Smart News

Iconic American Buffalo are Actually Part Cow

Though plains bison are icons of America's cowboy past and rugged West, research findings show that most of the buffalo have cow ancestors from the 1800s

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The Man who “Discovered” Cold Fusion Just Passed Away

Martin Fleischmann, who in 1989 claimed to have discovered cold fusion, died in his home in England on Friday, August 3rd, following a long battle with Parkinson's disease.

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Old School Games Make a Comeback – How Arcades and Rubik’s Cubes Are Becoming Cool Again

In Brooklyn, you can drink beer while you do just about anything at some themed bar. Shuffleboard, darts, pool, mini-golf, horror movies, steampunk, old school arcade games; you name it and you can find it. And now the hipsters have an unlikely ally: Rubik’s cube obsessives. Together, this not-so-odd couple is bringing back the games [...]

Sagan with a model of the Viking lander.

Long Before Curiosity, Carl Sagan Had Something to Say to Kids About Mars

In a lectures series for children, Carl Sagan educates us all on the history and exploration of Mars.

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Synchronized Swimming is Really Hard, and Really Weird

Olympic synchronized swimmers get a lot of flack for their wacky sport - but while it is weird, it's also really hard.

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Singapore’s “National Night” Encourages Citizens to Make Babies

Singapore's "unbelievably low birthrates" have inspired "National Night," a campaign to encourage Singaporean couples to "let their patriotism explode" on August 9.

Faces created using Phil McCarthy’s Pareidoloop.

Facial Recognition Software Makes Art from Random Noise

An interactive infographic tracks the flow of small and light arms and ammunition around the world.

In 2010 $600 Million in Guns and Ammo Were Exported from the US

In 2010, $607 million dollars worth of small and light arms left the United States, headed to buyers around the world

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Now We Know Why Rainbows Split in Two

Though much of the physics behind rainbows is still cloaked in colorful mystery, researchers have at last unlocked some of the secrets behind the peculiar optics of the twinned rainbow.

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New Forensics Tool for Catching Elephant Poachers

Good news on the illegal wildlife trade front: a new forensic genetics tool allows scientists to pinpoint where seized illegal ivory originates

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No One Knows When You’re Being Sarcastic in Emails

People often think their sarcasm is obvious, while receivers aren't always so quick to get the joke.

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Sir Bernard Lovell, The Man The Soviets Tried to Poison With Uranium, Dies at 98

Lovell, of the Lovell telescope, made several advances in radio astronomy and physics.

The Campi Flegrei caldera lies to the west of of Naples in southern Italy. (Naples is the giant city on the right).

Italian Supervolcano Could End Eurozone Crisis the Easy Way

Deep underground in southern Italy, just outside the city of Naples, the Campi Flegrei supervolcano has been resting for the past 500 years

In 1956, Two Kittens Crossed the Atlantic on a Raft

On a wooden raft two kittens (and three sailors) traveled from Canada to Cornwall

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Playfulness Increases a Person’s Sexiness, New Research Finds

New research shows that, unlike most animals, many adult humans continue to engage in playful behavior well into their summer and autumn years, and that this fun-loving attitude may help them score big when it comes to the opposite sex.

Down and down and down it goes. Arctic sea ice extent, 1979 to 2012.

Everything You Need to Know About Arctic Sea Ice Melt, in One 10-Second Animated Gif

The Arctic is melting,

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Man Wears Artificial Uterus for Science & His Wife

In rural Southern India, a husband has embarked upon perhaps the most chivalrous mission ever: designing an affordable menstrual pad for local women

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Landing Curiosity on Mars was Way Harder and Way Less Expensive than the Olympics

Landing a car-sized rover on a distant planet using a sky crane is really hard, and really awesome.

Mark Twain. Left: Photographed by Life Magazine. Left, in Tesla’s Lab, photographed by Wutz

The Only Footage of Mark Twain in Existence

This silent film footage was taken in 1909 by Thomas Edison at Mark Twain's estate

Longhorn cattle in Houston, Texas.

Why Do Cows Have Spots?

Cows' mottled coats may have evolved to help keep flies away.

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