Smart News

The unassuming face of one of twentieth-century America's most dangerous men, even to himself

The Innovative Spirit fy17

One Man Invented Two of the Deadliest Substances of the 20th Century

Thomas Midgley Jr.'s inventions have had an outsize impact—not all of it good—on humankind

This forest in Guatemala was burned to make way for agricultural development. A new study suggests that drug traffickers contribute to rainforest loss by laundering money with agriculture in forest lands.

New Research

Cocaine Is Destroying Forests in Central America

Once-forested lands are being used in money laundering operations

Behold T. Rex the ant

New Research

T. Rex Ants Found Alive for the First Time

It is not nearly as formidable as its namesake

The 3D printed ovaries

New Research

Mice With 3D-Printed Ovaries Successfully Give Birth

The gelatin-scaffold ovary could one day help restore endocrine function in young cancer patients and treat infertility

Mercedes Williamson

Trending Today

First-Ever Federal Transgender Hate Crime Sentence Handed Down

Mercedes Williamson’s killer was prosecuted in the absence of a Mississippi state law protecting trans people against hate crimes

This smart tag contains synthetic DNA and other security measures to help authenticate and track the provenance of canvas.

Cool Finds

Can Giving Paintings Their Own DNA Stop Art Forgery?

Science is leading the charge against copycats

72-Year-Old Love Letter Returned to WWII Veteran

The letter, which had never reached its intended recipient, was found during renovations of a New Jersey home

A posthumous engraving of Maria Agnesi from 1836.

The Witch of Agnesi

A mistranslation led to the unusual name of this mathematical concept

New Research

Glue Made of Mussel Slime Could Prevent Scarring

The glue, infused with a version of the protein decorin, healed wounds in rats, giving them skin with hair follicles and oil glands instead of scar tissue

The original kindergarten concept had children playing with a series of toys that were supposed to be given to them in a specific order to help them learn.

A Little History of American Kindergartens

Songs, blocks and snack time (and don't forget a nap)

Cool Finds

New Drone Footage Shows One Way Narwhals Use Their Tusks

The narwhals were observed using their signature appendages to hit and stun prey

The taggers of the future aren't carrying cans of spray paint.

Cool Finds

Street Art Will Soon Take to the Skies with Graffiti-Painting Drone Swarms

Paint-loaded quadcopters can turn any vertical space into a canvas

Henderson Island, world's garbage can.

New Research

This Remote Island Is Covered with 37 Million Pieces of Your Trash

Immaculate no more, the island now looks more like a dump than a pristine paradise

A woman wears a mask to protect against air pollution in Anyang. New research shows that Northeastern China could get more polluted when there is lest dust in the air.

New Research

Dust May Help, Not Harm, Air Pollution in China

When it comes to some of Earth’s smoggiest cities, less dust isn’t necessarily better

Mike Van Eaton of Van Eaton Galleries, posing with Disney's early map of Disneyland

Walt Disney’s Original Map of Disneyland Is Headed to Auction

Disney created the map with the artist Herb Ryman while trying to secure funds for his theme park

Trending Today

The MP3 Format is Music History's Latest Casualty

The Institute that licenses MP3 tech recently stopped, but the format that began the digital music era may live on indefinitely

Fanny Cornforth posted for "Lady Lilith" and other influential Pre-Raphaelite paintings.

Cool Finds

Newly Digitized Archives Reveal the Inner Lives of Artists

The Delaware Art Museum just put 500 rare documents online

Canada

Spectacularly Detailed Armored Dinosaur 'Mummy' Makes Its Debut

A nodosaur found in Alberta includes some of the best preserved dino skin and armor ever found

Prince Rupert's Drops

New Research

The 400-Year-Old Mystery of These Bullet-Shattering Glass Drops May Finally Be Solved

The tadpole-shaped glass structures can survive a hammer blow but explode if their tail is squeezed

There is no one final theory about the original purpose of the Nazca Lines.

How a German Mathematician Took Responsibility for an Ancient Peruvian Artifact

Maria Reiche lived in a shack in the desert with the Nazca Lines for 40 years

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