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Smart News / Smart News Science

A "mummy portrait" affixed to a 3- to 4-year-old Egyptian boy's mummy (left) and a 3-D facial reconstruction based on the child's bone structure (right)

New Research

3-D Reconstruction Reveals the Face of an Ancient Egyptian Toddler

The digital likeness bears a striking similarity to a portrait attached to the front of the boy’s mummy

The R.M.S. Titanic, seen departing Belfast on April 2, 1912

New Research

Did the Northern Lights Play a Role in the Titanic’s Demise?

New study suggests the solar storm that sparked the aurora borealis interfered with the ship’s navigational and radio equipment

Common wisdom tells us that lightning strikes the tallest thing in an open area—so are giraffes at a greater risk of lightning strikes than other animals?

Are Giraffes Doomed to Be Struck by Lightning Because of Their Height?

A recent pair of giraffe deaths sparked the question

Tropical Storm Beta reached the coast of Texas on Monday night.

Out of Names, National Hurricane Center Calls New Storms by Greek Letters

This season is the second time ever that the list of 21 storm names has been exhausted

One of two perfectly preserved fossil skeletons of the newly discovered burrowing dinosaur Changmiania liaoningensis and an artist's rendering of the species.

New Research

New Species of Burrowing Dinosaur May Have Died During ‘Cretaceous Pompeii’

Perhaps killed by a volcanic eruption while resting at the bottom of its burrow, the four-foot-long digging dino’s remains were immaculately preserved

A webcam view of Mount Wilson Observatory's trademark white domes, with fires raging in the background on September 19.

Historic Mount Wilson Observatory Threatened by Bobcat Fire in Los Angeles

Although the immediate danger seems to have passed, the fight to battle the flames threatening the historic observatory continues

Poachers are considered unlikely culprits because the dead elephants retained their ivory tusks, which fetch top dollar on the black market.

Toxic Algae Caused Mysterious Widespread Deaths of 330 Elephants in Botswana

Officials say the pachyderms were killed by blooms of the organisms, which polluted pools of drinking water with neurotoxins

The Climate Clock is on display in Manhattan's Union Square as part of the city's Climate Week.

Art Meets Science

Clock in New York Counts Down the Time Remaining to Avert Climate Disaster

The installation began its count down on September 17 with seven years, 103 days, 15 hours, 40 minutes and seven seconds

This illustration depicts a giant planet the size of Jupiter, WD 1856 b. The planet is about seven times larger than the white dwarf star that it orbits every 34 hours.

This Giant Planet Is Orbiting a Dead Star

In a first, NASA astronomers have discovered a planet orbiting a ‘dead’ white dwarf star

Some animals eat the leaves, but the venomous spines are certainly enough to discourage humans from getting too close.

New Research

How Venomous Australian Stinging Trees Cause So Much Pain

The trees may look fuzzy, but they’re covered in tiny needles that can cause months of pain

Indian fishermen row their boat on the Bay of Bengal.

New Research

Undersea Earthquakes May Help Us Take the Ocean’s Temperature

The technique could allow for more accurate and comprehensive monitoring of the world’s warming oceans and track climate change

Researchers identified seven prehistoric human footprints at Alathar, a dried-up lake bed in Saudi Arabia.

New Research

Human Footprints Found in Saudi Arabia May Be 120,000 Years Old

If confirmed, the footfalls would represent the oldest evidence of Homo sapiens’ presence on the Arabian Peninsula

The postage-stamp sized sample of amber contained 39 half-millimeter-long crustaceans called ostracods, including 31 of a new species.

New Research

Scientists Discover Oldest Sperm Yet Preserved in Amber

The longest sperm in the sample is one-third the body length of the creature that produced it

An aerial view from September 17 shows people walking through a flooded street after Hurricane Sally passed through Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Why Did Hurricane Sally Move So Slowly? It Has to Do With Climate Change

Creeping along at just 2 to 3 miles per hour, Sally is the latest in a trend of slow-moving storms, scientists say

Vikings' maritime expeditions brought them out of Scandinavia and into Northern Europe, where they intermingled with local populations.

Sweeping DNA Survey Highlights Vikings’ Surprising Genetic Diversity

A new study suggests Viking identity didn’t always equate to Scandinavian ancestry

A split image showing an active Sun during solar maximum (on the left, taken in 2014) and a quiet Sun during solar minimum (on the right, taken in 2019).

A New Solar Cycle Promises Calm Space Weather

Experts say the sun’s next decade will likely feature a low number of events like solar flares that can disrupt power grids and satellites

Stan, a 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, will go on the auction block at Christie's on Oct. 6.

You Can Buy This T. Rex Skeleton—for a Hefty Price

Paleontology enthusiasts with an extra $8 million lying around can bid on Stan, a 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex

This cave bear probably lived between 22,000 and 39,500 years ago, and researchers hope to get a better estimate with closer study.

Ice Age Cave Bear Found Preserved in Permafrost on Siberian Island

According to preliminary analysis, the bear is between 22,000 and 39,500 years old

NMSU professor Martha Desmond, biologist in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology is trying to find out why hundreds of thousands of migratory birds have been found dead across the state.

Thousands of Migrating Birds Drop Dead Across Southwestern U.S.

Researchers aren’t sure what’s causing the mass die-off impacting birds flying south for the winter

“The pandemic has, in almost every dimension, made inequity worse,” said Bill Gates during a press conference about the results of the Goalkeepers Report.

New Report Details Impacts of Covid-19 Pandemic on Global Health

The annual Gates Foundation report assesses global progress toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals

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