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Smart News / Smart News Science

Lasius niger queen and worker ants each got their own individual two-dimensional barcode tags. The tags allowed researchers to track their movement in the colony.

Ants Take Sick Days, Too

A new study has found that when some members of the colony are exposed to pathogens, they spend less time in the nest

New Research

Brown Recluse Silk Is Stronger Than Steel Because It’s Constructed Like a Cable

Thousands of nanotendrils come together to form the flat, super-strong spider silk

The skull-collecting ants use chemical mimicry, a behavior usually observed amongst parasitic species, to entrap prey

These Ants Immobilize Prey With Acid Then Drag Them Back to Nest for Dismemberment

Decapitated heads, dismembered limbs litter the floor of Formica archboldi nests

Civil War Photo Sleuth's software identifies up to 27 "facial landmarks" evident in images uploaded to database

Art Meets Science

Facial Recognition Software Is Helping Identify Unknown Figures in Civil War Photographs

Civil War Photo Sleuth aims to be the world’s largest, most complete digital archive of identified and unidentified Civil War-era portraits

The Golden Record features images of life on Earth, nature sounds, greetings recorded in 55 different languages

Art Meets Science

New Catalogue Describes Everything We’ve Sent Into Space

Entries include Doritos’ advertisement, Klingon Opera invitation, Beatles song

Your Cat’s Tongue Is a Rough, Pink Engineering Marvel

Researchers have found how spines on the sandpapery tongue keep kitties clean and cool

New Research

Why Wombats Make Cube-Shaped Poos

New research shows differences in elasticity in the intestines shapes the poo as it moves through

To attract females, males release a series of mating calls

Hurricane Harvey Didn’t Stop These Fish From Mating

Spotted seatrout engaged in normal spawning patterns as the eye of the storm passed directly over their habitat

Promising Peanut Allergy Treatment Could Become Available in the Near Future

A new study has found that gradually exposing children to peanut protein could increase their tolerance—though the treatment does not offer a complete cure

But First, Coffee—Unless You Are Genetically Disposed to Prefer Tea

Genetic variants that affect our sensitivity to certain bitter substances could play a part in determining our brew of choice, according to a new study

New Research

We Know How Stressed Whales Are Because Scientists Looked At Their Earwax

A new study looks at stress hormone levels in whale ear wax, showing how hunting and climate change have impacted he giant beasts

No need to get out of dodge quite yet.

The Eruptions of an Italian Supervolcano Seem to Follow a Pattern

And a new study suggests that Campi Flegrei could be entering a new phase of activity, though a major eruption in the near future is unlikely

Cool Finds

Massive Impact Crater Found Under Greenland’s Ice

Radar scans and sediment samples indicate a large meteorite blasted through the ice sheet between 3 million and 12,000 years ago

Orangutan mothers waited an average of seven minutes before alerting infants to a potential predator's presence

Orangutans Are the Only Non-Human Primates Capable of ‘Talking’ About the Past

Mothers waited several minutes before alerting offspring to potential predators, pointing toward capacity for displaced referencing

Heatwaves May Dramatically Reduce Insect Fertility

Sperm production dropped by nearly three-quarters among male beetles exposed to lab-induced temperature increases

Artist's rendition of Mirarce eatoni.

New Research

This Dino-Era Bird Was as Advanced as Modern Species. So Why Did It Disappear?

An enantiornithine fossil found in the western U.S. sat in storage for 25 years before it was officially described

The unusual primate has baffled scientists since its discovery in 1920

DNA Analysis Offers Insights on Origins of Extinct Jamaican Monkey

The unusual creature had few teeth, rodent-like legs, a squat body and a slow-paced lifestyle

The fire in Griffith Park was largely extinguished by late Friday

How the Los Angeles Zoo Prepares Its Animals to Face Natural Disasters

The institution sprung into action late last week, evacuating birds and some smaller primates before firefighters contained a nearby blaze in Griffith Park

A new study has found that moths like the Antherina suraka, pictured here, may use their scales to avoid detection by bats.

Deaf Moths May Use Their ‘Fur’ To Avoid Hungry Bats

Fur-like scales on the insects’ thoraxes absorb the echoes of bat calls, according to new research

Cool Finds

Massive Shark Nursery Found Off the West Coast of Ireland

Thousands of eggs and hundreds of catsharks were spotted during a deep sea coral reef survey 200 miles west of the island

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