Smart News Arts & Culture

Cool Finds

Chance, Not Skill, Makes Art Popular

In a slightly different universe, perhaps Salieri would be considered a greater genius than Mozart

March 3, 2014

Trending Today

After Tokyo Libraries' Anne Frank Books Were Defaced, Israel Offered to Replace Them

At least 300 books about the young Jewish girl who was killed in the Holocaust, including her famous diary, were vandalized in Tokyo libraries.

February 28, 2014

Draw on the Moon (Virtually!)

Artists Ai Weiwei and Olafur Eliasson collaborated on an online art project

February 27, 2014

Cool Finds

The World’s Most Sampled Song Is "Change the Beat" by Fab 5 Freddy

From Nine Inch Nails to Justin Bieber, nearly everybody has sampled this song

February 24, 2014

Cool Finds

The Last Beret Maker in France Is Struggling to Survive

French beret makers are facing a continuous drop in demand—plus cheaper imitations from China, India and the Czech Republic

February 24, 2014

Cool Finds

A Team of Developers Wants to Print Out Wikipedia—All 1,000 Books Of It

A crowdfunding campaign seeks to make a print copy of the online encyclopedia

February 21, 2014

Cool Finds

Like All of Nature, Humans Will Go to Extreme Lengths to Stay in the Light

Michael Langan shows our basic instincts

February 21, 2014

New Research

Switzerland Is One of the World’s Happiest Countries And One of Its “Suicide Capitals”

New data from the country's assisted suicide clinics reveal demographics about who is most likely to seek help in ending their own life

February 20, 2014

Cool Finds

Tribal Force, the First Comic to Feature a Team of Native American Superheroes, Is Returning

Tribal Force was the first comic to feature a superhero team made entirely of Native American characters

February 20, 2014

Cool Finds

Write on the Walls at New Museum’s New Exhibit

At Pawel Althamer's exhibit at the New Museum in New York City, visitors are invited to participate in the creative process

February 19, 2014

New Research

Scientists Revitalize the Reds in Renoir’s Faded Painting

Paint fades over time, but scientific analysis can help reconstruct the original

February 17, 2014

Cool Finds

Facebook Can See When Your Flirting Turns Into Something More Serious

Facebook exchanges increase in the build up to a new relationship

February 17, 2014

Cool Finds

The World’s Most Valuable Stamp Is Expect to Sell for More than $10 Million

There's only one of these stamps left in existence

February 14, 2014

Cool Finds

Happy Birthday Winnie-the-Pooh

Winnie-the-Pooh's entrance wasn’t loud or flashy, much like the bear himself it was simple and sweet: a short poem in a little magazine

February 14, 2014

Cool Finds

Vietnam's Black Market Is Selling Dogs With Rabies To Meet Demand for Dog Meat

The Vietnamese government, however, is pledging to start better regulating the predominately illegal industry

February 13, 2014

Winter Olympics

The Timekeeping Tech that Keeps the Olympics Fair

Modern starting pistols are more Buck Rogers than Dirty Harry

February 13, 2014

Cool Finds

The Tooth Fairy Is a Very Recent, Very American Creation

The tooth fairy first appeared around the turn of the 20th century

February 13, 2014

Chocolate Milk Was Invented in Jamaica

As with many things, the European who gets credit for inventing chocolate milk probably did not actually invent it

February 12, 2014

Cool Finds

Send Your Valentine a Secret Message in the Language of Flowers, Updated for Modern Lovers

Certain flowers had well-understood meanings back in Victorian times, and now a London startup is trying to revive floriography for current times

February 11, 2014

Trending Today

After Retiring From Film in 1950, Shirley Temple Was the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana And Czechoslovakia

What did Shirley Temple get up to in the 63 years after her retirement from Hollywood?

February 11, 2014