Smart News

Cool Finds

Nevada Has a Massive New Dark Sky Sanctuary

The night skies at 100,000-acre Massacre Ridge are some of the starriest in the world

The Posbury Clump.

Would You Like to Buy an Extinct Volcano?

The U.K.’s Posbury Clump may not have the snazziest of names, but the site boasts a rich history—and is available for around $60,700

New Research

New 3-D Map Shows Milky Way's Big Twist

By mapping the distance of Cepheid stars, researchers reveal that our galaxy is warped

Section of fragment found

Cool Finds

Fragment of 'The Rose Thorn,' a Poem About a Talking Vulva, Dated to the 1300s

The section of the erotic Medieval fantasy was found in the binding of book in Austria's Melk monastery

Warmer temperatures yield more female hatchlings, while colder temperatures yield more males

Turtle Embryos May Be Able to Influence Their Sex by Moving Around Inside the Egg

When embryos found the so-called 'Goldilocks' temperature zone, sex selection was randomized, producing a nearly even split between males and females

Edward was born on Sunday, July 28, at the San Diego Zoo

Artificially Conceived Southern White Rhino Offers Hope for Critically Endangered Cousin

Scientists are working to bring northern white rhinos back from the brink by using southern females as surrogate mothers

Out of 200 styluses found during excavations, this was the only one with an inscription

Cool Finds

This Ancient Roman Souvenir Stylus Is Inscribed With a Corny Joke

Loosely translated, the message reads, ‘I went to Rome and all I got you was this stylus’

Dead vaquita entangled in a gillnet set for Totoaba

There Are ‘At Most’ 19 Vaquitas Left in the Wild

An alarming new study documents the continued decline of the critically endangered porpoise—but it may still be possible to save the species

Female (left) and male (right) black widow spiders

Male Black Widow Spiders Find Potential Mates by Following Other Suitors’ Trails

Although this strategy may seem counterintuitive, researchers say speedy tracking is an important factor in successful courtship

M. Amité, and his right-hand cat, Apollo

A Steinbeck Story About a Chef and His Cat Has Been Published in English for the First Time

The author wrote 'The Amiable Fleas' in 1954, for the French newspaper <i>Le Figaro</i>

A sentinel chicken gets its blood drawn in Charlotte County, Florida.

Trending Today

Rare, Mosquito-Borne Virus Found in Several Chickens in Florida

The only way to prevent eastern equine encephalitis virus, which causes brain-swelling and has a high mortality rate, is to avoid mosquito bites

Excavation of a Celtic grave at the Kernschulhaus 2017

Cool Finds

This Iron Age Celtic Woman Was Buried in a Hollowed-Out Tree Trunk

The woman performed little physical labor during her lifetime and enjoyed a rich diet of starchy and sweetened foods

More Than 200 Reindeer Starved to Death in Norway

Scientists think climate change is to blame

The bottlenose mother, pictured here with her adoptive whale calf and biological daughter, exhibited unusually tolerant behavior

Researchers Document First Known Case of Dolphin Mom Adopting Whale Calf

The melon-headed male whale actively competed for his adoptive mother's attention, repeatedly shoving his bottlenose dolphin sister out of the way

Markers will be added to the "Lion of Atlanta" monument, along with three others.

New Markers in Atlanta Aim to Put Confederate Monuments in Context

The city is installing the historical markers next to four of its most prominent Confederate memorials

Ameila Earhart standing in front of the Lockheed Electra in which she disappeared in 1937.

Why the Much-Publicized Mission to Find Amelia Earhart's Plane Is Likely to Come Up Empty

The explorer who discovered the 'Titanic' is searching for the lost aviator. A Smithsonian curator doesn’t think he’ll find it.

Ben Enwonwu, "Christine," 1971

Cool Finds

Family Realizes Long-Forgotten Portrait Was Painted by Famed Nigerian Artist Ben Enwonwu

Last year, a similarly rediscovered portrait by Enwonwu sold for $1.6 million, setting an auction record for Nigerian Modernist art

Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed plants a tree as part of the reforestation project.

Trending Today

Ethiopia Plants 350 Million Trees in 12 Hours—a New Record

The government claims that volunteers at 1,000 sites participated in the coordinated reforestation efforts

Trending Today

To Remember the Chicago Race Riot of 1919, Commemoration Project Looks to Public Art

The Windy City was just one place that went up in flames that summer

Nearly 16,000 pages of letters, speeches, newspaper articles and other suffragist documents are now available on By the People.

Women Who Shaped History

The Library of Congress Needs Your Help Transcribing Suffragist Papers

Nearly 16,000 pages of diaries, letters, speeches and other documents are available on the library’s crowdsourcing platform

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