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Smart News / Smart News Science

Researchers estimate more than a trillion planets could exist in the elliptical galaxy at the center of this image.

New Research

Astronomers Spot Signs of Planets Outside the Milky Way

Researchers estimate that more than a trillion planets may lurk beyond our galaxy’s bounds

New Research

What Sedated Plants Can Teach Scientists About Anesthetizing People

The same drugs that knock us out or numb our wounds can also be used on our leafy friends

A full view of the oddball, Chimerarachne yingi.

Found: 100-Million-Year Old Arachnid with a Tail

The creepy-crawly is unlike any living spider

Perhaps all this little bug needs is a few good swats.

New Research

Swatting May Teach Mosquitoes to Avoid Your Scent

Though it won’t work for all species, Aedes aegypti mosquitos seem to have a memory for near-death experiences

Photojournalist Christopher Michel captured this mesmerizing scene just a half mile from the South Pole.

Art Meets Science

How the Antarctic Sun Creates Breathtaking Optical Effects

A fine haze of ice particles transformed this landscape into an otherworldly scene

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Cool Finds

Dinosaur and Ancient Mammal Stomping Ground Found in NASA Parking Lot

The slab is covered in 70 foot prints and is one of the best collections of animal traces yet found

Trending Today

Hong Kong Will Phase Out Ivory Trade by 2021

Conservationists hope the ban will help preserve the dwindling elephant populations

New Research

Whale Talk Pretty One Day: Listen to an Orca Mimic Human Words

Though it’s fun to hear an orca say “Hello” and “Amy,” the new study could provide clues to how whale dialects change over time

Artist concept of Mansourasaurus shahinae on a lush coastline of what is now the Western Desert of Egypt approximately 80 million years ago.

African Titanosaur Discovery Helps Untangle Dinosaur Evolution

The creature reveals ancient connection between Africa, Europe, and Asia after the great Pangea broke apart

The most detailed image ever taken of Lupus 3, a dense cloud of gas and dust that collapses to create new stars. This image is a compilation of data from the VLT Survey Telescope and the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope.

Dark Nebula Hides a Brilliant Streak of Baby Stars

South American observatory captures most detailed peek yet at Lupus Clouds stellar nursery

Pi^1 Gruis

New Research

Astronomers Get Best Look Yet at the Surface of a Red Giant Star

The image shows convection cells on the star are huge, confirming some theories about star evolution

Cool Finds

Sea Foam Delights Visitors of Lebanese Beach

Last week, thick white layers of bubbles washed ashore Naqoura Beach

Old Age Doesn’t Seem to Kill Naked Mole Rats

The wrinkly rodents are as likely to die at the age of 1 as they are at 25, according to a new study

Pumalin Park

Trending Today

Chile Designates 10 Million Acres of Land as National Parks

Spurred by the donation of 1 million acres of privately owned land, the country is adding two national parks to its system

The IMAGE satellite

Cool Finds

Amateur Astronomer Finds Long-Lost NASA Satellite

The hobbyist was in search of the lost Zuma satellite when he spotted IMAGE, which went offline in 2005

Billions of Pieces of Plastic Spread Disease in Coral Reefs

A new study has highlighted the scope of plastic pollution

Critically endangered desert pupfish spawning in 2012.

Alaska’s Earthquake Caused Endangered Desert Pupfish to Spawn

Nevada’s critically endangered fish are in an unseasonable spawn after the earthquake set their home rippling

Bear paw wrapped in a tilapia fish skin bandage to protect burns while they heal.

Wildlife Burned in California Fires Get Fish Skin Bandages

Two bears and a cougar cub are recovering with their wounds wrapped in tilapia skin

The moon turned blood red when the moon passed through Earth's shadow on September 28, 2015.

Don’t Miss This Celestial Triplet: a Blue Moon, Supermoon and Lunar Eclipse

January’s second full moon will appear slightly larger during its blood-red lunar eclipse

This sphere is now spinning miles above Earth's surface. You can see it with a naked eye glinting across the night sky.

Rocket Lab Launched This Glittery Sphere Into Orbit

The sphere reflects so much sunlight it can be seen from Earth with the naked eye

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