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Smart News / Smart News Science

Switzerland

Evidence Discovered of an Ancient Tsunami on Lake Geneva

Scientists believe a rock fall triggered a 25 foot wave that devastated villages on the shores of the Swiss lake

After the sea lice feast

Here’s What Happened to Jack Because Rose Didn’t Save Him

After Jack’s cold body sank down to the bottom of the North Atlantic in Titanic, here’s probably what it looked like

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How To Film a Cheetah Sprinting at 61 Miles Per Hour

National Geographic shows how a team filmed Sarah, the fastest cheetah in the world, sprinting at top speed

Could a Modern Human Beat a Neanderthal in a Fight?

It’s hypothetical conflict, but who would emerge the victor?

A Massive Field of Frozen Greenhouse Gas Is Thawing Out

Vast stores of methane hydrates off the US east coast are thawing out, but what this means is still up in the air

The resemblance is uncanny.

Lady Gaga Gets an Entire Genus of Plants Named After Her

The next time you see a little fern out in the wild, it may just be a Gaga

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Don’t Let the Ear Mites Bite

The New England Journal of Medicine recently posted this horror-inducing video of ear mites crawling around in some poor 70-year-old man’s ear

A beluga whale

Beluga Whale Learns to Speak Like a Human

Beluga whales can vocalize in a way remarkably close to human speech, according to new observations

Rubble from the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake.

Italian Scientists Sent to Jail Because They Downplayed the Risk of an Earthquake

Six scientists and one former government official will do time for failing to accurately convey the risk of an earthquake

The giant, newly discovered harvestman from Laos.

Giant, Foot-long Daddy Longlegs Discovered in Cave

A huge, 13-inch long harvestman - better known as a daddy longlegs - turned up in Laos

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Dolphins Sleep With Only Half Their Brain at a Time

Dolphins sleep with only half of their brains at a time, bestowing them with the uncanny ability to stay constantly alert for at least 15 days in a row

Scavenging crow

Brain-Eating Crows May Help Spread Prion Diseases

Prions - the infectious proteins that cause illnesses in humans and other animals such as mad cow disease - can pass through the digestive systems of crows

Ominous, right?

Germophobes Take Note: Your Pillowcase Is As Dirty As Your Toilet

Bacterial swabs from toilet seats and pillowcases are pretty much indistinguishable

‘Eye Cells’ Hone in on Eye Contact, Create Special Connections with Others

Researchers may have pinpointed neurons responsible for that “special connection” feeling associated with first making eye contact

The first shiny object found on Mars, thought to be plastic shed from Curiosity.

Either Curiosity Is Shedding Or Mars Is Covered in Weird Shiny Particles

After an unknown object turned out to be nothing but plastic, scientists were surprised to find more shiny things buried in the dirt

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Feel Like You’re Flying at Warp Speed: Watch This Video of Stacked-Up Space Photos

A unique time-lapse technique turns familiar views into psychedelic art

This is the Lambda Centauri nebula, a star-forming cloud in our Milky Way galaxy, also known as the Running Chicken nebula.

Alpha Centauri Has a Planet

A newly discovered planet circling Alpha Centauri is only four light years away and could point the way to habitable planets nearby

City Birds Are Evolving To Be More Flexible and Assertive Than Their Country Cousins

Animals are adapting to life in the big city

An iceberg floats off the coast of Greenland.

Melting Greenland Ice Has Consequences

Melting Greenland ice could affect ocean circulation patterns, and further spur global warming

Downer News Bums Out Women But Not Men

Bad news delivered through the media increases women’s sensitivity to stressful situations, new research finds, but men are immune to such effects

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