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Smart News / Smart News Science

The Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain is one of many museums featuring curvilinear edges

Art Meets Science

New Study Offers Clues to Dominance of Curve-Filled Museum Designs

Architects are more likely than non-experts to deem curvilinear spaces beautiful, but less likely to enter curved over straight-edged rooms

The cactus spines, bound together with yucca leaves, are still stained with black ink

Cool Finds

These 2,000-Year-Old Needles, Still Sharp, Are the Oldest Tattooing Instruments Found in the Southwestern U.S.

Originally excavated in 1972, the pronged cactus-spine tool languished in storage for more than 40 years before its true purpose was recognized

New Research

Mars May Have Had a Planet-Wide System of Underground Lakes

A study of 24 craters shows they experienced the simultaneous rise and fall of groundwater, suggesting they were interconnected at one time

Turtles, bound in duct-tape, that were discovered in luggage at Manila's Ninoy Aquino international airport.

1,500 Turtles and Tortoises Found Stuffed Into Luggage at Manila Airport

It is believed that the animals, some of which are considered vulnerable, were being trafficked as part of a multi-million dollar wildlife trade

Kitten-sized Lil Bub has extra toes on each paw, no teeth and an undersized jaw that makes her tongue perpetually stick out

Genome Sequencing Offers Clues About Celebrity Cat Lil Bub’s Unusual Appearance

Researchers identified the mutations responsible for the tabby’s extra toes, tiny stature

Researchers analyzed the orthodentin and the cementum in the sloth tooth. Pits mark locations where samples were collected for analysis.

Found: The Remains of a 27,000-Year-Old Sloth That Got Stuck in a Sinkhole

The sloth’s tooth, which was discovered in a deep pool in Belize, is helping scientists learn about the animal’s diet and the climate in which it lived

The team's findings could have implications for the treatment of human communication disorders

Meet the Singing Mice of Central America

The vocal critters could help scientists better understand the mechanics of human conversation

When you snooze, you lose.

New Research

You Can’t Make Up for Lost Sleep by Snoozing on the Weekends

A new study suggests that sleeping late on Saturday and Sunday may disrupt metabolic and circadian functions for the chronically sleep deprived

Illustration shows two sperm fertilizing an egg.

Doctors Identify Very Rare ‘Semi-Identical’ Twins

There is only one other known case of this unusual type of conception, which happens when an egg is fertilized by two sperm

Cool Finds

Using Landmine Detectors, Meteorite Hunt Turns Up 36 Space Rocks in Antarctica

The scientists had a hunch that more meteorites were hidden a foot below the ice—they were right

"People seem to be getting used to changes they’d prefer to avoid," study lead author Frances Moore says. "But just because they’re not talking about it doesn’t mean it’s not making them worse off.”

It Only Takes a Few Years for Perceptions of Extreme Weather to Normalize, Study Suggests

According to a survey of two billion tweets, people stop viewing weather anomalies as extreme after just two to eight years of recurring temperatures

Does Exposure to Green Spaces in Childhood Lead to Better Mental Health?

A new study finds that growing up with limited access to greenery is associated with a 15 to 55 percent higher risk of developing mental health conditions

New Parents May Face Up to Six Years of Disrupted Sleep

A new study has found that sleep deprivation doesn’t end once babies start sleeping through the night

Trending Today

Chubby Rat Stuck in Manhole Cover Rescued by Fearless Firefighters

It took eight volunteer firefighters to pop the overweight rodent out of a vent in the sewer cover

The levels of radioactive material found at the scene weren't high enough to cause radiation poisoning, but experts point out that extended exposure could cause health problems over time

Radioactive Material Transferred by Cancer Patient’s Body Contaminated an Arizona Crematorium

Researchers also found traces of a different radioactive isotope, likely linked with a separate cremation, in a worker’s urine

New Research

Could Climate Change Make These Clouds Go Extinct?

New modeling shows that 1,200 ppm of CO2 disrupts stratocumulus cloud formation, which could lead to 14 degrees Fahrenheit of warming

Furious Winds Lead to ‘Ice Tsunamis’ Along Lake Erie

Walls of ice—some as high as 30 feet—surged over the shoreline, colliding with residential properties

It’s likely the beached calf was separated from its mother during the humpback whales’ mass migration south

As Humpback Whales Migrate to Antarctica, One Straggler Washes Ashore in the Amazon

Scientists found the one-year-old calf’s carcass around 50 feet inland on a remote Brazilian island

A plume of sediment off the coast of Queensland after recent flooding.

Trending Today

Australia Allows One Million Tons of Sludge to Be Dumped on Great Barrier Reef

A loophole in Australian federal law allows dredging spoils from port maintenance to be dumped in the marine park

The U.S. Has the Highest Overdose Death Rate of Any Wealthy Nation

A new study has found that there are, on average, 3.5 times more drug-related deaths in the United States than in 17 other wealthy countries

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