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Smart News / Smart News Science

MIT researchers develop a mathematical model to predict a knot’s stability with the help of color-changing fibers.

New Research

The Mathematics of a Well-Tied Knot

Fibers that change color under pressure helped researchers predict knot performance

Vera C. Rubin, who advanced our understanding of dark matter, operating the 2.1-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory.

For the First Time, a National U.S. Observatory Has Been Named for a Female Astronomer: Vera Rubin

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will image the entire visible night sky every few nights

Church ruins from Norse Greenland's Eastern Settlement

New Research

Did Over-Hunting Walruses Fuel the Collapse of Norse Greenland?

A new study has found that Norse hunters began pursuing smaller animals at increasingly risky distances in “a classic pattern of resource depletion”

“Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall” is a multimedia exhibition charting the life and career of the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees.

Immerse Yourself in Jane Goodall’s Wondrous, Chimpanzee-Filled Life

A new multimedia show includes the primatologist’s childhood possessions, a 3-D film and a “Chimp Chat” station

"Punta Ventana," or Window Point, once had naturally formed rock bridge that created a hole, but it collapsed during an earthquake this week.

Iconic Puerto Rico Landmark Collapses in Earthquake

Punta Ventana, a natural stone archway, fell amid a spate of earthquakes that have been rattling the island

A yellow box indicates where an AI system found cancer hiding inside breast tissue.

New Research

What Does Google’s Breast Cancer Screening A.I. Actually Do?

The program was slightly better than human radiologists at spotting abnormalities in mammograms

The excavation at Border Cave in the Lebombo Mountains on the Kwazulu-Natal/eSwatini border

Humans Were Roasting Root Vegetables 170,000 Years Ago, Study Suggests

The find may challenge modern notions about the starch-starved “paleo diet”

An undated composite sketch of Joseph Henry Loveless, whose headless torso was found in a remote Idaho cave 40 years ago

DNA Evidence Identifies Headless Corpse in Cave as 1916 Axe Murderer

Joseph Henry Loveless murdered his wife with an axe more than 100 years ago. Now, his dismembered remains have been identified

After seeing their numbers slashed due to overhunting in the 20th century, North Atlantic right whales still face plenty of threats, including ship strikes, habitat degradation and pollution. A mother and her calf are seen in this aerial image from 2005.

Can Scientists Protect North Atlantic Right Whales by Counting Them From Space?

A new collaboration between the New England Aquarium and the engineering firm Draper seeks to use satellite sonar and radar data to create a global watch

Maat Mons, Venus' highest volcano, one of several that may still be active in present day

Active Volcanoes May Still Exist on Venus

Scientists baked volcanic minerals in a box furnace to model how quickly lava ages on the planet’s harsh surface

Formalin-fixed lung collected in 1912 in Berlin from a 2-year-old girl who died of measles-related pneumonia

Century-Old Lungs May Push Origin of Measles Back 1,500 Years

The viral infection may have made its first hop into humans when large cities arose

Athena, a two-toed sloth who recently made her debut at the National Zoo.

Will Love Bloom Between Two Sloths at the National Zoo?

Keepers are gradually introducing Athena, who made her debut at the zoo in December, to fellow two-toed sloth Vlad. Sparks have not flown—yet

Otzi carried 14 arrows in his quiver, but only two had arrowheads and feather fletching.

What We Can Learn From Ötzi the Iceman’s Hunting Pack

The famed Copper Age mummy’s bowstring is the world’s oldest known specimen

Engineered with genes that boost its beta-carotene content, golden rice (top) comes with a yellowish hue that makes it stand out from typical white rice (bottom)

Golden Rice Approved as Safe for Consumption in the Philippines

The genetically modified crop could help combat the country’s vitamin A deficiency

Thousands were evacuated this week as bushfires continue to blaze across East Gippsland in Australia.

Raging Wildfires Have Prompted a State of Emergency in Australia—Again

This is the third time that such a declaration has been made since the conflagrations began last year

Iridescent spots found on the dot-underwing moth suggest that even nocturnal insects might rely on visual cues

New Research

How These Nocturnal Moths Sparkle at Night

The nocturnal insect might flash its reflective spots at a potential mate

An artist's illustration of juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex, which were more fleet-footed than their adult counterparts

Teenage T. Rex Fossils Reveal Haphazard Growth Spurts

A new study reaffirms that two debated dinosaur fossils named Jane and Petey weren’t a separate species

A sign reading "No Entrance!" is seen at the burned-out monkey house of the zoo in Krefeld, western Germany, on January 1, 2020.

More Than 30 Animals, Among Them ‘Highly Endangered’ Species, Killed in Fire at German Zoo

Authorities say the blaze was likely started by floating lanterns illegally released into the sky on New Year’s Eve

On December 28, 2019, Christina Koch broke the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, according to NASA.

Astronaut Christina Koch Breaks Record for Longest Spaceflight by a Woman

By the end of her mission in February, Koch will have spent 328 days in space

Chinese authorities found that He's team falsified regulatory paperwork.

Scientist Behind First CRISPR-Modified Babies Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

He Jiankui faced backlash immediately after announcing the twins’ birth late last year

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