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Smart News / Smart News Science

Weaver ants demonstrating exploding behavior in experimental setting

‘Exploding’ Ant Ruptures Its Own Body to Defend Its Nest

It’s the ultimate act of self-sacrifice

Cool Finds

Murder Most Fowl: Forensic Scan Shows the Legendary Oxford Dodo Was Shot

Micro-CT scans shows lead scattered across the back of the skull of what is believed to be the taxidermied remains of the dodo brought to Britain

The group of Muuscoctopus found on the Dorado Outcrop.

Cool Finds

Colony of Beautiful, Doomed Purple Octopuses Found Off Costa Rica

Hundreds of unidentified cephalopods were found nursing their eggs near a deep-sea vent

Three color morphs of bleached corals on the Great Barrier Reef

New Research

2016 Ocean Heatwave Killed 30 Percent of the Great Barrier Reef

Combined with a 2017 temperature spike, half of the 2 billion corals on the reef have died since 2015

‘Staggering’ Damage to Florida’s Everglades Remains in the Wake of Hurricane Irma

Researchers found gaps in 40 percent of the forest canopy in aerial images taken before and after the storm

Immune system natural killer cell

Trending Today

Human Cell Atlas Releases First Major Data Set

The information includes data from over half a million immune cells from human cord blood and bone marrow

Once Rare Nectar-Feeding Bat Removed From U.S. Endangered Species List

The move is a first for bat species

Trending Today

Five Things to Know About NASA’s New Planet-Hunting Satellite

TESS will scan the skies in search of the next crop of exoplanets

Artist's concept of a near-Earth object.

An Unexpected Asteroid Buzzed by Earth Last Sunday

The space rock is one of the largest ever to come in such close proximity to our planet

A piece of the Almahata Sitta in Sudan

New Research

Diamonds Trapped in Strange Meteorite Came From Solar System’s Earliest Planets

Impurities in the diamonds could only have formed within a planet the size of Mercury or Mars

How to Catch a Glimpse of This Weekend’s Lyrid Meteor Shower

Conditions are expected to be favorable, and experts say the shower might produce as many as 18 meteors every hour

A new study reveals at which temperature the Giant Causeway were formed.

Europe

How Giant’s Causeway Formed Its Spectacular Array of Columns

Scientists recreated the process behind the formation’s near-perfect hexagonal columns

Under Canada's Devon Ice Cap, shown here, scientists have found the first isolated hypersaline subglacial lakes in the world.

Super Salty Lakes Found Deep Below Canadian Ice Cap

The discovery could provide insights about life in extreme environments, and help in the search for extraterrestrial life

Four of the seven newly named Mercury's faculae lie in the Caloris basin, shown here.

Sci-Fi and Snakes Rule in New Official Names for Features on Pluto’s Largest Moon and Mercury

Stanley Kubrick and Octavia Butler are among the figures honored

New Research

Massive Gathering of Mysterious Basking Sharks Found in Aerial Photos

In 2013, nearly 1,400 of the normally solitary filter feeders had a party off the coast of southern New England

Bridget the Bearded Lioness Has Died at the Oklahoma City Zoo

The 18-year-old lioness suddenly began growing a mane last year, baffling her caretakers

Turtle That Breathes Through Its Genitals Lands on Endangered Reptiles List

Australia’s Mary River turtle was a popular pet in the 1960s and 70s, but raids of the animal’s nests have driven it towards extinction

New Research

Ocean Current That Keeps Europe Warm Is Weakening

Two new studies show the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation has decreased 15 to 20 percent over the last 150 years

The body of a juvenile sperm whale was found on a beach in Spain's Murcia region.

Dead Sperm Whale Had 64 Pounds of Trash in Its Digestive System

The juvenile sperm whale was found in the Murcia region of Spain, and its death has spurred a local campaign to combat plastic pollution

What Causes the Cringe-Inducing Sound of Knuckle Cracking?

A new study suggests the sound comes from the collapse of bubbles that form in the fluid-filled spaces of the joints

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