Smart News

A zoomed-in view of Edgar Degas' Ukrainian Dancers, previously known as Russian Dancers

Museum Renames Degas' 'Russian Dancers' in Nod to Ukraine

The change arrives amid a push for cultural institutions to recognize distinctions between Russian and Ukrainian culture

The jars vary in shape in size. Some are perfectly round, while others are tall and skinny.

Archaeologists in India Find Dozens of Mysterious Giant Jars

The vessels' purpose is unknown, but scholars say they may have been used in ancient funerary practices

A soup bowl monster made of yarn, created by DALL-E 2.

Innovation for Good

What Do WALL-E and Salvador Dalí Have in Common? Meet DALL-E 2

This new and improved A.I. system can produce photorealistic images of anything on demand

Woolly monkeys have thick dense fur, and are found in the rainforests of the western Amazon River basin.
 

Ecuador's High Court Rules Wild Animals Have Legal Rights

The landmark case involved a deceased woolly monkey named Estrellita

Greta Thunberg addresses climate strikers at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado.

Greta Thunberg Is Publishing the 'Ultimate Guide' to Climate Change

The book will feature contributions from over 100 novelists, scientists and activists

Millions of visitors flock each year to Yellowstone National Park, which is known for its thermal features and abundant wildlife. The park's nonprofit partner is offering a park pass for the year 2172 for a $1,500 donation.

Why Yellowstone Is Selling a Park Pass for the Year 2172

The national park’s fundraising arm is offering the futuristic pass for a $1,500 donation that will help preserve and protect wildlife, natural resources

The fox walks near Upper Senate Park.

Rabid Fox and Her Kits Euthanized After Nine People Were Bitten on Capitol Hill

Bite victims included a reporter and a U.S. congressman

The cat-sized, butter-colored rodents live about 15 years on average, a much longer lifespan than what is expected for their size.

Good News

Yellow-Bellied Marmot Hibernation Could Unlock the Key to Longevity

The fluffy rodents stop aging when they curl up in their dens for winter and start again once they emerge in spring

An image of the original 1970s Arecibo message. 

These Space Scientists Want to Update Earth's Message to Extraterrestrials

The broadcast builds on the 1974 Arecibo message and portrays information about science, math and human life

The results of the analysis—that society’s concept of “person” prioritizes men over women—suggests a “fundamental bias in our species’ collective view of itself,” write the researchers in the paper.

Gender-Neutral Words Like 'People' and 'Person' Are Perceived as Male, Study Suggests

Researchers found that society's concept of "person" and similar terms prioritizes men over women

Ruins of a Norse church in Greenland.

New Research

Why Did the Vikings Abandon Their Most Successful Settlement in Greenland?

A new study argues that an extended drought, and not cold temperatures, drove the Norse settlers from the region

The anchor of Industry, a whaling ship that sank in 1836 in the Gulf of Mexico 

Cool Finds

A Shipwreck, a Robot and an Archival Treasure Hunt Reveal the Diverse History of the Whaling Industry

Free Black Americans and Native Americans once worked on the "Industry," a whaling ship whose wreck was recently identified in the Gulf of Mexico

The muscles that allow for the "puppy-dog eyes" in domestic dogs is undeveloped in wolves, suggesting that the adorable look evolved to captivate humans. (Pictured: The author's dog, Smoky.)

The Science Behind Those Big Ol' Puppy-Dog Eyes

Our canine friends evolved extra muscle fibers around their eyes and mouths that allow them to make facial expressions humans find adorable

A page from Darwin's 1837 notebook showing the Tree of Life sketch.

Good News

Stolen Charles Darwin Notebooks Returned After 22 Years

One of the items contains the renowned naturalist's first sketch of the Tree of Life

Scientists found the smell ranked the most pleasant regardless of cultural background was vanilla.

The World's Favorite Scent Is Vanilla, According to Science

Some smells are perceived as more pleasant than others, which means preferences for certain odors could have evolutionary roots in our past

Jan Brueghel the Elder and Peter Paul Rubens, The Sense of Smell, 1617–1618

What Does This 17th-Century Painting Smell Like?

A new exhibition in Spain incorporates ten fragrances inspired by Jan Brueghel the Elder and Peter Paul Rubens' "The Sense of Smell"

Jaenschwalde Power Station, a brown coal power plant in Germany.

To Prevent Catastrophic Damage by 2100, Climate Experts Warn 'It's Now or Never'

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states deep and rapid cuts to greenhouse gases are needed by 2025 to avoid an 'unlivable world'

NPS Ranger Betty Reid Soskin sits in front of the Rosie the Riveter Visitor Center.

Women Who Shaped History

Betty Reid Soskin, Oldest National Park Service Ranger, Retires at 100

As an NPS employee, she promoted the stories of African American people and women of color who contributed to the home front effort during WWII

Today, Amache is mostly barren grassland dotted with crumbling foundations and a few historic buildings and replicas.

Japanese American Incarceration Camp in Colorado Receives Federal Protection

The Granada Relocation Center, also known as Amache, grew to become the state's tenth largest city at its peak during World War II

Out of the deer tested in Iowa between September 2020 and January 2021, a third of total white-tailed deer had SARS-coV-2.

Wildlife Biologists Prioritize Monitoring Wild Animals for SARS-CoV-2

The Covid-19 pandemic is driven by human-to-human transmission, but the virus is known to infect animal species

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