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Smart News / Smart News Science

“Courting Devil Ray Ballet” by Duncan Murrell

These Are the Best Practices for Underwater Photographers Hoping to Protect Marine Life

You can look—and even use flash photography—but don’t touch

Measles Outbreak Sparks Public Health Emergency in Washington State

There have been 36 confirmed cases, and most of the patients had not been vaccinated

Apollo 14 Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. assembles equipment on the lunar surface on February 6, 1971.

Earth’s Oldest Known Rock May Have Been Found on the Moon

Alan Shepard, the first American astronaut in space, collected the rock sample during Apollo 14

A collapsed dam left 200 people missing and at least 58 dead, officials say. Rescuers search using helicopters.

Trending Today

Brazilian Mine Disaster Leaves 58 Dead, 200 Missing

Mine waste and sludge have contaminated a huge stretch of the Paraopeba River

Researchers from University College London recruited six javelin athletes to test the efficacy of Neanderthal spear replicas

Neanderthals Used Spears to Hunt Targets From Afar

New analysis adds to growing body of literature suggesting these early human ancestors were more advanced than previously believed

Please don't smooch or snuggle your hedgehog too much, CDC says.

CDC Cautions Against Kissing Pet Hedgehogs

The prickly critters have been linked to a recent salmonella outbreak

This Ancient Reptile Had a Small Head, Tiny Eyes and a Platypus-Like Bill

Even paleobiologists find Eretmorhipis carrolldongi strange

Rocking bed used in the human-centric study

Rocking Isn’t Just for Babies. It Helps Adults—and Mice—Fall Asleep, Too

Two new studies outline benefits including increased sleep quality, improved memory skills

Uroplatus finaritra, a new species of leaf-tailed gecko.

Cool Finds

Newly Discovered Leaf-Tailed Gecko From Madagascar Is Already Threatened by Pet Trade

The master of camouflage is about 4-inches-long and hides amid dead leaves

A Meteor Struck the Moon During Sunday’s Total Eclipse

It may be the first time that such an event was documented from Earth

Gemologist Brian Berger purchased the Indonesian opal last year

Cool Finds

Gemologist Finds Insect Entombed in Opal Rather Than Amber

The unusual specimen appears to contain an open-mouthed insect complete with ‘fibrous structures extending from the appendages’

A harbor seal checks out one of the team's divers.

A High Schooler Discovered Thousands of Golf Balls Polluting California’s Coastal Waters

She is now the co-author of a study that seeks to quantify this underreported problem

New Study Showcases Three-Toed Sloth’s Unsung Adaptability

Juvenile members of the so-called “specialized” herbivore species draw on a more diverse diet than previously believed

The first column shows the image being displayed on the LCD screen that the camera couldn't see. The second image is what was reflected onto the white wall, or the scene the camera captured. The third and fourth were produced without knowing the position of the occluded object. The last row, slightly better, shows the image produced with knowledge of the object's location.

Scientists Used an Ordinary Digital Camera to Peer Around a Corner

A team from Boston University recreated an image of an object using its shadow

New Research

We Finally Know How Long a Day on Saturn Is

By studying oscillations in the planet’s iconic rings, researchers have determined it takes Saturn 10 hours, 33 minutes and 38 seconds to rotate once

Researchers drilled into the depths of Lake Mercer with a pencil-sized nozzle that sprayed hot water

Cool Finds

Trove of Tiny Ancient Animal Remains Recovered From Depths of Antarctic Ice

The crustaceans and tardigrade, or water bear, were found around a kilometer below the surface of the subglacial Lake Mercer

The Last Wild Caribou of the Lower 48 Has Been Placed in Captivity

It will soon be released into another herd, but scientists do not know if caribou will even again inhabit the contiguous United States

The chart was hidden amongst a trove of rolled-up papers in the school's chemistry building

Cool Finds

Periodic Table Found During Routine Cleaning at Scottish University May Be World’s Oldest

The chart, believed to date to 1885, was unearthed from storage room in the chemistry building at the University of St. Andrews

Yutu-2 sets off on its inaugural journey.

The Cotton Plant That Sprouted on the Far Side of the Moon Has Died

China, which is manning the first probe to land on the lunar far side, was hoping to find out how plants fare in outer space

Beach primrose, Oenothera drummondii.

New Research

Flowers Sweeten Up When They Sense Bees Buzzing

A new study suggests plants can ‘hear’ the humming of nearby pollinators and increase their sugar content in response

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