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Smart News / Smart News Science

Connecticut Passes GMO Labeling Law

Here’s Antarctica as we know it today, a land of vast ice sheets.

Here’s What Antarctica Looks Like Under All The Ice

Antarctica is covered in miles of ice. But what does it look like underneath?

Some of the toothy fossils that clued researchers in on our ancestor’s grass-eating tendencies.

Human Ancestors Grazed on Grass

Around 4 million years ago, our ancestors’ diets were about 90 percent fruit and leaves, but suddenly incorporated grasses 500,000 years later

Not from the current spill, the Rainforest Action Network shows what they say is lasting damage from Ecuador’s long history of damage from oil production.

A Ruptured Pipe Spilled Oil Upstream of the Amazon River

A burst pipeline in Ecuador spilled 10,000 barrels of oil into a tributary of the Amazon River

Laughing? Crying? Reveling in your pain? Possibly all of the above.

Even 4-Year-Olds Feel Schadenfreude

And it turns out that kids as young as four experience that weird glee of seeing someone trip and fall

Legendary Human-Eating Bird Was Real, Probably Could Have Eaten People

In Maori legend, Te Hokioi was a giant bird that preyed on children, and science says that’s probably the truth

If You Must Kill That Spider, The Best Way Is To Freeze It

The next time you see an eight legged friend that you’d rather not be friends with, here’s the best way to kill it

Britain Will Decide If Badger Culling Is Humane Based on the Noises the Dying Animals Make

The similarities between how the shot badgers thrash about compared to harpooned whales will also be factored in

An endangered fin whale

Endangered Whales Are Being Sold as Dog Treats to Rich People in Japan

Luckily, it seems that many Tokyoites aren’t buying into the endangered treats, which sell at around $37 for 500 grams

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Tiger vs. Lion—Who Would Win?

Lions are the king of the plains. Tigers rule the jungle. But face to face, which would win?

When hurricane Sandy made landfall on the east coast it wasn’t actually considered a hurricane anymore.

Batten Down the Hatches: Another Bad Hurricane Season Is on Its Way

Forecasters are predicting a hurricane season even more active than last year’s

German cockroach

Cockroaches Have Evolved to Avoid Our Traps

In just a few years, cockroaches evolved to avoid our poisons

Dreaming of Animals Might Augur the Onset of Diseases like Alzheimer’s

Research has shown that sleep disturbance might be one warning sign of neurodegeneration—like insomnia, sleep apnea, drowsiness and animal-packed dreams

Computers at Home Neither Help, Nor Hurt Students

Simply giving kids computers won’t suddenly make them do better in school

Bicycle Helmets Really Do Work, But You Have to Wear Them

Helmets accounted for an 88 percent lower risk of brain injury, but people still aren’t wearing them

Here’s How the Enhanced Fujita Scale Works, and This Is What It Looks Like

The Moore, Oklahoma tornado was upgraded to an EF-5 storm

A rhinovirus

Like Your Mother Warned, Chilly Winter Air Does Indeed Promote Colds

Colds proliferate when temperatures drop and cold air chills peoples’ upper respiratory tracts, giving rhinoviruses a chance to strike

Dawww

Bears That Have No Fish to Eat Eat Baby Elk Instead

The illegal introduction of lake trout in Yellowstone’s lakes is having wide-reaching consequences

FDA Sticks Its Nose Into Fecal Transplant Procedures

The new regulations may kick off a wave of do-it-yourself fecal transplants at home, which likely will not turn out well

How Puking Could Save the Endangered Marbled Murrelet

For the marbled murrelet the conservation plan is a little unusual: making their predators vomit

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