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Cool Finds

Does That Button Really Work, Or Is It a Placebo?

Fake buttons are more common than you might think

An illustration of some of the debris in low Earth orbit

New Research

Scientists Want to Use Lasers to Shoot Down Space Junk

The idea sounds farfetched, but it may be better than previous solutions

A false-color image of Ceres mimics what human eyes would see

Cool Finds

Dawn Spacecraft Sends First Color Images of Ceres

Red and blue tell the tale of a dwarf planet covered in rock and ice

Trending Today

Why Astronomers Are Fighting Back Against Robotic Lawnmowers

It’s a feud fueled by radio frequencies

Cool Finds

An Artist Is Trying To Preserve India’s Fading Street Sounds

As shopping malls and suburbs come to Delhi, one woman fights to save the sound of its street vendors

This track pad fits on your thumbnail, and can be customized with nail stickers.

Cool Finds

This Tiny Trackpad Fits on a Fingernail

But why would you actually want one?

Actress Jodi Foster in 1985 with an interactive Mickey Mouse created the old fashioned way.

Cool Finds

Disney's Getting Into 3D-Printing Soft, Cuddly Things

The world of cartoons is going to get a little realer

White rhinos are considered a conservation sucess after near extinction in the 19th century, their numbers now classify them as Near Threatened

Trending Today

Here’s How to Avoid Losing Half of Earth’s Species

Basically, don’t stop trying to halt extinction

Cool Finds

Meet the First Donut That Went to Space

A pair of Swedish brothers launched a tasty pastry into the stratosphere—and filmed the entire ride

An artists interpretation of a large asteroid hitting Earth

Cool Finds

Scientists Bombard the Earth With Asteroids to Practice Saving It

The Planetary Defense Conference doesn’t just have papers and seminars. It also has an asteroid disaster scenario to solve.

New Research

Hormones Show Dogs Don’t Just Think of Us As Providers of Food

When dogs and humans share long looks, a chemical involved in social bonding surges through their bodies

Trending Today

Levitating Train Breaks Speed Record in Japan

This magnetic levitation bullet train is capable of speeds of 366 miles per hour—and possibly more

Trending Today

Why You Can’t Listen to Radio On Your Smartphone

There’s an FM radio on your phone…but you likely can’t use it

Mercury's Munch crater, as viewed by the MESSENGER probe.

Trending Today

The Messenger Probe Will Soon Crash Into Mercury

As NASA's probe runs out of propellant, it will crash into the planet’s surface at 8,750 MPH

Trending Today

Why Syria’s Protecting Seeds From Its War

When civil war broke out in Syria, scientists saved more than 80 percent of a priceless trove of seeds

Cool Finds

Droves of Elegant Blue Jellies Wash Up on Pacific Shores

Unusually strong winds have pushed Velella velellas, or "by-the-wind sailors," onto West Coast beaches by the thousands

Cool Finds

This Man Plans to Spend a Year Living in a Giant Ball on an Iceberg

Adventurer Alex Bellini wants to watch a Greenland iceberg melt while he dwells in a "survival pod"

Borneo orangutan

New Research

Learn the Secrets of Ape’s Sleeping Habits

Apes sleep better and longer than other primates

A fairy circle in the Namibian desert — one of many large patches of barren earth ringed by short grass

New Research

Mysterious "Fairy" Circles Share Qualities With Human Skin

Researchers noticed that the pattern of Namibia's "fairy" circles strongly resembles that of skin cell growth

Cool Finds

"Look Ma, No Hands!" A Rock Climber Scales Cliffs Without Using His Hands

Famous British rock climber Johnny Dawes puts a twist on his sport

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