Smart News

Here’s Why French People Are Getting Riled Up About the Circumflex

Little accent, big debate

February 18, 2016

This artist’s impression shows the super-Earth 55 Cancri e in front of its parent star.

Hubble Gets a Whiff of Super-Earth Atmosphere For The First Time

The toasty planet’s atmosphere is similar to a gas giant’s

February 18, 2016

Dissident artist Pyotr Pavlensky appears at Moscow's Tagansky District Court on suspicion of vandalism.

Russia Cancels Top Art Prize After Dissident Artist Nominated

Judges walk out in support of the provocative performance artist

February 18, 2016

Russia Wants to Turn Old Missiles Into an Asteroid Defense System

One of the world's deadliest missiles could become a planetary life-saver

February 18, 2016

These Glass Discs Can Store Data for Billions of Years

“Five-dimensional” data discs could be the future of information storage

February 18, 2016

Comparison of a Neanderthal skull (left) and a human skull (right) with a 55,000-year-old fragment from a possible human-Neanderthal hybrid.

Humans May Have Had Romantic Rendezvous With Neanderthals 100,000 Years Ago

New DNA evidence suggests that ancient humans got busy with our stocky Neanderthal cousins much earlier than previously thought

February 18, 2016

Wander About Inside This Giant Cake Sculpture

Try to refrain from eating the art

February 17, 2016

Millenials = oenophiles, according to a new study.

Millennials Drink More Wine Than Anyone Else

The much-maligned generation has a penchant for vino

February 17, 2016

This tiny flower is thought to be related to the poisonous Strychnos genus.

New Species of Prehistoric Flower Discovered Preserved in Amber

Rare fossil may be an ancient relative of the potato

February 17, 2016

Scientists used an an integrated tissue-organ printer, or ITOP, to create this ear.

Scientists Printed a Human Ear

The scientific breakthrough is more than a creepy experiment—one day, it could save lives

February 16, 2016

A German Composer Uncovered a Collaboration Between Mozart and Salieri

Their epic rivalry might not have been all that

February 16, 2016

The Lincoln Memorial Is Getting a Makeover

The four-year restoration will cost a pretty penny

February 16, 2016

For only $10, you can spend a night in a faithful recreation of van Gogh's "The Bedroom," wonky angles and all.

Rent a Recreation of Van Gogh’s Bedroom and Other Artistic Airbnbs

Odd houses and intricately designed bedrooms are a staple of short-term rentals

February 16, 2016

A recent study on clutter and overeating gave a new spin to the term "Hell's Kitchen."

Messy Kitchens Could Make You Eat More

Researchers put participants in the world’s most stressful kitchen for the sake of science

February 16, 2016

Researchers Say Culling Koalas May Save Them From Chlamydia

A paradoxical solution to help protect the species

February 16, 2016

A rainbow-colored crosswalk in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Federal Highway Administration Says Stop to Crosswalk Art

Street art will no longer color crosswalks in St. Louis, Missouri

February 15, 2016

Watch a Stunning Time-Lapse of Cave-Bound Glowworms

These New Zealand sparklers aren’t stars—they’re insects

February 15, 2016

Happy 452nd Birthday, Galileo

The revolutionary who helped shape modern astronomy

February 15, 2016