Smart News

Beavers can create shallow pools of water when they build dams, changing the landscape. 

Beavers Are Reshaping the Arctic Tundra. Here's Why Scientists Are Concerned

Ponds made by the large rodents are causing permafrost to thaw, releasing methane and carbon dioxide once stored in the frozen Earth

Scientists identified a link between the severity of air pollution events and the amount of land that burned in nearby regions in the preceding week.

Health Risks of Smoke and Ozone Rise in the West as Wildfires Worsen

High levels of two dangerous pollutants are occurring with increasing frequency, researchers say

The U.S. Capitol building was fenced off on January 7.

History of Now

Archiving the January 6 Insurrection for History

On the one-year anniversary of the attack on the Capitol, the National Museum of American History continues to collect related artifacts

An illustration from Newes From Scotland (1591), a pamphlet that publicized ongoing witch trials in North Berwick, Scotland, across Europe. Groups of accused women are depicted brewing spells to thwart James VI's ship (upper left), and a local schoolmaster is shown taking notes from the devil. 

Scotland Considers Pardon for Thousands of Accused 'Witches'

Advocates are calling on leaders to exonerate the thousands of women and men targeted in witch hunts during the 16th through 18th centuries

This commemorative Edmonia Lewis "forever" stamp will go on sale January 26, as the 45th installment of the USPS's Black Heritage series. 

U.S. Postage Stamp Will Honor Edmonia Lewis, a Sculptor Who Broke the Mold

As a Native American, Black and Roman Catholic woman, Lewis overcame prejudice to become a sought-after sculptor in late 19th-century Europe

A close-up shows Tianwen-1's gold body, a solar array that powers the craft, and various antennas in full with Mars as its backdrop.

China's Mars Orbiter Takes Selfies From Outer Space

The images were snapped using a camera deployed from the spacecraft, which floated away into the vastness of the cosmos

Richmond took down its statue of Robert E. Lee in September 2021.

Richmond's Robert E. Lee Statue Is Headed to a Black History Museum

Officials have tentatively agreed to transfer ownership of removed Confederate monuments to a pair of museums in the Virginia city

The telescope has five layers that dissipate heat from the sun. The sunshield's outer layer can reach 230 degrees Fahrenheit, and the last can drop to -394 degrees.

The James Webb Space Telescope Just Cleared Its Most Challenging Hurdle

The tennis court-sized sunshield fully unfurled itself this week, accomplishing the riskiest and most complicated aspect of the telescope's deployment

Researchers found the skeleton of a human (pictured) and dog left behind by a tsunami that destroyed coastal communities along the Mediterranean Sea some 3,600 years ago.

Cool Finds

First Human Skeleton From Bronze Age Tsunami Discovered in Turkey

Archaeologists find remains of a young man and dog left behind by a natural disaster some 3,600 years ago in the Mediterranean

More than a quarter of American ICU beds are currently occupied by Covid-19 patients.

U.S. Sets Record With Over 1 Million New Daily Covid-19 Cases

Experts credit the recent surge to the spreading omicron variant and a lag in case reporting over the holidays

Archaeologists discovered a ceramic colander near grain silos at a dig in Israel, suggesting evidence of beer consumption in social gatherings about 7,000 years ago. 

Beer Flowed Freely at Gatherings in the Jordan Valley 7,000 Years Ago

Researchers find evidence that prehistoric communities consumed the alcoholic beverage during social events

The Natural History Museum added two new species of carnivorous dinosaurs called spinosaurids last year.

Meet Some of the 552 Species Described for the First Time by London's Natural History Museum

Species of menacing dinosaurs, shiny beetles and an abundance of teeny invertebrates were new to science in 2021

Richard Leakey's most notable find came in 1984 when he uncovered a near-complete Homo erectus skeleton dated about 1.5 million years ago. The skeleton dubbed Turkana Boy is 40 percent complete and is the most near-complete fossil skeleton of a human ancestor ever found.

Famed Paleoanthropologist and Wildlife Conservationist Richard Leakey Dies at 77

His team's discovery of early human skulls and skeletons cemented Africa as the cradle of humanity

Centuries after Amenhotep's death, 21st-Dynasty priests reburied his mummy to protect it from grave robbers.

Innovation for Good

Researchers Digitally Unwrap Egyptian Pharaoh's 3,500-Year-Old Mummy

Scanning technology revealed new insights on Amenhotep I's life

If found to be made of metal and a planetesimal, Psyche could reveal what the inside of planets like Earth looks like underneath the layers of mantle and crust, and further help researchers understand how the Solar System formed.

This Metal-Rich, Potato-Shaped Asteroid Could Be Worth $10 Quintillion

In August, NASA is sending an orbiter to the space object, which may be the partial remains of planet-forming material made of nickel and iron

Panda cub Xiao Qi Ji somersaults through the fresh powder.

See Pandas, Elephants, Cheetahs and More Enjoy a Snow Day at the National Zoo

At least six inches of snowfall covered Washington, D.C. this week causing closures and delays for residents, but the zoo animals were out to play

A first-century C.E. mosaic of Hercules and Iolaus

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Identify Possible Location of Lost Temple of Hercules

Experts in Spain used laser scanning technology to locate submerged ruins along the coast of the Bay of Cádiz

Exploding meteors, also called airbursts, happen with a chunk of space rock smashes into Earth's dense atmosphere. 

Boom Heard in Pittsburgh on New Year's Day Was Likely an Exploding Meteor

The energy released during the blast is as powerful as 30 tons of TNT

Actress and comedian Betty White, pictured here in 2015, died last week at the age of 99.

Women Who Shaped History

How Betty White Broke Barriers for Women in Television

A Smithsonian curator reflects on the legacy of the beloved “Golden Girls” actress

Though ichthyosaurs and whales never existed at the same time, they both evolved from species that walked on Earth and transitioned to the sea. 

Earth's Oldest Ocean Giant Was a Reptile With an Eight-Foot Skull

The newly discovered specimen sheds light on how the sea creatures, known as ichthyosaurs, evolved their gargantuan size so quickly

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