Smart News

Here’s How Researchers Determined a Long-Lost Van Gogh Painting Is an Original

Two years of intense research were required to give the painting the final stamp of approval

For $100,000, You Can Have the Most Valuable Pokemon Card Ever

This is by far the most anyone has asked for a trading card like this

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These Beautiful 16th Century Watercolors Illustrate the History of Comets And Meteors

Today, studying comets and meteors involves billions of dollars worth of equipment and teams from all over the world

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The Conflict in Syria Is Damaging the Country’s Historic Sites

The ongoing fighting in Syria is devastating irreplaceable artifacts

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This 1970s Underground Bomb Shelter Is Impeccably Designed And For Sale

3970 Spencer St seems pretty normal, until you look more closely that you realize that the trees in the background are fake, and the sky is painted on

Sudden Pauses in Text Messaging May Mean You’re Being Lied To

Additionally, we're more likely to lie by text than in-person or on the phone

What Can Thirty Years of the Times’ Wedding Section Tell Us About Marriage And Social Status?

The Rap Genius Engineering team decided it would be fun to analyze over thirty years of New York Time nuptials to see just what NYT couples are like

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An Underwater Volcano the Size of New Mexico Is the World’s Largest

The Tamu Massif is not only the world's largest volcano, but also one of the largest documented volcanoes in the solar system

A woman operates an early decryption machine for the NSA’s progenitor

How the NSA Stopped Trying to Prevent the Spread of Encryption And Decided to Just Break It Instead

The NSA spent decades trying to stop the spread of encryption technology

The ancient Roman fort Dura Europos, in Syria

One of the First Known Chemical Attacks Took Place 1,700 Years Ago in Syria

Sasanian Persians gassed at least 19 Romans by adding sulfur crystals and bitumen to fire in 256 CE

The potential viewing area for tonight’s 11:27 pm launch from Virginia

Hey, Eastern Seaboard! Look Up, You’re About to See a Rocket Launch

A new orbiter is going to the Moon, and it's launching from Virginia

The library at Strahov Monastery

Libraries Used to Chain Their Books to Shelves, With the Spines Hidden Away

Books have been around a long time, but the way we store them--stacked vertically, spines out--is a relatively recent invention

The Field Deployable Hydrolysis System is built to neutralize chemical weapons on site.

The Pentagon Just Built a Mobile Chemical Weapons-Neutralizing Factory

The U.S. army just built a mobile factory that can break down chemical weapons on site

“Jews praying on Jewish New Year”

See How New Yorkers Celebrated Rosh Hashanah a Century Ago

Photographs from the early 1900s show Rosh Hashanah in New York

Trypophobia Is a Fear of Holes

To study trypophobia, scientists went to the most obvious place: the trypophobia website and Facebook group

Artists Might Not Make Much, But They’re Happier With Their Jobs Than You

While they may not make much money or live in the nicest of places, artists are actually far more satisfied with their jobs that you probably are

These Gorgeous Photos Capture China’s Quickly Vanishing Traditional Ways of Life

A new book of photography addresses the tumultuous changes currently rocking China and seeks to capture traditional ways of life that may soon disappear

Worst Vacation Ever? Man Trapped on Island for Two Weeks by Crocodile

Every time he tried to paddle off, the crocodile came really close to his boat and he had to turn back

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In the 16th Century, Nose Jobs Were Horrible, Horrible Things

The process involves shoving cloth under the skin of your arm, walking around for two weeks with your bicep attached to your face, and probably dying

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Cow Tipping Never Was And Never Will Be a Thing People Actually Do

Scientists have actually taken the time to investigate the idea, and produced some hard numbers that indicated that cow-tipping "has no leg to stand on"

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