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Smart News / Smart News Science

These palms are a modern variety photographed along the shore of the Dead Sea.

Scientists Grew Palm Trees From 2,000-Year-Old Seeds

Judean dates were once renowned for their size and flavor

The left lobe of Pluto's distinctive heart is called Sputnik Planitia, covered with craterless plains of frozen nitrogen that vaporize each day.

New Research

Pluto Has a Nitrogen Heartbeat

Nitrogen on the dwarf planet’s glacial ‘heart’ becomes vapor each day and freezes each night

Now that's a big bubble.

Education During Coronavirus

Here’s How to Blow the Perfect Giant Soap Bubble, According to Physics

Sometimes, science really blows

Bees from the nest structures: A) Head, side, top and bottom views of bees found inside the cells, B) drawing of Eufriesea surinamensis and photograph of the head of a modern bee taken by David Roubik

Panama

150-Year-Old Mummified Bee Nests Found in Panama City Cathedral

The nests, covered in gold leaf and paint, act as a time capsule for the surrounding environment circa 1870

A new analysis of 12,000- to 16,000-year-old pottery fragments suggests ancient Siberians navigated the harsh ice age climate with the help of "hot pots."

Siberian Hunters Cooked in ‘Hot Pots’ at the End of the Last Ice Age

Chemical analysis of the cookware reveals the diets of two ancient Siberian cultures

To escape loud noises, sperm whales have been known to swim to the surface too quickly and give themselves the bends.

Whales Struggled to Find Food After New Zealand’s 2016 Earthquake

Sperm whales are at the top of the food chain, and the effects of undersea landslides rippled up

Jackass penguin calls don't sound like human words. But the two forms of communications follow the same linguistic laws.

Jackass Penguin Calls Follow Similar Rules to Human Speech

These birds are nicknamed for donkeys, but structure their calls like words

This 7,200-year-old well may have once helped early farmers get the most out of their land.

Cool Finds

This Czech Well May Be the World’s Oldest Wooden Structure

Researchers suspect the 7,200-year-old well stayed intact because it spent several centuries underwater

When wind and water deflect of the dunes, they nudge their neighbors away.

Sand Dunes ‘Communicate’ as They Migrate

Wind or water flow deflecting off one dune will shove its neighbor away

Desert locusts cover branches in Katitika village, Kitui county, in Kenya on Friday, January 24. Kenya hasn't seen locust swarms of this size in 70 years.

Billions of Locusts Are Swarming East Africa

The swarms were sparked by the unusually high number of cyclones in 2019

Grey seals will clap their forelimbs together underwater, generating a sharp sound that communicates to others around them.

In a First, Scientists Film Wild Grey Seals Clapping to Show Their Strength

The behavior is believed to scare off competitors while wooing potential mates

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

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