Smart News

The library at Strahov Monastery

Libraries Used to Chain Their Books to Shelves, With the Spines Hidden Away

Books have been around a long time, but the way we store them--stacked vertically, spines out--is a relatively recent invention

The Field Deployable Hydrolysis System is built to neutralize chemical weapons on site.

The Pentagon Just Built a Mobile Chemical Weapons-Neutralizing Factory

The U.S. army just built a mobile factory that can break down chemical weapons on site

“Jews praying on Jewish New Year”

See How New Yorkers Celebrated Rosh Hashanah a Century Ago

Photographs from the early 1900s show Rosh Hashanah in New York

Trypophobia Is a Fear of Holes

To study trypophobia, scientists went to the most obvious place: the trypophobia website and Facebook group

Artists Might Not Make Much, But They’re Happier With Their Jobs Than You

While they may not make much money or live in the nicest of places, artists are actually far more satisfied with their jobs that you probably are

These Gorgeous Photos Capture China’s Quickly Vanishing Traditional Ways of Life

A new book of photography addresses the tumultuous changes currently rocking China and seeks to capture traditional ways of life that may soon disappear

Worst Vacation Ever? Man Trapped on Island for Two Weeks by Crocodile

Every time he tried to paddle off, the crocodile came really close to his boat and he had to turn back

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In the 16th Century, Nose Jobs Were Horrible, Horrible Things

The process involves shoving cloth under the skin of your arm, walking around for two weeks with your bicep attached to your face, and probably dying

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Cow Tipping Never Was And Never Will Be a Thing People Actually Do

Scientists have actually taken the time to investigate the idea, and produced some hard numbers that indicated that cow-tipping "has no leg to stand on"

A Tiny, Transparent Skull Implant Could Simplify Brain Surgery

Unlike past glass-based models, the new implant's ceramic material will not shatter if someone bumps their head

A sacral sample (S) taken from Richard III revealed ancient roundworm eggs. Control samples from his skull (C1) and outside of the grave (C2) linked the infection to his body.

Richard III Had a Nasty Case of Roundworms

Perhaps the king's cooks were not washing their hands, or forgetting to rinse the human waste-fertilized salad greens before serving them to their monarch

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Clouds Obscure Clear Climate Forecasts

Ride alongside NASA's Airborne Science Laboratory as scientists try to figure out the role of clouds in climate change

The symbol of the Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest yakuza family and the ones who put out their new magazine.

Japanese Mafia Has Its Own Magazine

Looking to boost morale, the Japanese crime syndicate is putting out a magazine

Melting Glaciers Are Liberating Ancient Clothes, Like This 1,700-Year-Old Sweater

The well worn, patched up tunic turned up after sections of Norway's quickly-melting Lendbreen glacier retreated

Most sound (99.9 percent) bounces off the frog, but the mouth captures and amplifies key vibrations needed for the frogs to pick up on one another’s croaks.=

This Frog Hears With Its Mouth

The tiny Gardiner's frog does not possess an eardrum, but it has come up with a convenient evolutionary hack to get around that

Japan’s Planning to Build an “Ice Wall” Around Fukushima

The Japanese government has stepped in and announced that it will invest $500 million in the project

Tourists explore the Crescent Moon Spring along the historic Silk Road trade route.

How Third-Century China Saw Rome, a Land Ruled by “Minor Kings”

Translations of a 3rd century Chinese text describe Roman life

Skunk is one of the smells this poor man thinks he’s smelling.

This Man’s Smell Hallucinations Can Predict the Weather

For one man Parkinson's hallucinations were both horrible and predictive - he smelled an intense skunky oniony smell that got worse when a storm was coming

LEGO Reveals a Female Scientist Minifigure

Just a few weeks ago Barbie released their "Mars Explorer" doll. And today LEGO unleashed their female scientist block figurine

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A Reminder From Yosemite’s Massive 1988 Fire: Wildfire Is Largely a Human Problem

This isn't the first time fire has threatened a national park

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