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Smart News / Smart News Science

Sushi anyone?

This Parasitic Worm Is Thriving in Nature, but May Affect Your Sushi Dinner

The worms are 283-times more abundant than they were in the 1970s, which might be a sign of healthy marine ecosystems

From L to R: Ellis Marsalis Jr., Bucky Pizzarelli and Wallace Roney

Covid-19

COVID-19 Claims the Lives of Three Jazz Greats

Pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis Jr., trumpeter Wallace Roney, and guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli succumbed to complications caused by the novel coronavirus

Once fish were captured in watercourts, they were likely harvested with nets or speared.

New Research

In Ancient Florida, the Calusa Built an Empire Out of Shells and Fish

New research suggests the civilization used huge enclosures to trap and stockpile live fish to support its complex society

19th-century depiction of Thomas Becket, seen with a sword piercing his head

The Fallout of a Medieval Archbishop’s Murder Is Recorded in Alpine Ice

Traces of lead pollution frozen in a glacier confirm that British lead production waned just before the death of Thomas Becket

To Image a Black Hole Again, Scientists May Need to Put a Telescope on the Moon

New calculations show that the ring of light surrounding a black hole is actually made up of infinite subrings that can’t be seen with current technology

A sample of calcium copper silicate, also called Egyptian blue because it was invented roughly 5,000 years ago at the end of ancient Egypt's first dynasty.

Art Meets Science

New Tool for Biomedical Research Was Invented in Ancient Egypt

The bright blue pigment that adorns the Bust of Nefertiti’s crown can now be used to study molecular biology

Dolphin Boy Bands Sing ‘Pop’ Songs in Sync—and the Ladies Want It That Way

Female dolphins, it seems, aren’t immune to the allure of a harmonizing boy band

According to NASA: "The latest false-color view of total ozone over the Arctic pole. The purple and blue colors are where there is the least ozone, and the yellows and reds are where there is more ozone."

Why This Rare, Huge Ozone Hole Over the Arctic Is Puzzling Scientists

The new wound further diminishes Earth’s protective shield against damaging solar radiation

New research suggests that the impact that shaped Pluto's heart may have caused destruction on the other side.

New Research

More Evidence That Pluto Might Have a Subsurface Ocean

The impact that created Pluto’s ‘heart’ may have rippled through its ocean and damaged its rear

Maratus azureus, a newly discovered species of peacock spider from Western Australia

See Seven New Dazzling, Dancing Peacock Spiders

Hailing from all over Australia, the spiders were identified by a scientist who used to fear them

Durable, flexible polyurethane is commonly found in sports shoes and other products, and is tough to get rid of.

Scientists Discover Plastic-Munching Microbe in Waste Site

The bacterial strain can break down some of the toxic components of polyurethane plastic

The supermoon in March, called a Worm Moon, was the first of three supermoons in a row.

April’s Super ‘Pink’ Moon Will Be the Brightest Full Moon of 2020

Despite the name, moon won’t have a rosy hue. The name alludes to flowers that bloom in April

Cracked-open and burnt fragments of crab pincers, found in the cave of Figueira Brava.

Neanderthals Really Liked Seafood

A rare cache of aquatic animal remains suggests that like early humans, Neanderthals were exploiting marine resources

People cross Park Avenue after it was announced that some streets will be closed off as lockdown continues in response to the coronavirus outbreak on March 27, 2020 in New York City.

Covid-19

How—and When—Will the COVID-19 Pandemic End?

Americans have some time before social distancing measures can let up—and every day counts

According to traditional Japanese folklore, Amabie predicts good harvests and protect against disease.

Covid-19

Amid Pandemic, Artists Invoke Japanese Spirit Said to Protect Against Disease

Illustrators are sharing artwork of Amabie, a spirit first popularized during the Edo period, on social media

Hayabusa2 deployed a camera to film the plume of regolith thrown up by the impact.

New Research

Japan’s Experiment to Calculate an Asteroid’s Age Was a Smashing Success

The spacecraft Hayabusa2 hurled a four-pound copper ball toward the asteroid’s surface at about 4,500 miles an hour to create an artificial crater

Britain's weather can be fickle, but digitizing past data could help researchers forecast the future.

Education During Coronavirus

Bored at Home? Help Great Britain ‘Rescue’ Its Old Rainfall Records

Precious data points logged on paper are in dire need of a hero. Could it be you?

Archival image, July 9, 1973: (Original caption) A woman seems hesitant about buying fish at a shop in Tokyo recently (June 25) after the Japanese Health and Welfare Ministry's June 24th warning that no one should eat more than 567 grams (about one pound four ounces) of fish a week to avoid the possibility of dangerous mercury poisoning.

New Research

A Dead Cat’s Brain Revives Discussion of 1960s Mercury Poisoning Disaster in Japan

The exact molecule behind the Minamata mercury disaster, caused by a chemical plant’s wastewater, remains a point of disagreement

Education titles are doing particularly well, with sales of children’s nonfiction education, reference and language arts books up 12 percent from the same period last year.

Education During Coronavirus

Children’s Educational Books See Uptick in Sales Amid COVID-19 School Closures

Titles related to “home-life” subjects—like preserving and canning—have also experienced a boost in sales

Parks reopened in Wuhan on Thursday, March 26.

Covid-19

China Plans to Lift Lockdown on Wuhan, Where COVID-19 Was First Detected

With no new infections reported in Hubei province in recent days, restrictions are easing up—but experts worry about possible ‘second wave’ of cases

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