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Smart News / Smart News Science

The projected path for 2020 SO, a space object that astronomers predict will become Earth's mini-moon in October, possibly staying until May 2021. The blue object in the center of the circle is Earth.

Earth May Soon Get Another Mini-Moon, but It’s Probably Just a Piece of Space Trash

It could be an asteroid—or, as one astronomer suggests, it could be a rocket booster from the 1960s

On Earth, most people are familiar with ultraviolet radiation’s harmful effects on our skin, but in space, astronauts are also subjected to galactic cosmic rays, accelerated solar particles, neutrons and gamma rays.

New Research

Moonwalking Humans Get Blasted With 200 Times the Radiation Experienced on Earth

The new findings will inform how much shielding future astronauts will need to safely explore the moon

Photographer Jak Wonderly’s photo, titled “Caught by Cats,” visualizes the deadly effect cats can wreak on their natural surroundings.

Portrait Displays Hundreds of Animals Killed by House Cats

Jak Wonderly’s ‘Caught by Cats’ aims to increase awareness of domestic cats’ deadly effects on wildlife.

Caption via Getty: "The coronavirus sniffer dogs named Kössi (L) and Miina cuddle with trainer Susanna Paavilainen at the Helsinki airport in Vantaa, Finland where they are trained to detect the Covid-19 from the arriving passengers, on September 22, 2020."

Helsinki Airport Employs Dogs to Sniff Out Signs of Covid-19 in Travelers’ Sweat

Four dogs began work at Helsinki Airport on September 22, and six more may join them soon

Elephants Kelly Ann and Mable are eligible to move to the White Oak Conservation Center north of Jacksonville, Florida.

Retired Circus Elephants to Move to 2,500-Acre Wildlife Refuge Next Year

Since 2016, about 30 elephants have lived in a 200-acre enclosure managed by Ringling Bros. circus

Artist's interpretation of a toothy Spinosaurus.

Cool Finds

Fossil Teeth Bolster Notion That Spinosaurus Was a ‘River Monster’

A selection of some 1,200 teeth found in ancient riverbeds was dominated by Spinosaurus, suggesting they made their home in the water

Hundreds of pilot whales are stranded on a sand bar on September 21, 2020 off the west coast of Tasmania.

Hundreds of Whales Die in Mass Stranding in Australia

Nearly 500 pilot whales were stranded off the coast of Tasmania last week, in what officials say is the largest mass stranding event in Australian history

A deadly Australian funnel-web spider bares its fangs.

New Research

Deadly Spiders Evolved Venom to Safely Search for Love

Male funnel-web spiders evolved deadly venom to protect themselves from vertebrate predators when they leave the safety of their burrows to find a mate

The emerald ash borer first appeared in Michigan in 2002.

New Research

Invasive Pest Threatens Future of North American Ash Trees

A new study shows that ash tree populations are not growing fast enough to replace the trees killed by ash borer larvae

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

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