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Smart News / Smart News Science

Goats either prefer humans that sport a grin or make an effort to avoid those with a grimace, a new study shows.

Goats May Prefer Happy Human Faces

A new study found that goats gravitate towards images of smiling people, suggesting that they can distinguish between human expressions

Monks likely used the disc-shaped gaming board to play Hnefatafl, a Norse strategy game that pits a king and his defenders against two dozen attackers, during the 7th or 8th century

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Medieval Game Board During Search for Lost Monastery

Scotland’s oldest surviving manuscript, the Book of Deer, was written by monks living in the Aberdeenshire monastery

Cool Finds

Meet the Rosehip Neuron: A Newly Discovered Cell in the Human Brain

The neuron is not found within lab mice, possibly explaining why mouse studies often do not translate to human brains

DNA of Extinct Cave Bear Lives on in Modern Brown Bears

A new genetic study has found that the two species interbred

The Franklin Expedition hoped to find a northwest passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific

Lead Poisoning Wasn’t a Major Factor in the Mysterious Demise of the Franklin Expedition

Researchers argue that lead exposure occurred prior to the start of the voyage, not during the stranded crew’s battle for survival

These deficiencies are just the starting point for much bigger problems.

New Research

Climate Change Could Lead to Nutrient Deficiency for Hundreds of Millions

Carbon dioxide decreases zinc, iron and protein in food crops, which could add millions of people to the billions who don’t get enough nutrition

Extinct Baby Horse—Its Skin and Hair Intact—Found in the Siberian Permafrost

The foal lived between 30,000-40,000 years ago

Trending Today

Sniffer Dogs Represent the Latest Weapon in the Fight Against the Illegal Ivory Trade

A new system at Kenya’s port of Mombasa allows dogs to detect elephant tusk, rhino horn and other illegal goods with one quick sniff

In July 1942, the "Lost Squadron," a unit consisting of two B-17 bomber planes and six P-38 fighters, landed on a remote Greenlandic glacier

Cool Finds

The Wreck of a WWII Fighter Plane Will Be Unearthed from a Greenland Glacier

The P-38 fighter is a member of the famed Lost Squadron, which landed on ice caps after running afoul of poor weather in July 1942

Chihuahuas were one of the top three breeds represented in the study's sample of more than 900 shelter dogs

Genetic Testing Shows Animal Shelters Often Misidentify Dogs’ Breeds

Shelter staff correctly identified a pup’s primary or secondary breed just 67 percent of the time

Artist's rendering of "Orbital Reflector," a reflective space sculpture set to be launched into space this October

Art Meets Science

Astronomers Say This Reflective Space Sculpture Will Cause Unneeded Light Pollution. The Artist Argues Otherwise

‘Orbital Reflector,’ a 100-foot long, diamond-shaped balloon, aims to inspire humans to gaze up at the night sky with a renewed sense of wonder

This 1685 map of Pisa shows the city's connection to the Arno River, which spills into an arm of the Mediterranean

Like a Reverse Atlantis, This Legendary Harbor Ended When Its Sea Route Dried Up

Researchers believe the changing environment doomed ‘Portus Pisanus,’ a harbor once considered lost to time

Giraffe pillows and hide for sale in Florida.

Trending Today

Americans Have a Surprisingly Large Appetite for Giraffe Parts

An investigation shows 40,000 giraffe products representing 4,000 of the endangered animals have been legally imported over the last decade

Elusive “Unicorn” Plant Spotted in Maine for the First Time in 131 Years

The state’s Department of Agriculture has documented around 300 flowering unicorn root stems

Satellite Image of Hurricane Lane

Trending Today

Why Hawaiian Hurricanes Are So Rare

The islands are usually protected by their remoteness and a stable high pressure system, which has gone wonky in the last year

Blue-and-yellow macaws are capable of blushing (left).

Like Humans, Some Birds Blush to Communicate

Blue-and-yellow macaws are capable of the feathered equivalents of facial expressions, new research shows

The tiny arm or leg fragment belonged to Denisova 11, a 13-year-old hybrid hominin

Cool Finds

Meet Denisova 11: First Known Hybrid Hominin

The 13-year-old girl’s mother was a Neanderthal while her father was a Denisovan

A photograph of the fossil turtle Eorhynchochelys sinensis, which lived about 228 million years ago and sported a beak but no shell.

Newly Discovered Turtle Ancestors Chomped With Beaks But Bore No Shells

A 228-million-year-old fossil fills gaps in the tale of turtle evolution—and raises a few questions

Haze in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

New Research

Air Pollution Is Stealing a Year of Life From People Around the Globe

Tiny particles that contribute to lung disease, strokes and heart attacks are robbing Americans of 4 months and over 1.8 years of life elsewhere

A STEVE lights up the night over British Columbia.

New Research

STEVE the Purple Beam of Light Is Not An Aurora After All

In a second study of mysterious phenomena, researchers discovered that solar particles hitting the ionosphere do not power the violet, vertical streaks

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