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Smart News / Smart News Science

Choir Members’ Hearts Beat in Time With Each Other

According to a new study, choir members may be mimicking not only their fellow choristers’ voices but also their heartbeats

How Do Doctors Care for Prisoners on Hunger Strike?

With individuals prepared to die for a cause, hunger strikes present difficult ethical questions for physicians whose duty is to care for prisoners

Zebra Finches are one of the birds that hold a trace of ancient hepatitis B in their genes.

Ancient Dinosaur Birds Were Infected With Hepatitis B

82 million years ago hepatitis B infected birds

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You’re Not Supposed to Mine the Grand Canyon, So Why Are These Miners Digging Up Uranium?

There are four mines still turning out ore near the Grand Canyon

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Thousands of Species Found in a Lake Cut Off From the World for Millions of Years

Cut off for maybe as much as 15 million years, Antarctica’s Lake Vostok seems to be full of life

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You Get Slow As You Get Older—But Catching a Ruler Is Always Hard

Something as simple as catching a falling ruler triggers a complex process behind the scenes

Algae in the Yellow Sea near Qingdao in 2008

China’s Massive Algae Bloom Could Leave the Ocean’s Water Lifeless

The beaches of Qingdao, China, are covered in algae, but marine life may be faring worse than the swimmers

P4 and P5, now Kerberos and Styx. Photo: NASA, ESA, M. Showalter

Astronomers Pull Rank, Name Pluto’s Moons After the Underworld, Not Star Trek

Say hello to Pluto’s newest moons, Styx and Kerberos

How to Survive a Lion Attack

If you’re managed to get yourself into a person vs lion situation, you probably don’t know what to do about it. Thankfully, the internet is here for you

Phobos

Mars’ Tiny-Looking Moon Is Slowly Crash-Landing on the Planet

Mars’ moon Phobos may look small in the sky, but it won’t for long

Kids Will Eat Their Veggies If You Explain Why They Need To

Explaining to kids why veggies are good for them and making a show of just how tasty they can be are effective strategies for getting kids to eat greens

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Virus Hunters Are Testing Bats, Camels, Goats And Cats to Find a Deadly Illness’ Origin

Bats have been pinpointed as the most likely culprits behind MERS, though camels are a close second

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Obama Tackles Illegal Wildlife Trade

Obama’s plan will specifically address poaching of elephants and rhinos, though he has also reportedly begun conversations with China about curbing demand

Invasive Lionfish Are Such Effective Predators They’re Becoming Obese

Unfortunately, so far local human populations haven’t taken to eating the invasive, piggy lionfish out of existence

Killer Whales May Be Two Distinct Species

Researchers estimate that up to six or seven different species or sub-species of killer whales may live around the world

Firefighters stand near the Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona over the weekend.

19 Veteran Firefighters Die in Arizona Blaze, the Worst Wildfire Disaster in 80 Years

A fire at Yarnell Hill, Arizona over the weekend killed 19 experienced firefighters

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These Beautiful Maps Show Where All Known Birds, Mammals And Amphibians Live

The maps include data on birds, mammals and amphibians, but not reptiles or fish since not enough is known about those organisms’ distribution

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We Can Handle a Hurricane or Tornado, But What About a Mega-Disaster?

Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson in the ISS’ Cupola, where a micrometeorite hit the window last year.

How Do You Shield Astronauts and Satellites From Deadly Micrometeorites?

Supersonic space dust can do a lot of damage. How do astronauts protect against it?

Image Credit:ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center.

Colorado Wildfires Are So Big They Can Be Seen From Space

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