Smart News Science

How far would you go to spot a bird?

Cool Finds

Extreme Birdwatching Is a Thing, and This Could Be Its Greatest Year Ever

Thank El Niño for a Big Year that's bashing previous records

New Research

Blind People Can Use Visual Areas of the Brain to Solve Math Problems

The brain is a highly adaptable organ

Zut alors! Up to 36 tons of plastic debris is removed from the Seine each year.

Future of Energy

France Waves "Au Revoir" to Plastic Tableware

If it doesn't come from biological sources, the country's new motto is "just say <i>non</i>"

The forces that formed Pluto's heart may not be romantic, but the feature was love at first sight for scientists.

New Research

Scientists Finally Figured Out Why Pluto Has That Icy Heart

The dwarf planet’s geography, atmosphere and chemistry helped form its most famous feature

The mammoth skull being excavated on Santa Rosa Island

Cool Finds

Scientists Puzzle Over Unusual Mammoth Skull Unearthed in the Channel Islands

The well-preserved fossil doesn't neatly fit in with other examples of the species

Wild horses in Death Valley, California.

Trending Today

A Brief History of America’s Complicated Relationship With Wild Horses

The iconic symbol of the Wild West has a tangled and controversial story

Cool Finds

Record-Breaking Lightning Strikes Force Redefinition of the Thunderbolt

A 199.5-mile-long streak captured the title for world's longest and a 7.74-second blast won world's brightest

Long thought to be a genetic mutation, albino redwoods may actually serve as a forest filter.

New Research

Stalking Down Answers: Why Are Some Redwoods White?

The mysterious pale trees many not just be odd genetic mutations, a new study finds

These flowers may look beautiful, but in the imagination of Tamiko Thiel, they've turned hostile due to climate change.

Cool Finds

Augmented Reality Art Imagines What Could Be Seattle’s Weird, Bleak Future

Artist envisions mutant flowers and drone-like seaweed that may one day take over a post-climate change Seattle

A harvest moon peeking through the trees on September 8, 2014.

Trending Today

This Weekend's Stargazing Triple Threat: Harvest Moon, Eclipse and Possible Supermoon

This will be the last harvest moon eclipse until 2024

The monument protects an array of endemic, threatened and endangered species, including the sperm whale.

Obama Declares the First Atlantic Ocean National Marine Monument

With the announcement of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, Obama solidifies his legacy as an ocean guardian

This image shows a scrap of the indigo-dyed fabric (right) and a diagram of the cloth (left), highlighting the blue stripes.

New Research

Earliest Evidence of Indigo Dye Found at Ancient Peruvian Burial Site

The dyed fabrics represent the earliest known use of indigo in the world, predating Egyptian samples by about 1,600 years

“I’m not drunk, YOU’RE drunk”

New Research

People Feel More Tipsy if Their Friends Are Already Drunk

Understanding perceived levels of intoxication could help cities combat disorderly conduct

Dwindling sea ice in the Arctic threatens polar bears and causes increased conflict with humans.

Trending Today

Resupply Helps Trapped Arctic Scientists Scare Off Polar Bear "Siege"

With sea ice cover at record lows, polar bear conflict with humans becomes more common

"Butterflies and caiman," by Mark Cowan. Special commendation: Butterflies suck the salt off of an Amazonian caiman's head.

Trending Today

Royal Society Photo Contest Winners Capture Breathtaking Details of Our Rapidly Changing World

Winning photos capture moments of stark change in the natural world in the Royal Society’s second annual contest

Produced by the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite, this three-dimensional view of the Milky Way Galaxy is the first of its kind.

Behold a Billion Stars in This Stunning New Map of the Milky Way

Generated from Gaia satellite data, this stellar new map is the most complete chart of our galaxy to date

A new imaging system could help people to read books without touching them.

New Research

This Camera Uses Radiation to Read Closed Books

No need to open a book to read past its cover

The proposed pipeline is nearly 60 percent complete.

Understanding the Controversy Behind the Dakota Access Pipeline

What to know as protesters and the oil company continue to clash

Randall Munroe’s xkcd comic tackles a range of popular science topics with an enlightening and humorous approach.

Age of Humans

New xkcd Comic Masterfully Shows How Climate Has Changed Through Time

Scroll through 20,000 years of humorously illustrated climate data

Sugar companies have gotten themselves in a sticky situation.

New Research

Sugar Study Draws Attention to Food Industry’s Sour Secret

Food industries have long opened their wallets to snag a piece of the science pie

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