Smart News

A digital reconstruction of a humpback whale trap feeding, a behavior with striking similarities to the feeding habits of the "hafgufa" described in medieval Norse texts.

These Mythical Sea Monsters May Have Been Whales With Unusual Dining Habits

Tales of creatures like the Norse “hafgufa” suggest ancient and medieval people may have seen whales trap feeding

A new overnight route will connect Amsterdam and Barcelona starting in the spring of 2025.

New Sleeper Train Will Connect Amsterdam and Barcelona

The proposed route is part of a broader push to increase cross-border rail travel in Europe

The comb measures roughly two inches and has nearly a dozen teeth.

Ancient Comb Made From Human Skull Unearthed in England

The Iron Age artifact may have been used as an amulet rather than a hairstyling tool

The artificial sweetener erythritol is widely used a sugar substitute. 

Artificial Sweetener Tied to Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke, Study Finds

Erythritol was not proven to cause these health problems, but some experts recommend limiting intake

For the first time, researchers have discovered remnants of Roman-era wooden spikes meant to deter attackers.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Wooden Spikes Described by Julius Caesar

Until recently, no traces of the military technology had ever been found

Snapping shrimp create an air bubble in the water when they clamp their claws shut.

These Young Shrimp Can Snap Their Claws as Fast as a Speeding Bullet

Juvenile snapping shrimp can achieve the fastest acceleration of any repeatable, underwater motion by a living thing, per a new study

Ukraine has released stamps featuring a Banksy mural, which depicts a child defeating a Putin-like figure in a judo match.

Ukraine Releases Banksy Postage Stamp on War's One-Year Anniversary

The street artist painted the image on a demolished wall during his secret trip to the country last fall

Sharpshooters use an appendage called an anal stylus to catapult droplets of pee.

These Tiny Bugs Urinate by Flinging Droplets of Pee

Sharpshooters are the first example of “superpropulsion” in a living organism, according to new research

Salvador Dalí in 1939

Did Salvador Dalí Paint This Enigmatic Artwork?

After two curators began doubting the painting's authenticity, they made an unexpected discovery about its origins

Some scientists think that Earth's inner core is actually made up of two similar but distinct layers.

Scientists Find Evidence of Another Core Within Earth's Center

The newly proposed layer might have a different structure from the rest of the inner core

Time moves more quickly on the moon than on Earth because of gravity.

Space Officials Want a Time Zone for the Moon

Lunar timekeeping could help with navigation and communication, but experts say it will be difficult

Moai statues on Easter Island 

Cool Finds

Dried Lake Reveals New Statue on Easter Island

The stone monolith is one of the famous moai sculptures scattered across the landscape

The birds gather by the thousands along the Platte River.

America's Waterways: The Past, Present and Future

See Thousands of Sandhill Cranes Gather in Nebraska

Every year, travelers attempt to witness the birds on their long journey north

Balloons can pollute the oceans, harm wildlife and get tangled in power lines.

Seaside California City Bans Balloons in Public

Laguna Beach has joined several other cities taking aim at ocean pollution, wildlife health, power outages and wildfires

David Bowie performing as the Thin White Duke, one of his personas, during the Station to Station tour in 1976

David Bowie's 80,000-Item Archive Will Go on Display

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is building a new venue dedicated to the artist

The hazy quality of works like Turner's Rain, Steam and Speed (1844) was influenced by air pollution, a new study says.

Art Meets Science

Did Air Pollution Influence Famous Impressionist Painters?

Artists like Turner and Monet painted the smog they saw in London and Paris, a new study says

A worker catches chickens at a market in Cambodia, where a girl recently died from avian influenza.

Bird Flu Causes the Death of an 11-Year-Old in Cambodia

A father and daughter both contracted avian influenza, the first cases in the country since 2014

First discovered in 1992, the phallus is 6.3 inches long and made of ash wood.

Is This Wooden Artifact an Ancient Roman Phallus?

Thirty years ago, researchers thought that the 2,000-year-old object was a darning tool

The new exhibition opened in Saudi Arabia this month.

Andy Warhol Exhibition Opens in the Saudi Desert

Critics say the show helps bolster the regime's reputation—and obscure its human rights violations

An artist's depiction of Macronectes tinae, a newly identified extinct species of giant petrel that lived in New Zealand.

The Wonderful World of Birds

Amateur Fossil Hunter Discovers New Species of Giant Petrel in New Zealand

The now-extinct birds, which lived roughly three million years ago, likely used their hooked bills to feast on seal carcasses

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