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Smart News / Smart News Science

An artist's rendering of Gunggamarandu maunala.

New Research

23-Foot ‘River Boss’ Croc Fossil Found in Australia

Slender-nosed extinct reptile would have patrolled freshwater ecosystems between two and five million years ago

A pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) crosses the Indian Ocean and passes near Mirissa, Sri Lanka.

Using Nuclear Bomb Detectors, Scientists Overhear the Secret Songs of a Never-Before-Seen Pygmy Blue Whale Population

The new group is named ‘Chagos’ after the islands close to where the melodies were detected

New genetic research suggests that the gray whale spotted off the coast of Namibia in 2013 originated in the western Pacific.

New Research

Gray Whale Breaks Migration Record With 16,700-Mile Journey

The whale, which is usually found in the northern Pacific Ocean, was spotted off Namibia in 2013

The new gray wolf pups in Colorado have yet to be photographed, so for now you'll have to make do with this bright-eyed pair.

Gray Wolf Pups Seen in Colorado for the First Time in 80 Years

Wildlife officials spotted at least three pups around a den site located near the Wyoming border

While observing the crayfish, the research team saw that the crustaceans exposed to low levels of the antidepressant were more adventurous and twice more likely to pop out of their shelters and explore their surroundings.

Crayfish Exposed to Antidepressants Are More Adventurous

While the traces of drugs found in waterways alter the crustacean’s behaviors, it may leave them more vulnerable to predation

It’s considered one of the coldest and smallest exoplanets discovered so far.

This Neptune-Like Exoplanet May Have Water Clouds

Despite the possible presence of water vapor, TOI-1231 b is likely not habitable because of its size

A blue jay photographed at a bird feeder. Fledgling blue jays and grackles in D.C., Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia have been dying of a mysterious ailment since late May.

Mysterious Ailment Blinding and Killing Birds in Washington, D.C. Area

Authorities are urging the public to take down bird feeders and baths in hopes of curbing the spread of what could be a wildlife disease

Sometime between 30-40 seconds after the diver was swallowed, the whale began to move its head from side to side and then resurfaced.

A Cape Cod Lobster Diver Was Swallowed by a Humpback Whale—and Then Spat Back Out

Except for severe bruising and a dislocated knee, the survivor is in good health and ready to return to work, he says

A Florida manatee swimming near the surface.

Florida’s Manatees Are Dying at an Alarming Rate

Experts say starvation appears to be the main cause of death. Polluted waters are likely smothering the manatees’ favorite food: seagrass

The snow’s red hue may also create a ‘snowball’ effect that harms ecosystems because red-tinged snow does not reflect as effectively as white snow and will melt faster.

What ‘Glacier Blood’ on the French Alps Tells Scientists About Climate Change at High Elevations

The red hue is produced by snow algae blooms. The color most likely shields the algae from damaging ultraviolet rays

Samples gathered at Wells Beach, shown here, revealed that the mysterious brown substance was made up of millions of bug carcasses.

Millions of Microscopic Fly Carcasses Left Dark Stains on People’s Feet at New England Beaches

The unusual event affected a 70-mile stretch of beaches from Massachusetts to Maine

The Southern Ocean is defined by a swift undertow called the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) that flows from West to East around Antarctica.

National Geographic Officially Recognizes the Southern Ocean as World’s Fifth Ocean

The organization’s cartographers will now label a total of five oceans on their maps and atlases

New research finds oxygen levels in the world's temperate freshwater lakes are declining due to the rising temperatures caused by climate change.

New Research

Climate Change Is Draining the World’s Lakes of Oxygen

Hotter, longer summers are increasing water temperatures, which reduces lake oxygen levels, especially in deep waters

Billions of cicadas have emerged across 14 states and Washington, D.C.

As Brood X Numbers Grow, Cicadas Interfere With Cars, Planes and Radar

Lawnmower-like singing isn’t the only way that these bugs have made themselves known

Tinier whales threaten the species’ survival because smaller whales do not have as many offspring. Nursing mothers who entangle themselves in nets also produce smaller calves.

Humans, We’ve Shrunk the Whales

North Atlantic right whales born today are three feet shorter on average than whales born in 1980—and commercial fishing could be to blame

“Not much in my life in the natural world has made me cry, but this did,” Nate Stephenson, an ecologist at the USGS who has been studying sequoias for 40 years, tells the Chronicle. “It hit me like a ton of bricks.”

Fire Destroyed 10 Percent of World’s Giant Sequoias Last Year—Can They Survive Climate Change?

A new draft report suggests between 7,500 and 10,600 of the massive trees were killed by wildfire in 2020

More than 200 bird species show anting behavior, which involves fanning their wings out on the ground and picking up insects, usually ants. But capturing a photo of the behavior is rare.

Photographer Captures Crow Taking an ‘Ant Bath’

Over 200 bird species partake in ‘anting,’ but so far, the behavior is poorly understood

A photo of the Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory in Hawaii where scientists measure atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

New Research

Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Reaches New High Despite Pandemic Emissions Reduction

Global carbon emissions in 2020 were lower than they were in 2019, but those reductions would need to be sustained for years to slow the climate crisis

Using growth layers on the bear's skull, the researchers dated the remains at 35,000 years old and concluded that the cave bear was an adult around ten years old when it died.

This 35,000-Year-Old Skull Could Be the First Evidence of Humans Hunting Small Cave Bears

The hole in the specimen may have been from injuries inflicted with a spear or during a postmortem ritual

In one clinical trial, Biogen's drug aducanumab showed that it could reduce beta-amyloid plaques and slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

FDA Approval of a New Alzheimer’s Drug Comes With Controversy

Aducanumab is the first approved drug that targets a possible underlying cause of Alzheimer’s disease

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