Smart News

Police Request 3D-Printed Copy of a Dead Man’s Fingers to Unlock His Smartphone

No more guessing passwords

July 22, 2016

An artist's rendition of the Rio Olympics facilities for the 2016 Summer Games. Some of the media accommodations were apparently built on top of remnants of Brazil's slave history.

The Media Village at the Rio Olympics Is Built on a Mass Grave of Slaves

As Brazil looks forward to an Olympic future, it buries its past

July 22, 2016

An artistic rendering shows an early proto turtle Eunotosaurus (foreground) burrowing into the banks of a dried-up pond to escape the harsh arid environment present 260 million years ago in South Africa.

Why the Turtle Grew a Shell—It's More Than Safety

Its armor may have developed for more than safety

July 22, 2016

Horrifying Sculpture Depicts a Human Evolved to Survive a Car Crash

Once you’ve seen it, you can’t unsee it

July 22, 2016

New Brain Map Doubles Number of Known Regions

Neurologists have found 97 new areas in the brain and expect to add even more

July 21, 2016

Museum Unveils Henry VIII's Flagship

The <i>Mary Rose</i> sank almost 500 years ago, but following more than 30 years of restoration, the remains of the warship are open to the public

July 21, 2016

A researcher examines inscriptions by 16th century Europeans in a cave on Mona Island

Cave Graffiti Shows Natives and Europeans Had Early Dialogue in the Caribbean

Cave art from both Taíno people and Spanish explorers in a cave on Mona Island shows the two had some early cultural understanding

July 21, 2016

A cartoon from the magazine The Judge, where "Democracy" is portrayed as the devil overlooking Washington, D.C., and looks very much like Grover Cleveland.

Lucifer Has Long Had His Hands in Politics

Since the earliest days of Christianity, people have accused their political rivals of being in league with the Devil

July 20, 2016

Avi Avital is the featured performer in "InstaConcerto for Mandolin and Orchestra," a 75-second concerto written for Instagram.

This Classical Mandolinist Makes Music With...Instagram?

“InstaConcerto for Mandolin and Orchestra” plays with a genre known more for its selfies than its chamber music

July 20, 2016

Study Shows Primates Prefer a Little Booze With Their Nectar

Two prosimian primates, the aye-aye and slow loris, show a preference for sugar-water with a higher alcohol content

July 20, 2016

A 3D view of the console of the Apollo 11 "Columbia" command module.

Explore the Apollo 11 Command Module in 3D

For the first time, you can peek inside the craft that enabled “one giant leap for mankind”

July 20, 2016

Right: Photograph during excavation exhibiting excellent dry preservation of plant remains Left: A well-preserved, desiccated barley grain found at Yoram Cave.

After 6,000 Years of Farming, Barley Is Still (More or Less) the Same

Talk about an ancient grain

July 20, 2016

Pure Human features clothing made from leather that is produced from the DNA of designer Alexander McQueen—and that includes freckles, realistically placed tattoos and even sunburns.

Alexander McQueen Is Being Turned Into Leather

The late designer's DNA is part of a bizarre experiment in fashion ethics

July 20, 2016

Pitcher R.A. Dickey is well-known for his knuckleball.

Physicists May Have Finally Figured Out Why Knuckleballs Are So Hard to Hit

All with the help of a ball-throwing robot

July 20, 2016

There is an outbreak of norovirus among a group of staffers for the California delegation of the Republican National Convention in Ohio.

Likely Norovirus Outbreak Strikes the GOP Convention

It’s a short-lived bug with explosive—and contagious—results

July 19, 2016

India Plants a Record 50 Million Trees in 24 Hours

More than 800,000 volunteers planted saplings in public spaces in the state of Uttar Pradesh hoping to reduce greenhouse gases and reforest the countryside

July 19, 2016