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Smart News / Smart News Science

A satellite view of a region of Buckingham, England where 42 skeletons were recently unearthed on a former farm situated near a cemetery (center)

Cool Finds

U.K. Developers Unearth 42 Bizarrely Buried Skeletons

The individuals, buried with their hands tied behind their backs, may be executed Anglo-Saxon prisoners or casualties of the English Civil War

Since WHO established the Public Health Emergency of International Concern designation in 2005 following the SARS outbreak, it has only been used five times.

Last Week, the World Health Organization Declared Coronavirus a Global Health Emergency. What Does That Mean?

The Public Health Emergency of International Concern designation was established in 2005—and has only been used five times since

Light pollution is threatening firefly populations.

Study Shines Light on Urgent Threats to Fireflies

Habitat loss, light pollution and pesticide were identified as three key risks that could push the insects toward extinction

The genetic legacies of modern humans and Neanderthals are more intertwined than once thought.

Modern Humans May Have More Neanderthal DNA Than Previously Thought

A new study is the first to identify a significant amount of Neanderthal DNA in African populations

An artist's impression of a pterosaur trying and failing to snag a cephalopod from the ocean

Pterosaur Tooth Found in Rare Ancient Squid Fossil

A tooth embedded in prehistoric cephalopod offers a glimpse into predator-prey interactions from 150 million years ago

The Moai sculptures on Rapa Nui are at risk of collapsing into the ocean as coastal erosion continues.

New Tool Tracks Climate Change’s Impact on World Heritage Sites

The online portal showcases the craggy cliffs surrounding Edinburgh Castle, Easter Island’s famed sculptures and other cultural heritage hotspots

Though Kentucky is landlocked today, giant sharks swam around some 330 million years ago when it was underwater during the Late Mississippian period.

Jaw of 330-Million-Year-Old Shark Discovered in Kentucky Cave

“My mind was blown,” said one of the scientists involved in the discovery

European honeybees are used by commercial beekeepers worldwide to pollinate crops and produce honey.

New Research

These Bees Fight Varroa Mites With Help From Special Engineered Bacteria

Honeybees with engineered microbiomes were more likely to survive both mites and the viruses they carry

Researchers diving amongst the wreckage of the S.S. Cotopaxi, which disappeared almost 95 years ago.

Cool Finds

Lost Ship Rediscovered After Disappearing Near Bermuda Triangle 95 Years Ago

Far from falling prey to a paranormal occurrence, the S.S. “Cotopaxi” actually sank during an unfortunate storm

Each finger is made of two layers of hydrogel that react to temperature by contracting and leaking water.

New Research

This Robotic Hand Stays Cool by Sweating

The robot is three times more efficient at sweating than the animal kingdom’s best, humans and horses

Staff won’t be able to check properly until March, because further exposure to cold air could kill any surviving bees.

10,000 Rare Bees Feared Dead After Attack at U.K. Castle

A local councillor deemed the perpetrators ‘morons’

Researchers conducting excavations near Bath Abbey have uncovered the remains of an apse dated to between the late eighth and late tenth centuries.

Cool Finds

Newly Unearthed Anglo-Saxon Monastery May Have Hosted England’s First Coronation

In the millennia since Edgar the Peaceful’s 973 coronation, the content of the royal ceremony has remained largely the same

The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope has produced the highest resolution image of the sun's surface ever taken. In this picture, taken at 789 nanometers (nm), we can see features as small as 30km (18 miles) in size for the first time ever. The image shows a pattern of turbulent, “boiling” gas that covers the entire sun.

See the Sun’s Surface Move in ‘Unprecedented’ Detail

The images were taken with the immensely powerful Inouye Solar Telescope, which could shed light on some of the sun’s more confounding secrets

The red-breasted nuthatch eavesdrops on chickadee conversations to get advanced notice of predators like pygmy owls.

New Research

Nuthatches Heed Chickadees’ Warning Calls—but They’re Wary of False Alarms

Nuthatches prefer to check the facts before they ‘retweet’ chickadees’ alerts

This deer mouse certainly looks pretty stressed and scared.

When Stressed Out, Mice’s Fur Turns Gray Quickly

A new study gives scientific backing to an old adage—and suggests that stress might affect the human body in dramatic ways

The Cape coral snake is a venomous species that lives in arid regions of southern Africa.

New Research

The Future of Antivenom May Involve Mini Lab-Grown Snake Glands

The antiquated technique used to produce antivenom requires injecting venom into horses and this new method may someday remove that step from the process

A new type of aurora, called auroral dunes, produces horizontal, undulating stripes of green that resemble mounds of sand on a beach.

A New Type of Aurora Ripples Across the Sky in Horizontal Green ‘Dunes’

Originally observed by citizen scientists, the unusual light show might help researchers better understand a poorly studied layer of the atmosphere

The mesmerizing rainbow sheen of jewel beetles Sternocera aequisignata might help camouflage them from predators.

Glitzy Beetles Use Their Sparkle for Camouflage

A new study suggests eye-catching iridescence isn’t just for standing out in a crowd—it can conceal, too

Chagyrskaya Cave in Siberia's Altai Mountains, where researchers uncovered Neanderthal stone blades that resemble tools excavated in Europe

Neanderthals May Have Trekked 2,000 Miles to Siberia

A new tool analysis suggests European Neanderthals migrated east at least twice

Asiatic cheetahs—like this one photographed in Iran—haven't had a stable population in India in decades. Now, the government has clearance to introduce African cheetahs into several wildlife ranges in the Indian subcontinent.

After Decades-Long Battle, Cheetahs Can Be Reintroduced in India

Officials will now move forward with an experimental—and controversial—plan

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