Smart News

The view from GJ 1132b

New Research

Atmosphere Detected Around an Earth(ish)-Sized Planet

Just 39 light years away, GJ 1132b is 1.4 times the Earth's radius and has an atmosphere that may be composed of steam or methane

Heritage scientist Cecilia Bembibre captures the smell of a 18th-century bible at Knole House.

New Research

The Quest to Better Describe the Scent of Old Books

Describing a unique smell just got easier thanks to a pair of olfactory detectives

Entrance into the newly discovered pyramid

Cool Finds

New Pyramid Discovered in Egypt

Earlier this week the interior structure of pyramid was uncovered at the Dahshur Necropolis, home to some of Egypt's earliest pyramids

David Fairchild in 1940, tasting the fruit of an antidesma tree in Indonesia.

This Swashbuckling Botanist Changed America’s Landscapes

Not always for the better

Rhinos grazing in a South African park

Trending Today

South Africa to Legalize Domestic Rhino Horn Trade

A court ruling overturns a 2009 ban, a move that conservationists worry will increase poaching

Previously unrecorded portrait of Harriet Tubman

Trending Today

Smithsonian and Library of Congress Purchase Rare 1860s Photo of Harriet Tubman

Part of an album of 44 photos of prominent abolitionists, the unique photo was recently acquired at auction

Bevo, Anheuser-Busch's "cereal beer" or "near-beer," was the most popular of non-alcoholic malt beverages sold during Prohibition.

How Some Breweries Survived Prohibition

It mostly involved playing to their non-alcoholic strengths

Clothes moth larvae are snacking on history.

Moths Are Nibbling Away at England’s Heritage Sites

Let “Operation Clothes Moths” commence

New Research

Artifacts Found in Indonesian Cave Show Complexities of Ice Age Culture

Pendants and buttons as well as carvings suggest the inhabitants of Wallacea were as advanced as Europeans during the Ice Age

New Research

Why Do So Many Hollywood Villains Have Skin Conditions?

A new study cautions that the scars and warts that afflict many movie villains could contribute to social stigmas

Before World War II, almost every Dutch village had a wooden shoe maker.

Trending Today

Only 30 Dutch Wooden Shoe Makers Remain

The traditional trade is in trouble

President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan meet with the Beach Boys a few months after Reagan's Secretary of the Interior announced that rock bands attracted "the wrong element."

The Secretary of the Interior Once Banned Rock Bands From the National Mall

James Watt, who was outed from office in the early 1980s, said the only songs he knew were 'The Star Spangled Banner' and 'Amazing Grace'

Birth weights declined near the Paradise Fossil Plant in Kentucky during the 1980s.

New Research

Coal-Fueled Power Plants Linked to Lower Birth Weights in Tennessee Valley

When nuclear power plants pressed pause, coal stepped in—and birth weights began to decline

New Research

Web-Slinging Snails Discovered on Sunken Ship

Scientists worry that their presence spells trouble for threatened coral reefs

Jack Kerouac's former home at 5169 10th Ave. N in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Fans Hope to Preserve Jack Kerouac’s Florida Home

The modest house in St. Petersburg is now for sale, and may be turned into a museum

Aww.

Future of Conservation

How Caribou Baby Monitors Could Save a Dying Species

Scientists hope camera collars with GPS will unravel a deadly mystery

The interesting thing is that it doesn't sound like people minded much.

Once Upon a Time, Exploding Billiard Balls Were An Everyday Thing

It was a side effect of no longer making them from ivory

The seven species studied

New Research

Slo-Mo Footage Shows How Scorpions Strike

Using high speed cameras, researchers uncovered the defensive patterns used by scorpions, including the super-fast death stalker

The 2016 Spelling Bee co-champions Nihar Janga, 11, of Austin, Texas, and Jairam Hathwar, 13, of Corning, New York.

The National Spelling Bee Adjusts Its Rules To Prevent Ties

Top spellers will be required to take a written test on the final evening of the competition

Kaboom.

Your Alaskan Cruise Is Possible Because Canada Blew Up an Underwater Mountain

People predicted tsunamis and an earthquake, but nothing particularly bad happened

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