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Smart News / Smart News Science

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Fossils of Four New Species of Whale Found Under a California Highway

The fossils could fill in gaps in what scientists know of the evolutionary steps between toothed to toothless baleen whales

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Amateur Naturalists Are Discovering All Kinds of New Insect Species

More and more, amateurs are contributing to the discovery of new species, especially of insects - but can they keep ahead of the extinction curve?

Geneticists Think They Can Fix Tasteless Tomatoes

By identifying the genes that control the production of volatile chemicals, we could soon turn the bland tomato’s flavor back on

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Moles Can Smell in Stereo

We see and hear with eyes and ears process those images and sounds single pieces of information. It turns out moles do the same thing, except with smell

The 50th parallel

Europe Is Warmer Than Canada Because of the Gulf Stream, Right? Not So Fast

A long-accepted explanation for a warm Europe is up for debate

In Space, Infectious Diseases Reveal Their True Nature

It turns out that microgravity might reveal a thing or two about the nasty bacteria

Chimpanzees Remember Things Faster Than You Do

Chimpanzees are several times stronger than us, generally healthier, and research suggests that they might have better memories too

Guess What the Most Abundant Organism on Earth Is?

If you had to guess the most abundant organism on the planet, you might think of ants, or maybe bacteria. But a newly discovered virus might trump them all

Appreciate Weird, Adorable Pangolins Before They’re Gone

Across Asia, a plague of hunting has hit pangolins, though it’s not too late to save these intriguing creatures from extinction

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Massive Meteor Breaks Up Over Russia, Sends Dozens to Hospital

The mid-air explosion of a 10-ton meteor injured more than 500 people

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In the Middle East, Supplies of Fresh Water Are Dwindling

A 2007 drought, and an over-reliance on groundwater, means the the Middle East’s aquifers are fading

An electron micrograph of the coronavirus.

New SARS-Like Virus Is Spreading—Slowly

A novel coronavirus identified earlier this year is slowly—very slowly—spreading

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How Much Damage Could North Korea’s New Nuke Do?

North Korea’s new nuke could take out a big chunk of Lower Manhattan

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Elephants Choose to Stay Inside Safe, Less Stressful National Parks

Elephants living within the park’s boundaries are significantly less stressed than those living outside of its protective borders

All Those Hours Inside Could Make You Nearsighted

Just being inside all the time might be creating a population full of nearsighted people

Researchers thought that male fish, affected by artificial hormones in waste water, were growing eggs. This turned out to not be true.

California’s Gender-Bending Fish Was Actually Just a Contamination Accident

Scientists thought male fish, exposed to artificial hormones, were growing eggs. They weren’t

A sea turtle farm in Gran Cayman

Captive Sea Turtles Extract Their Revenge by Making Tourists Sick

Captive sea turtles in the Caymans can ruin a tourist’s visit with a nasty dose of bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites

A moose in Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve.

Minnesota’s Moose Are Missing, And No One Really Knows Why

Disease? Warm summers? No one knows for sure what is leading to the moose’s decline in this state

Wisdom the Albatross with the chick she hatched last year.

At 62, the Oldest Bird in the World Is Still Hatching Chicks

Wisdom the 62 year-old albatross just hatched what is thought to be her 30 to 35th chick

Does he really miss you, or is that a tasty looking squirrel out there?

Is Your Dog as Smart as You Think?

Researchers are now starting to look into the question, and see just how intelligent our furry friends actually are

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