new verdant glow under ultraviolet light.

Wasp Nest Glows Green Under UV Light

Silk fibers give the nest its radiant a neon hue

T. navigans was first described by researchers in 2003. However, until now, everything known about the species was based on two skulls.

Near-Complete Pterosaur Skeleton Obtained in Police Raid Reveals Stunning Details About the Species

The winged reptile’s anatomical features hint that it may have foraged around like a chicken and flown short distances to escape predators

Wildlife officials in some states are saying it is okay to feed songbirds again now that the mysterious illness is abating.

As Mysterious Avian Illness Fades, Some States Give All-Clear to Feed Birds Again

It’s okay to feed songbirds again in many states, though scientists still don’t know what caused this mysterious illness

Early trials show a second dose of the J&J Covid-19 vaccine after six months later provides a promising antibody response.

Covid-19

Johnson & Johnson Says Extra Shot Gives Promising Immune Boost

Those who got the one-shot Covid-19 vaccine could benefit from a booster after eight months, according to the company

The trials will test the safety of the two experimental vaccines and how well it stimulates a broad range of antibodies against HIV in the body. Pictured: An HIV infected T-cell.

Moderna to Begin Human Trials for Two Experimental HIV Vaccines

The vaccines are mRNA based, like the biotech company’s Covid-19 vaccine

Grizzly bears in coastal British Columbia are more closely linked to Indigenous groups than previously realized.

Grizzly Bear Territories in Canada Match Maps of Indigenous Language Families

DNA analysis shows a distinct relationship between three distinct groups of grizzlies and Indigenous populations with different languages

A town along the Ahr river was damaged following intense flooding.

Europe’s Extreme Floods Are ‘Up to Nine Times More Likely’ Because of Climate Change

July’s heavy rains were made more severe by human-caused warming

NASA stitched together 129 individual images taken with the rover’s Mast Camera to create 360-degree panoramic vistas.

Explore Stunning 360-Degree Panoramic Views of Mars in New NASA Video

Captured by NASA’s Curiosity rover, the footage takes viewers on a tour of the fourth planet from the sun’s surface

Mother and pup of the bat species Saccopteryx bilineata. Similar to human infants, pups begin babbling at a young age as they develop language skills.

Baby Bats Babble—Just Like Human Infants

Both species make similar sounds as they develop language skills at an early age

The giant tortoise clumsily stalked and ate a lesser noddy tern chick, raising questions about their herbivorous diet.

Giant Tortoise Stuns Scientists by Eating a Baby Bird

In a first, researchers in the Seychelles document the large reptile stalking and devouring a chick

Now that Pfizer’s vaccine was granted full approval, other pharmaceutical companies cannot ask for emergency use authorization because this type of approval is only reserved for drugs and vaccines when there are no other approved options available.

Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine Becomes First to Receive Full FDA Approval

The authorization comes less than four months after the company filed for official licensing and may boost the public’s confidence in the vaccine efficacy

The creation of clouds over forested areas shows that reforestation would likely be more effective at cooling Earth’s atmosphere than previously thought, a Princeton study says.

Planet Positive

Planting Trees Encourages Cloud Formation—and Efficiently Cools the Planet

New study examines cooling effect of clouds produced by deciduous forests under pressures of climate change

A new study of western diamondback rattlesnakes reveals that they abruptly shift to a high-frequency rattle as danger approaches.

Rattlesnakes Fool Humans Into Thinking They’re Nearby With This Sound-Warping Trick

A new study reveals the snakes change the speed of their rattles to appear closer than they are

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