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Smart News / Smart News Science

A singed Koala receives treatment for dehydration at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital earlier this month.

Australia Faces ‘National Tragedy’ After Koala Population Takes Hit in Recent Brushfires

Massive wildfires are exacerbating the marsupial’s already vulnerable status

Sweet Narwhal will be adoptable soon, but he is not for sale. He is a very good boy, of course.

Meet the ‘Unicorn Puppy’ With an Extra Tail on His Head

Narwhal’s unique appendage may be the remnant of his parasitic twin

The thread-like structures in this image from the Japanese satellite Hinode are spicules, giant plumes of gas that transfer energy through the sun’s various regions.

New Research

Millions of Plasma ‘Spicules’ Could Explain the Extreme Heat of the Sun’s Atmosphere

New observations suggest interactions between opposite magnetic fields cause millions of super hot tendrils to erupt from the surface of the sun

A view of Gale Crater, where the Curiosity rover is currently conducting research.

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Finds Strange Fluctuating Oxygen Levels on Mars

Oxygen levels seem to spike in Mars’ spring season, occasionally in tandem with shifting methane levels

Two cows photographed in 2017 on Cedar Island. Three cows, not pictured, were found later following Hurricane Dorian.

Three Cows Swept Away by Hurricane Dorian Have Been Found Alive

Officials think the brave bovines swam between four and five miles to the Cape Lookout National Seashore

New Research

Scientists Now Know Where the Largest Ape to Ever Exist Sits in Primate Family Tree

Proteins from a 1.9 million-year-old molar show that the 10-foot-tall ‘Gigantopithecus’ is a distant relative to modern orangutans

Greenland's oldest ice—once thought of as "the last ice area"—is melting twice as fast as the rest of the Arctic.

Greenland’s Oldest Ice Is Melting ‘Twice as Fast as the Rest of the Arctic’

The region was once thought of as the ‘last ice area’ because scientists thought it would outlive other ice

Dolphins corral sardines into a "bait ball."

Watch Dolphins Punt, Thrash and Trap Their Prey

Recent observations showcase dolphins’ diverse—and often violent—hunting techniques

Hoh Xil, on the Tibetan Plateau, sits in what will soon be Sanjiangyuan, China's first national park, according to Getty.

China Is Developing a New National Parks System, Inspired by Yellowstone and Yosemite

The first one to open will encompass a high-altitude, remote region of the Tibetan Plateau

Trending Today

NASA Names Most Distant Object Ever Explored ‘Arrokoth,’ the Powhatan Word for Sky

The space rock’s initial nickname, Ultima Thule, drew criticism for its ties to Nazi ideology

A general view shows the flooded St. Mark's Square, the Doge's Palace (L), the Lion of St. Mark winged bronze statue and the Venetian lagoon after an exceptional overnight "Alta Acqua" high tide water level, on November 13, 2019 in Venice.

Venice Declares State of Emergency as City Battles Worst Floods in 50 Years

The Italian city’s high-water mark reached 74 inches on Tuesday

Illegally caught belugas in a pool in Srednyaya Bay near the city of Nakhodka in Russia's Far East.

Russia Frees Last Belugas From Notorious ‘Whale Jail’

Dozens of orcas and belugas had been kept in small sea pens, reportedly awaiting sale to China

A two-month-old filefish collected in the survey surrounded by plastic bits.

New Research

Newly Identified Fish Nurseries Are Choked With Plastic

Larval fish congregate in surface slicks, which contain plankton—and 126 times more plastic than surrounding waters

The silver-backed chevrotain hadn't been photographed or studied by scientists in 30 years.

Scientists Thought This Fanged, Cat-Sized Deer Was Gone for Good—Now It’s Been Found Again in Vietnam

The species was lost to science, but locals had seen silver-backed chevrotains among their more common deer relatives for years

More than 60 bushfires destroyed 200 homes in Australia.

Australia Is Battling ‘Catastrophic’ Bushfires

‘I’ve been in this industry for 40 years and I have not seen a scenario like this before,’ one fire official said

New Research

Birds Sniff Each Other’s Bacteria to Help Choose a Mate

A new study finds the microbiome in a bird’s preen oil determines its scent, which can impact its reproductive success

The recently opened Apollo moon sample.

Trending Today

NASA Opens Pristine Tube of Moon Dust From the Apollo Missions

Studying the lunar material will help scientists understand the best way to analyze new samples from future missions to the moon

In residential district of Lahore, a health worker fumigates to kill off mosquito larvae to combat the spread of dengue.

New Dengue Vaccine Looks Promising, but Major Hurdles Remain

The virus currently infects almost 400 million people a year

A composite image of Mercury's 2016 transit.

How to Watch Mercury’s Rare Transit Across the Sun

Step one: Protect your eyes

A brain with a normal olfactory bulb on the left and a brain lacking the bulb on the right.

New Research

Some Women Without the Brain’s Olfactory Bulbs Can Still Smell. Scientists Say It Makes No Sense

Left-handed women missing the brain structures were still able to smell as well–or better—than average

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