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Smart News / Smart News Science

New Research

Are Hard Foods Healthier? In Your Mind, Maybe

New research shows that texture plays a large role in how we see the nutritional value of food

The LDSD being lifted into the air by balloon during a test on June 28, 2014

Cool Finds

Watch Video From NASA’s “Flying Saucer” Test

The LDSD test on June 28 went well, and more tests are expected to run next year

A European eel (not the world's oldest, however).

Cool Finds

RIP, World’s Oldest Eel

The eel, 155, passed away in a Swedish well late last week

U.S. Army combat medic Shawn Aiken lies down during his EKG appointment at the VA Medical Center in El Paso, Texas May 24, 2013. Aiken, who served 16 months in Iraq and 13 months in Afghanistan and has been active duty for nearly 10 years, has severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

New Research

Some Who Suffer from PTSD Never Get Better

As many as 11 percent of Vietnam veterans diagnosed with PTSD still suffer from the disorder

New Research

Losing Weight Makes People Healthy—But Not Necessarily Happy

The relationship between losing weight and being happy is not at all straightforward

New Research

One Aspirin a Day Helps Keep Cancer Away

According to the largest analysis conducted to date, daily doses of aspirin significantly reduces the risk of getting some common cancers

An image from NASA of algae blooms along the Gulf coast, seen here in teal. This image was taken by MODIS at an unspecified date.

Trending Today

The Gulf of Mexico’s Dead Zone Is the Size of a Small State

The Gulf of Mexico’s dead zone actually shrunk this year—but it’s still the size of Connecticut

A close up of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko taken from just 80 miles up.

Trending Today

Rosetta Satellite Is the First to Ever Orbit a Comet

It’s been a long trip, but Rosetta has finally reached its destination

New Research

This Mathematical Equation Predicts Momentary Happiness

Keeping your expectations low, it seems, is key to achieving fleeting satisfaction

Cool Finds

We Don’t Need a Huge Breakthrough to Make Renewable Energy Viable—It Already Is

The idea that renewable energy can’t handle the load is a myth, says Amory Lovins

Trending Today

With an Untested New Drug, Two Ebola Patients Are Experiencing “Miraculous” Recovery

The drug, however, was not “top secret,” as some outlets have reported

New Research

Scientists Can Now Eavesdrop By Watching a Soundless Video of a Glass of Water

Sound is pressure, pressure causes motion and motion shows up on film

Trending Today

Civil War Battlefields Are Overrun With Deer

The Parks Department is going to spend $1.8 million to have hunters cull them

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Cool Finds

There’s an Easy (And Tasty) Way to Measure the Speed of Light at Home

You can make surprisingly accurate calculations using chocolate and a microwave

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Cool Finds

Here’s How Astronomers Actually Find Planets in Other Solar Systems

Astronomers have found 1,741 exoplanets. But how, exactly?

Cool Finds

Fish Oil Could Be a Modern-Day Snake Oil

The premise that fish oil is good for your heart is based on questionable data

Algae bloom on Lake Erie in 2011

Trending Today

1970s Redux: Lake Erie Is So Polluted, Toledo’s Drinking Water Was Cut Off

An algae bloom in Lake Erie leaves hundreds of thousands without fresh drinking water

Buff-Tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) in flight through Heather flowers

New Research

Sometimes Bumblebees Just Want to Do Their Own Thing

Bumblebees are strong communicators, but they don’t always listen

New Research

Suicide Risk Could Soon Be Predicted Through a Blood Test

Elevated levels of stress-related chemicals in the body seem to correlate with suicide

New Research

The Microbes That Make Cheese Taste Good Are Surprisingly Universal

Just a dozen different types of bacteria and fungi tend to dominate all different cheese types

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