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Smart News / Smart News Science

The lights of the Philadelphia skyline at night.

Philadelphia Skyscrapers Turn Lights Off to Save Migrating Birds

A new program aimed at reducing deadly collisions with buildings for migrating birds is set to begin on April 1

For decades there were rumors of leaking barrels filled with the pesticide DDT littering the ocean floor off the coast of Santa Catalina Island dumped by the now-defunct, Montrose Chemical Corp, the largest global DDT manufacturer based in Los Angeles

‘Underwater Roombas’ Scan Southern California Coast for DDT Barrels

Hundreds of tons of the toxic chemical have likely littered the ocean floor near Santa Catalina Island for decades

Shallow-water imperial cone snails collected for the study were generally larger than the snails collected in deeper water, suggesting they may be separate species.

New Research

This Snail’s Venom Mimics Pheromones to Lure Prey With Sex

The mini mollusk may use a ‘siren call’ strategy to entice marine worms out of hiding

Indoor cannabis growing in California.

New Research

Growing an Ounce of Pot Indoors Can Emit as Much Carbon as Burning a Full Tank of Gas

In some parts of the United States, the growing cannabis industry is responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions

The team used DNA analysis to determine the brothers' hair and eye color. Top: Spytihněv I and bottom: Vratislav I

Art Meets Science

3-D Reconstructions Reveal the Faces of Two Medieval Dukes

Researchers used a variety of techniques to visualize what Czech rulers Spytihněv I and Vratislav I might have looked like

On March 11, 2021, lanterns are released in remembrance of earthquake and tsunami victims in Koriyama, Fukushima prefecture.

Remembering the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Ten Years Later

The 9.0-magnitude earthquake in 2011 remains the largest in Japan’s recorded history

Through her literary works, “Kindred”, “Bloodchild”, “Parable of the Sower”, Butler explored themes of global warming, gender equality, political disparity and racism and as a result is known as the “mother” of Afrofuturism.

Mars’ Perseverance Landing Site Named After Science Fiction Author Octavia E. Butler

The Jezero crater location has been named ‘Octavia E. Butler Landing’ in honor of the late literary giant

A tiny, invasive zebra mussel found on a moss ball sold as aquarium decor in a pet store. Officials say moss balls containing the invasive species have been reported in pet stores in at least 21 states.

Officials Say Invasive Zebra Mussels Are Hiding in Aquarium Decor Sold Across U.S.

Pet stores in 21 states recall items after reports of the destructive bivalves lurking in moss balls

Pine siskins make up over 40 percent of the birds seen by the Bird Rescue Center of Sonoma County in recent weeks.

Songbirds Are Spreading a Deadly Disease at Birdfeeders

Pine siskins, a type of finch, can spread salmonella bacteria when they poop on the high-traffic platforms

Satellite images comparing bull kelp canopy cover (gold shading) 2008 and 2019 off the coast of Mendocino and Sonoma Counties in Northern California.

New Research

Satellite Imagery Shows Northern California Kelp Forests Have Collapsed

Researchers say they’re not sure these iconic coastal ecosystems will be able to make a comeback anytime soon

The meteorite is a carbonaceous chondrite. There are only 51 similar samples out of 65,000 meteorites in collections around the world.

Rare Meteorite Found in U.K. Driveway Could Hold Secrets of the Early Solar System

Thousands of people spotted the fireball on February 28, and more fragments may still be scattered in Gloucestershire

Although the planets seem like they are close in proximity and we can see them in the Earthly skies they are millions of miles far away with Saturn being the farthest at billions of miles away.

A Rare Astronomical Phenomenon of Three Planets Aligning Occurs This Week

Jupiter, Saturn, and Mercury are visible in the pre-dawn sky this week, along with a crescent moon

The vaccine developed by the veterinary pharmaceutical company, Zoetis, was provided to the San Diego Zoo after they requested help in vaccinating other apes when several gorillas tested positive for COVID-19 in January.

San Diego Zoo’s Great Apes Receive First Experimental Covid-19 Vaccine for Animals

Five bonobos and four orangutans were treated with a synthetic form of the virus

The head and the body of the sea slug Elysia marginata, a day after the animal decapitated itself.

New Research

Sea Slug’s Decapitated Head Crawls Around Before Regrowing a Body

Researchers think that lopping off its own noggin could help the critter rid itself of parasites

To investigate how these glowing clouds form, Richard Collins a space physicist, and his team in 2018 launched a suborbital rocket filled with water, known as NASA's Super Soaker Rocket, into the Alaskan sky to try and create an artificial polar mesospheric cloud.

To Study Night-Shining Clouds, NASA Used Its ‘Super Soaker’ Rocket to Make a Fake One

In summer months above the North and South Poles, glowing clouds occasionally form naturally at sunset under the right conditions

About 31 million people had been fully vaccinated in the U.S. as of Monday, March 8.

Covid-19

CDC Releases Guidelines for People Vaccinated Against Covid-19

The rules allow small gatherings with other vaccinated people or visits to a single household of unvaccinated people

The western monarch butterfly has declined by 99.9 percent since the 1980s, according to the latest population assessment.

New Research

Climate Change Lays Waste to Butterflies Across American West

Study documents declines across hundreds of species over recent decades, and finds years featuring warmer, drier autumns are particularly deadly

MyHeritage introduced 'Deep Nostalgia' to allow users to see their ancestors or late relatives come to life but is also being used to animate portrait art, statues and historical figures. Pictured: Smithsonian founder, James Smithson.

New A.I. Tool Makes Historic Photos Move, Blink and Smile

The algorithm matches pre-recorded video with the photo depending on the subject’s pose and applies natural facial movements to the image

A satellite image captured in September of 2020 shows how wildfire smoke blanketed the West Coast.

New Research

Wildfire Smoke Is More Damaging to Respiratory Health Than Other Sources of Air Pollution

Smoke exposure was associated with more hospital admissions than equivalent amounts of non-wildfire emissions

C. elegans are roundworms that are about one millimeter long and commonly used in scientific experiments as model organisms.

New Research

These Worms Have No Eyes, but They Avoid the Color Blue

When a scientist noticed that blind nematodes avoid bacteria that make blue toxin, he wondered if they took color into account

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