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Smart News / Smart News Science

Researchers inspired by kirigami, the Japanese art of cutting and folding paper, create a friction-boosting material that could give shoes a stronger grip on ice and other slippery surfaces.

New Research

New No-Slip Sole Takes Inspiration From the Japanese Art of Kirigami

Compared to regular shoes, the grippy shoe bottom dramatically enhanced friction on ice

Cases of MIS-C are very rare and are mostly popping up in COVID-19 hotspots

Covid-19

What Experts Know About a Rare Inflammatory Syndrome Linked to COVID-19

The syndrome resembles a childhood illness called Kawasaki disease, but research is ongoing about both conditions

Photinus carolinus, or Synchronous Fireflies, are the only species in the U.S. that flash in coordinated bursts with one another.

Virtual Travel

Watch Fireflies Flicker From the Comfort of Home

Most firefly watching events are canceled this summer, but you can learn about and watch the flashy insects in this online event

Glacier mice are balls of moss found in parts of Alaska and Iceland.

New Research

Herds of Moss Balls Mysteriously Roam the Arctic Together

The moss isn’t propelled by a slope, the wind, or the sun, but the group moves in sync

A forest in Koenigshain, Germany.

New Research

Forests Are Getting Shorter and Younger All Over the World

The loss of the oldest, tallest trees makes forests store less carbon dioxide and diminishes the wildlife they can support

Shot in 1935, this is a still from a newly rediscovered bit of footage depicting Benjamin, the last captive thylacine on Earth. He was on display at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart, Tasmania.

‘New’ Footage of Benjamin, the Last Tasmanian Tiger Ever Seen Alive

The short video hasn’t been seen in more than 80 years and shows the animal pacing its enclosure in Hobart, Tasmania

A bald eagle nest—complete with eaglet—in Rutland, Massachusetts

Bald Eagle Nest With Eggs Spotted on Cape Cod for the First Time in 115 Years

Number of bald eagle nests in Massachusetts continues to soar, officials say

Washington State Department of Agriculture entomologist Chris Looney holds a dead invasive Asian giant hornet alongside the smaller, native bald-faced hornet. With the addition of two new sightings recorded in the last month in Washington and British Columbia, there have now been six confirmed sightings of the world's largest hornet in North America.

Two New Asian Giant Hornet Sightings in Pacific Northwest

The sightings, both of individual dead hornets, expand the area currently being patrolled by scientists hoping to track and eradicate the invasive insect

Loons have been known to launch themselves out of the water and stab others in the chest with their dagger-like beaks.

Eagle Stabbed Through the Heart—and a Loon’s to Blame

Birdie, you give loons a bad name

An adult male Hippocampus nalu will grow to a maximum of just 2 centimeters long.

Newly Discovered Pygmy Seahorse Species Is the Size of a Fingernail

This tiny creature is the first of its kind discovered near the continent of Africa

Scientists discovered the remains of some 60 mammoths during excavations for a new airport in Mexico.

Remains of 60 Mammoths Discovered in Mexico

Archaeologists found the trove of bones just six miles from recently discovered human-made ‘mammoth traps’

Larry Kramer by Robert Giard, gelatin silver print, 1989

Playwright and AIDS Activist Larry Kramer Dies at 84

The American writer and public health advocate was “a lionhearted force,” says Smithsonian curator Katherine Ott

These ‘Elvis Worms’ Shimmer and Sparkle—and Fight Rough

New research describes four species of iridescent deep-sea creatures that sparkle like bedazzled Elvis Presley jumpsuits

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for its first crew launch from American soil arrived at Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 13, 2020.

First Rocket Launch From U.S. Soil in Nine Years Postponed

The two NASA astronauts will lift off from historic launch pad 39A, used for the Apollo and space shuttle missions

Swiss researchers have developed a prototype of iridescent chocolate

Thanks to Physics, This Chocolate Is Iridescent—and Safe to Eat

One Twitter user and Swiss researchers have created chocolate that diffracts light like a prism

The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish confirmed the hemorrhagic disease in a black-tailed jackrabbit and five desert cottontails in March.

North American Rabbits Face a Deadly Virus

The hemorrhagic virus has infected in domestic rabbits since 2018, and it’s now spreading in the wild population

A new study has mapped green algae blooms, like the one pictured here, on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Algae Blooms Turn Antarctica’s Ice Green

Scientists predict that the organisms’ presence will increase as global temperatures increase

The glass frog's translucent stomach skin offers a window into its internal organs. New research finds this odd seeming trait may help the frogs evade predators.

Scientists Discover the Reason Behind the Glass Frog’s Translucent Skin

Glass-like skin helps break up the frog’s outline and matches the frog’s brightness to its leafy perch, making it harder for predators to spot

Mauna Kea as seen from the Mauna Loa observatory.

New Research

Mauna Kea’s Quakes Might Be Caused by Shifting Gas

The volcano has been rumbling regularly for years, but it’s nothing to worry about

A satellite photo of Tropical Storm Arthur in the Atlantic Ocean on July 2, 2014. Another tropical storm named Arthur threatened the Outer Banks of North Carolina earlier this week.

NOAA Predicts ‘Busy’ Atlantic Hurricane Season for Fifth Year in a Row

Disaster responses are also likely to be complicated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to FEMA and the Red Cross

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