/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/2013022711003202_27_2013_alaska-aurora.jpg)
Lighting Up the Arctic Sky With Artificial Aurorae
The U.S. military’s Naval Research Lab teamed up with university researchers and defense contractors to set the atmosphere aglow
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/201302270940331187819069_f73c4d2c67_z.jpg)
Innerscope Research recently did a study claiming that by looking at viewers “emotional engagement threshold” during a trailer, they can predict just how well it will do at the box office. But neuroscience isn’t that easy
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/20130227091022Bufo_proboscideus02.jpg)
Overzealous Male Frogs Practice a Practical Sort of Necrophilia
Both males and females still get to pass on their genes to the next generation, despite one of them being dead
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/201302270810234270399258_10b521af41_z.jpg)
According to new research, it’s because they age faster
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/20130226033025insomnia.jpg)
Too Little Sleep Can Really Mess Our Bodies Up
People who sleep normally have around 1,800 functioning genes, but the sleep deprived lose around 400 of these
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/2013022612311302_26_2013_mars-drill-grey.jpg)
The Red Planet Is Only Red on the Outside
A rusty sheen turns Mars red, but beneath the rock is a plain gray
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/20130225115019otter.jpg)
Chemicals in Water May Be Messing With Otters’ Sexual Mojo
Scientists examined hundreds of otters to arrive at these grim findings
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/201302250910217040908861_f56d66f8b5_z.jpg)
Bullying Really Does Mess You Up Later in Life
A recent study linked bullying during childhood to higher instances of psychological disorders
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/20130222034027golden-mole.jpg)
For Female Golden Moles, Size Does Matter
Females judge potential mates by their penis sizes, which they use to gauge a male’s attractiveness for copulation
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/20130222030034sushi.jpg)
More than Half of Our ‘Tuna’ Isn’t Really Tuna
Around one-third of 1,200 seafood samples from restaurants and grocery stores around the U.S. were not from the fish their label claimed to be
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/20130222011020dolphins.jpg)
Dolphins May Have Names for One Another
Whether dolphin vocalizations should be considered names and are used in a way comparable to humans remains contested, but research suggests that they may
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/20130222092038sundae.jpg)
Children in the U.S. Are Eating Fewer Calories, But Fewer Is Still Too Many
Heath experts warn that the decline in calorie intake was pretty incremental, meaning we’re not out of the obesity epidemic woods quite yet
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/20130222083020grief.jpg)
Couples Who Share Grief Fare Better on the Long Term
After the death of a child, those that stay strong for the sake of their partner tend to suffer most and cope least well while also hurting their spouse
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/2013022101402502_21_2013_fish-ladder-1.jpg)
Scientists’ Best Idea for Saving Endangered Fish Isn’t Really Working
Fish ladders, meant to help swimming fish navigate dams, don’t really work
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/2013022112502002_21_2013_cayman-vent.jpg)
Scientists Pluck Blind Shrimp and Other Strange Life Forms From World’s Deepest Hydrothermal Vent
More than three miles beneath the waves, the world’s deepest hydrothermal vent is home to ghostly creatures
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/201302210840286681703285_309af87f99_z.jpg)
What Rock-Paper-Scissors Can Tell Us About Decision Making
The knowledge that scissors cuts paper, that rock smashes scissors, and that paper covers rock, is key in childhood development. But the same logic might also be a way to think about psychology too
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/20130220023023navigation.jpg)
Men Are Better Navigators Than Women, But Not Because of Evolution
Navigational abilities may be a side effect of higher testosterone levels
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/2013022008502302_19_2013_venus-fly-trap.jpg)
Venus Fly Traps Glow Blue to Attract Their Prey
By emitting a faint blue glow, venus flytraps better attract their next meal
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/20130219100031stuff-nose.jpg)
Researchers Treat Sinusitis the Same Way They Clean Ships
Yes, researchers think about your nose like a dirty ship hull that needs cleaning. But it does seem to work
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/2013021910403102_19_2013_tomato.jpg)
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
Page 279 of 297