Smart News

What Hibernation Teaches Us About Treating Alzheimer’s Disease

Scientists find that a brain-protecting protein produced when the body cools may have major implications for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders

January 21, 2015

This Woman Can’t Feel Fear

Damage from a rare genetic condition appears to have knocked out the "fear center" in her brain

January 21, 2015

Here’s Why Sharks Prefer Salt Water

New research shows that sharks sink in fresh water

January 21, 2015

Elizabeth Blackwell was a pioneer of women in medicine.

The First Woman in America to Receive an M.D. Was Admitted to Med School as a Joke

When the students at Geneva Medical College voted in jest to admit a woman, they unwittingly paved the way for Elizabeth Blackwell’s trailblazing career

January 21, 2015

The Science Behind Deflated Footballs

Could failure to inflate give a team a strategic advantage?

January 21, 2015

A fragment from a copy of the Gospel of John, circa 200AD, is displayed at Sotheby's auctioneers in London. Researchers now claim to have found a gospel text that is over 100 years older.

Papyrus Found in a Mummy Mask May Be the Oldest Known Copy of a Gospel

Questions surround the reported discovery of an ancient scrap of the Gospel of Mark

January 21, 2015

Millions of Dollars Worth of Gold And Silver Lurk in Sewage

A city with one million people could have $13 million worth of metals in sewage sludge

January 20, 2015

High-Speed Video Shows When The Smell of Rain Begins

Now we can see exactly how raindrops create petrichor, the name given to smells kicked up by light rain

January 20, 2015

Scientists used to hypothesize that equipment from Australia's Parkes Observatory, shown here, was responsible for fast radio burst readings.

Astronomers Catch a Mysterious Burst of Energy in Action

It's the first time scientists have observed the strange radio pulse as it happened

January 20, 2015

The Wine of the Future Could Be Aged Underwater

A historic shipwreck inspired a new way to age wine

January 20, 2015

George Washington by Charles Willson Peale

The First State of the Union Address: Way Shorter, Way Less Clapping

In his First Annual Message to Congress, George Washington outlined the country’s most pressing issues and kicked off a flexible annual tradition

January 20, 2015

India's Tiger Population Grew Almost 60 Percent Since 2008

Could tigers be coming back from the brink? India now counts 2,226 of the big cats

January 20, 2015

The Speed of Light Can Vary

By manipulating the structure of light pulses, scientists managed to slow down some photons and challenge textbook wisdom

January 20, 2015

In an illustration unrelated to the study from the University of California, one kind of nano-bot is depicted in the bloodstream.

Scientists Test Out Tiny Robots Meant to Travel Inside a Human Body

The first test of micro-machines on a living mouse marks a breakthrough in the field of nano-robotics

January 19, 2015

Solar Power Provides About As Many Jobs As the Coal Industry in the U.S.

Estimates might even give solar and edge in the jobs department, but is that a good thing?

January 19, 2015

Commercial Hives Might Be Saving Crops, But They're Killing Wild Bees

Diseases known to affect commercial bees are having a troubling impact on the wild population

January 19, 2015

The ancient artifact was found in a field and used as a doorstop for years before being identified as a rare ceremonial dirk.

This 3,500-Year-Old Dagger Made a Really Great Doorstop

One man’s doorstop is another man’s rare, ancient artifact

January 19, 2015

Le Grand Baigneur (The Large Bather) by Paul Cezanne illustrates the kind of bathing suit that inspired the creation of the modern brief.

Tighty-Whities First Hit the Market More Than 80 Years Ago

Even a blizzard couldn’t dampen the excitement from the release of the first pair of men’s briefs in 1935

January 19, 2015

Loggerhead sea turtle surfing the magnetic field