Smart News

Rome's Pantheon was built around 27 B.C.E.

Rome's Pantheon Will Start Charging an Entrance Fee

The 2,000-year-old structure is Italy's most visited cultural site, attracting millions of tourists each year

An analysis of genetic samples taken in 2020 from a market in Wuhan, China, found both the coronavirus and raccoon dog DNA.

Genetic Evidence Ties Covid's Origin to Raccoon Dogs

New data support the theory that the virus causing Covid-19 first spread to humans from animals

Since the pandemic began, the country has implemented strict zero-Covid poicies.

China Fully Reopens to Travelers After Three Years of Closures

Hoping to boost its tourism industry, the country is now issuing all types of visas

Between 2013 and 2017, 90 percent of the sunflower sea star population was wiped out from a disease called Sea Star Wasting Syndrome.

These Sea Stars Are Literally Wasting Away—but They May Soon Receive Protection

Sunflower sea stars have been recommended for Endangered Species Act protection as disease leads them to “disintegrate into gooey masses”

This computer-generated image shows objects in Earth's orbit. The majority—around 95 percent—are bits of space junk.

Burning Space Junk Creates Mysterious Lights in California Sky

Bright streaks observed Friday were jettisoned equipment from the International Space Station re-entering Earth’s atmosphere

Van Gogh has made more than 150 paintings.

Paintings by Rescue Dog Named van Gogh Raise Thousands for Charity

A bidder has already offered $10,000 for the four-legged artist's rendition of "The Starry Night"

The aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, over a lake in eastern central Finland

You Can Apply for Free 'Masterclass of Happiness' in Finland

For the fifth year in a row, Finland ranked as the happiest nation in the world

An aerial view of the ongoing efforts to reconstruct Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral, pictured in June 2021

Cool Finds

The 2019 Notre-Dame Fire Revealed Iron Staples Holding the Cathedral Together

The Paris landmark is the first known Gothic cathedral to use iron in this way, researchers say

A rendering of Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum dinosaurs with their 50-foot-long necks.

This Dinosaur Had a 50-Foot-Long Neck, Scientists Say

They compared vertebrae discovered in 1987 to more complete remains to make this new estimate

An aerial view of the Vjosa River near the city of Permet taken on March 14, 2023.

One of Europe's Last Free-Flowing Rivers Declared a National Park

Albania will protect more than 31,000 acres of land, including the undammed Vjosa River

A computer-generated three-dimensional image of Maat Mons, the tallest volcano on Venus, from NASA's Magellan mission

Scientists Spot Recent Volcanic Activity on Venus

The findings in 30-year-old radar image data all but confirm that volcanoes on Earth’s hellish sister planet are still active today

Nina Simone's childhood home in Tryon, North Carolina

Venus Williams Is Joining a New Push to Restore Nina Simone's Childhood Home

The singer-songwriter learned to play the piano in the 650-square-foot house

The new suits will actually be all white, but Axiom Space showed off its prototype with a dark gray cover material.

See the New Moonwalk Spacesuit Designed for NASA's Artemis Program

The space agency has tapped private company Axiom Space to develop the sleek new attire for its moon-bound astronauts

The National Audubon Society was founded in 1905 and named after naturalist John James Audubon, who died in 1851.

National Audubon Society Votes to Keep the Name of an Enslaver

The move has been criticized by some local chapters that have severed ties with naturalist and slaveholder John James Audubon

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is located in the Norwegian Arctic on the remote island of Spitsbergen.

Take a Virtual Tour of the 'Doomsday' Seed Vault

The impressive depository carefully preserves over one million seed samples in its Arctic location

Vinyl record sales have growing for the past 15 years.

Vinyl Records Outsell CDs for First Time Since 1987

Music lovers in the United States bought 41 million vinyl albums and 33 million CDs in 2022

A puffin in soft light surrounded by faint raindrops.

See 15 Amazing Wildlife Images From the Sony World Photography Awards

The contest showcases the work of some of the planet’s best photographers

"Forever chemicals" have been in firefighting foam as well as products including nonstick cookware and water-repellant clothing. Research has linked them to a number of health problems, including cancer.

EPA Proposes First Limits for Toxic 'Forever Chemicals' in Drinking Water

Under the rule, public water systems would monitor levels of six types of long-lasting contaminants known as PFAS

The hydrogen-powered train will travel between Parc de la Chute-Montmorency and Baie-Saint-Paul.

North America's First Hydrogen-Powered Train Will Debut This Summer

While traveling a 90-minute route, the Train de Charlevoix will emit only water vapor

Australia's 2019 to 2020 wildfires destroyed more than 3,000 homes. New research shows how they also temporarily depleted the ozone layer.

Here's How Wildfires Can Destroy the Ozone Layer

Massive blazes like the ones in Australia three years ago deplete the crucial blanket surrounding our planet through chemical reactions in the atmosphere

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