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Smart News / Smart News Science

Reptile vertebrae found at el-Wad Terrace Cave

15,000 Years Ago, Humans in Israel Ate Snakes and Lizards

Snacking on reptiles may have helped these prehistoric people adapt to living in more permanent settlements

An aggregation of roughly 64,000 green sea turtles at Raine Island in Australia.

Drone Footage Shows Thousands of Nesting Sea Turtles

The roughly 64,000 green sea turtles were photographed off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia at Raine Island, the turtle’s largest breeding ground

Of eight species of pangolin, three are considered critically endangered.

China Increases Protections for Pangolins

The mammal’s keratin scales have been removed from the traditional medicine ingredient list

Scientists have recorded footage of a black hole shooting hot gas and energy into space

Watch This Black Hole Spew Gas and Energy Into Space

A new video shows a black hole, about 10,000 light years away from Earth, shooting enormous jets of matter

The ICARUS antenna (right) on the exterior of the International Space Station.

The International Space Station Just Became a Powerful Tool for Tracking Animal Migration

The so-called ‘internet of animals,’ powered by an antenna aboard the ISS, will track thousands of creatures across the entire planet

Dr. Frederieke Kroon looking at a crown-of-thorns starfish on the Great Barrier Reef.

New Research

What Eats the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish? The Evidence Is in the Poop

The sea creatures are the second-biggest threat to the Great Barrier Reef after tropical cyclones

A young New Caledonian crow (right) wielding a stick that skilled adults use as tools to probe for food. The adult (left) tolerates the youngsters antics.

New Research

A Long Childhood May Be How Crows and Jays Evolved Their Smarts

Like humans, some of the smartest birds enjoy extended periods of parental care

Kathy Sullivan, left, and Victor Vescovo, right

Astronaut Kathy Sullivan Becomes First Woman to Reach Deepest Part of the Ocean

Sullivan is now the first person to have both walked in space and descend to the furthest reaches of the seafloor

A new cluster of sunspots, visible in the top left part of the image, might indicate a new period of activity for the sun.

The Sun Produced Its Biggest Solar Flare Since 2017

The activity might be a sign of the sun entering into a new period of activity—or not, NASA says

The blue outlined tadpole-like creature at the center of this elaborate structure, made of mucus, is a giant larvacean. New techniques have allowed scientists to model and study this structure, which is used by the larvacean to gather food.

New Research

Scientists Tour Elaborate, Deep-Sea ‘Snot Palaces’ for the First Time

Tiny transparent sea creatures make elaborate houses out of their own mucus. Now, researchers have illuminated the framework within these structures

Horseshoe crabs are bled to harvest a key ingredient in tests used to ensure injected medicines such as vaccines are free of contaminants. This photo was taken in 2014 at the Charles River Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina.

Covid-19

The Race for a Coronavirus Vaccine Runs on Horseshoe Crab Blood

Pharmaceutical companies use the creature’s blue blood to test for contaminants

Foxes may be evolving to live alongside humans.

New Research

London Foxes Show Early Signs of Self-Domestication

The urban foxes have squatter snouts and smaller brains than their rural cousins, but they’re no house pets

One of the Qumran caves where the Dead Sea Scroll fragments were found.

New Research

Ancient DNA Helps Unlock Dead Sea Scroll Puzzle

The bulk of the ‘scrolls’ are actually 25,000 fragments and genetic analysis is now helping researchers piece them together

A portrait of scientist Isaac Newton, who developed a toad vomit–based cure for the bubonic plague

Sir Isaac Newton’s Prescription for Plague? Toad Vomit Lozenges

Handwritten notes detailing the British polymath’s unsavory treatment are now up for auction

Built over the course of 200 years, Aguada Fénix was abandoned just 50 years after its completion.

Cool Finds

Aerial Survey Identifies Oldest, Largest Maya Structure Ever Found in Mexico

The platform stands between 33 and 50 feet tall and measures almost a mile long

On May 6, South Korea returned somewhat to normal, with businesses, museums and libraries reopening with social distancing measures in place. However, with a spike for more than 70 new cases in Seoul, museums have closed until June 14.

Covid-19

Seoul Closes Public Institutions After South Korea Sees 79 New COVID-19 Cases

Museums, churches, and art galleries are shut down until June 14 in Seoul, home to half of the country’s population

A great white shark pictured off the coast of Mexico in 2006

Prehistoric Great White Shark Nursery Discovered in Chile

Young sharks grew up here millions of years ago, scientists say

An artist's rendering shows the armored dinosaur Borealopelta markmitchelli eating ferns, which new research shows made up the majority of its diet.

New Research

Exquisitely Preserved ‘Mona Lisa’ of Dinosaur Fossils Reveals Prehistoric Creature’s Last Meal

Fossil plant matter found in the gut of the exquisitely preserved herbivore reveals its diet and even the season of its death

There are only around 80 Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) left on Earth. In their native northern Sumatra, Indonesia, they are being pushed towards extinction by habitat loss and poaching.

Already Unprecedented Rate of Wildlife Extinctions Is Accelerating

New research suggests roughly 500 species are likely to go extinct in the next two decades

Wonga Wongue chimpanzees of Gabon usually lie down on their sides to termite fish.

Chimpanzees’ Termite Fishing Habits Differ by Regional Groups

Some scientists say the finding is an ‘absolute milestone in culture in nature research’

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