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Smart News / Smart News Science

See Spot run!

Businesses Can Now Buy Spot, Boston Dynamics’ Robotic ‘Dog’

The four-legged robot sells for about $75,000

This diagram shows the different kinds of animal bones used to make the 48,000-year-old tools.

Cool Finds

Evidence of Early Bow-and-Arrow Hunting Discovered in Sri Lanka

If confirmed, the 48,000-year-old find will be the oldest known instance of bowhunting outside of Africa

Artist Jason deCaires Taylor's “Ocean Siren” changes color according to the average daily water temperatures measured at Davies Reef on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Recently, marine heatwaves have wreaked havoc on the Great Barrier Reef, causing the most widespread bleaching ever recorded.

This Sculpture Takes the Great Barrier Reef’s Temperature

‘Ocean Siren’ changes colors in real time to reflect ocean temperatures at Davies Reef, part of Australia’s ailing Great Barrier Reef

An up-close look at SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease

Covid-19

COVID-19 Cases Exceed Eight Million Worldwide

The bleak milestone arrives as cases spike in South America

A close-up view of the os cordis bone, a tiny bone discovered in the heart tissue of some chimpanzees

Tiny, Rare Bone Found in the Hearts of Chimpanzees

Researchers say the bone may be linked to heart disease

Virtually swim with a sea lion in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary in one of four new 360 degree virtual dives.

Celebrate World Ocean Month With Four Virtual Dives

Swim with a sea lion, sea turtles, sharks and more in four 360-degree virtual dives created by NOAA

Researchers are concerned about what the presence of microplastics in protected landscapes will mean for local ecosystems.

New Research

The Forecast in National Parks Is Cloudy With a Chance of Plastic Rain

New research finds America’s western national parks and wilderness areas receive more than 1,000 tons of plastic rain every year

Reconstruction of Batrachopus trackmaker from the Lower Cretaceous Jinju Formation of South Korea

New Research

Fossil Footprints Suggest Ancient Crocodile Walked on Two Legs

The lumbering crocodylomorph lived during the early Cretaceous period, about 106 million years ago

Six images of the Martian moon Phobos captured by NASA's Odyssey spacecraft. Three new images were released this month, giving scientists a fuller picture of Phobos' surface as it waxes and wanes.

NASA Releases Rainbow-Colored Images of Martian Moon Phobos

Scientists say that the brightly colored thermal images, collected by the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, will help them better understand the moon’s origins

In the United Kingdom, coronavirus lockdown measures were relaxed on June 15.

New Research

Studies Estimate That Lockdowns Slowed COVID-19 Spread and Saved Lives

Experts say the results provide evidence in support of extending these measures

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

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