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.

Now for Sale: Straw Houses

One new technique for green building—making houses out of straw—actually draws on century-old ideas

A detail of one of four known existing originals of the 1297 version of the Magna Carta.

An Early Copy of the Magna Carta Was Found Forgotten in an Old Scrapbook

An archivist in England stumbled upon a 715-year-old edition of the charter credited for initiating a new framework of governance

The Universe’s Oldest Stars Likely Lit Up Way Later Than Once Thought

Data gathered by the European Space Agency’s Planck telescope indicates that the universe was dark for about 550 million years after the big bang

Chimpanzees May Have Their Own Form of Bilingualism

Humans aren’t the only primates capable of learning new “words” for the same object

Rosa Parks addresses a crowd in 1989 on the 25th anniversary of the signing of the civil rights legislation.

The Library of Congress Now Has Rosa Parks’ Personal Letters

The loan of over 10,000 documents from the Civil Rights icon’s personal life reveals her complexity and inner struggles—as well as one solid pancake recipe

The results of agriculture changed our mouths, but not completely for the better.

Before Agriculture, Human Jaws Were a Perfect Fit for Human Teeth

The emergence of agricultural practices initiated major changes to the jaw structure of ancient humans, leading to dental problems we still experience

How Space Travel Can Damage Our Immune Systems

Research finds that living in low-gravity conditions can take a toll that goes far beyond an aversion to dehydrated foods

One LEGO master is proposing this tiny version of the HMS Beagle.

A Great Idea: Create an HMS Beagle in LEGO Form

Vote to turn this tiny version of a famous ship into a LEGO kit available for all to enjoy

North America’s Trees Create Some of the World's Hottest Forest Fires

What makes certain forest fires especially destructive?

Wisconsin is Too Warm for a 66-Foot Ice Tower to Survive

Weather conditions likely played a big factor in the crashing demise of a giant ice sculpture intended to last through the winter

Why One Nonprofit Wants You to Sell Them Your Poop

A qualified candidate could make thousands of dollars a year selling their waste to an organization preparing fecal transplants for the ill

The Great Barrier Reef Is Doing So Badly, Scientist Are Testing Genetic Modification to Help It Survive

As the health of the Great Barrier Reef declines, scientists are hoping “assisted evolution” might keep its coral alive

Scientists Identify a “DNA Clock” That May Help Predict Mortality

New studies on changes to DNA that occur over a lifetime offer insight into an individual’s likelihood of early death

These Birds Take Turns So No One Gets Too Tired Flying in Formation

“Reciprocal altruism” in a migrating flock of birds means that the more exhausting lead position is deliberately and equally shared

Vatican with the Tiber River and St. Peter's Basilica

Two of the Vatican’s “Ancient” Egyptian Mummies Are 19th Century Fakes

Specimens once thought to be the remains of children or animals are likely a product of the 1800’s “mummy mania”

An oil painting dated 1609 that is the portrait engraved by Martin Droeshout for the First Folio edition of Shakespeare's plays published in 1623.

New Research May Solve a Mystery Behind Shakespeare’s Sonnets

The first printing of Shakespeare's 154 sonnets was dedicated to a “Mr. WH”—has a scholar finally identified him?

Why We Can Thank Bats for Bedbugs

Scientists have proven through genetics that bats were the first hosts to the pesky parasite before passing them on to ancient humans

The Hopkins' Rose nudibranch, or pink sea slug.

What’s Causing California’s Bright Pink Sea Slug Bloom?

They might be fun to look at, but they're not necessarily good news

A skull shows evidence of trepanation, an early form of neurosurgery that called for a hole cut into the skull.

Scientists Try Out 2,300-Year-Old Brain Surgery Techniques

Experiments conducted by a Siberian research team shed light on the neurosurgical methods evident in three Iron Age skulls

A 10,000-Year-Old Forest Has Been Discovered, And It's Under Water

Ancient oak trees found on the bottom of the North Sea represent a prehistoric woodland that likely spanned thousands of acres

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