Laura Clark

Laura Clark

 

Laura Clark is a writer and editor based in Pittsburgh. She's a blogger with Smart News and a senior editor at Pitt magazine.

Researchers strapped electronics onto giant flower beetles to better understand how they direct themselves during flight.

Remote Controlled Bug-Bots Could be First Responders of the Future

Scientists studying how beetles steer themselves in flight gather research that may have implications far beyond understanding bug biology

The mysteries surrounding Stonehenge persist.

Did Stonehenge Hold Up a Giant Stage?

A new theory poses that the prehistoric structure could have been something like an “ancient Mecca on stilts”

This shot of a statue from the Louvre is one of the least-shocking anus-related image we came up with.

Science Is Still Unclear About the Evolutionary Origin of the Anus

A newly published scientific review attempts to “get to the bottom” of how animals acquired what some might call the most indecent part of the body

The Children’s Book That Caused Japan’s Raccoon Problem

When the story of one man’s childhood pet raccoon became a hit in 1970s Japan, it heralded a biological invasion still troubling the country today

The First Green Beer Was Made With Laundry Whitener

Before food coloring, St. Patrick’s Day’s most festive brew got its hue from a different kind of dye

A view of part of Honduras' rainforest.

Did a Recent Expedition Really Discover a “Lost City” in Honduras?

Controversy surrounds the recent announcement of a re-discovered ancient settlement in the jungles of Central America

These coppery titi monkeys have a red beards similar to those sported by the newly discovered Milton’s titi monkey. The new species can be further identified by a light gray stripe across their foreheads and a bright orange tail.

Adorable Monkey New to Science Identified in Threatened Rainforest

Researchers in the Brazilian rainforest describe a previously undocumented species of titi monkey whose habitat faces man-made threats

An image of white-tailed eagle talons from the Krapina Neandertal site in present-day Croatia, dating to approximately 130,000 years ago. Scientists theorize that they may be part of a necklace or bracelet.

Neanderthal Jewelry Is Just as Fiercely Cool as You'd Imagine

A re-examination of a cave find indicates that the early human species sported eagle talons like some kind of prehistoric punk rockers

An artist's rendering of what the Aegirocassis benmoulae looked like.

Scary Lobster-Like Fossil Was Once One of the Earth's Largest Animals

One of the earliest arthropods was giant, weird-looking—and played a big role in the course of evolutionary history

"The Legal Justice League" celebrates the first four women to sit on the country's highest court.

Celebrating the Women of the Supreme Court With LEGOs

What better way to hail the female trailblazers of the bench than miniaturizing them into tiny toys?

A view of the center of the Milky Way Galaxy.

The Galaxy May Be Way Bigger Than We Thought

New data analysis suggests that the Milky Way may be 50-percent larger than previously believed

A panther chameleon.

We Finally Know How Chameleons Change Their Color

Chameleons' secret involves tiny crystals under their skin

The zodiacal light.

Catch a Glimpse of the Zodiacal Light Show This Month

For some in the northern hemisphere, a celestial treat sometimes referred to as “false dusk” is lighting up the night

A mummified corpse of a Chinchoro girl between 4,000 and 8,000 years old gets a cleaning.

Saving the World’s Oldest Mummies From Rot in a Warmer, Wetter World

Why are the ancient bodies of the Chinchorro people stored in a Chilean museum rapidly degrading into black ooze?

Icebergs break off, or calve, from the Dawes Glacier at the end of Endicott Arm in southeast Alaska.

The Loud Noise of Melting Glaciers May Actually Be Good for Animals

Melting glacier ice has been found to the loudest noise in the ocean—what does that mean for marine animals?

Here’s What Music Specially Composed for Your Cat Sounds Like

Research shows that cats prefer “species-specific” with frequencies and tempos that mimic the sounds of purring and birds

An African cotton leafworm moth.

These Moths Remember Where They Mated for the First Time

The locale of the African cotton leafworm moth’s first experience pairing up forms its future preferences, a new study shows

In the Argentine village of San Antonio de los Cobres, some people have a genetic mutation that helps them cope with the high levels of arsenic present in their drinking water.

Centuries of Poison-Laced Water Gave These People a Tolerance to Arsenic

Some citizens of a remote village in the Andes have a genetic adaptation that allows them to quickly process high levels of arsenic, a new study shows

Elephants perform in Wisconsin in 1980.

Ringling Brothers Is Phasing Out Its Elephant Act

After years of fielding controversy and claims of abuse, “The Greatest Show on Earth” will soon be retiring its trained elephants for good

This is the inner lead casket of the Greyfriars medieval stone coffin.

Who's Inside the Lead Coffin Found Near Richard III?

The mysterious identity of a female skeleton discovered in a coffin-within-a-coffin stumps archeologists

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