Smart News Science

An Australian sea lion captures video while swimming through an invertebrate reef habitat.

Scientists Enlist the Help of Sea Lions to Reveal a Unique View of the Ocean Floor

Australian researchers glued satellite-linked GPS cameras to the animals' backs to capture footage that could be vital to marine conservation efforts

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, as photographed by Neil Armstrong on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Researchers looked at lunar soil samples collected during the Apollo missions for the new study.

Meteorite Strikes Are the Primary Creator of the Moon's Thin Atmosphere, Study Finds

Researchers examined lunar soil samples collected during the Apollo missions to determine which weathering processes contribute most to replenishing the moon's atmosphere

Fe (pictured with her mate) hatched two chicks this breeding season, bringing the total number of her known offspring to 42.

She's the Oldest Common Loon in the World. She Just Had Her 42nd Chick

Fe, who is at least 38 years old, initially rose to fame as one half of the "resident power couple" at Michigan's Seney National Wildlife Refuge

The visible side of the moon.

Scientists Find Water Molecules in Lunar Rock Sample for the First Time

The samples from China's Chang'e 5 mission shed light on lunar resources that could be vital to future missions and habitations

The Step Pyramid stands more than 200 feet tall and is made from stones weighing more than 650 pounds. Some other researchers are not yet convinced by the idea that it was built using a hydraulics system.

Ancient Egyptians May Have Used Hydraulic Lift to Build Pyramid

Researchers propose that a system of water could have lifted heavy stones to the height necessary to construct the Step Pyramid

A new study of giant danios (not pictured) suggests schools of fish save 79 percent more energy in turbulent conditions than fish swimming individually.

Swimming in Schools May Help Fish Save Energy in Turbulent Waters

A new study suggests schooling fish use up to 79 percent less energy in rough conditions than fish that swim alone

Vultures clean up carcasses quickly, preventing bacteria and pathogens from proliferating. 

When Vultures Nearly Disappeared in India, Half a Million People Died, Too, Study Finds

By being nature's clean-up crew, the often maligned birds help prevent the spread of diseases, according to a new study

Lava erupts from the Sundhnúkur volcano on June 3, 2024, on the Reykjanes Peninsula near Grindavik, Iceland. The volcano has erupted five times since December 2023, forcing evacuations of Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.

Hidden Underground Magma Pools Fueled Iceland's Volcanic Eruptions, Study Suggests

A subterranean plumbing system of magma beneath the island’s Reykjanes Peninsula may have helped set off the recent series of eruptions that could last for centuries

The Perseids occur when Earth passes through the debris field of the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.

How to Watch the Perseids, the 'Best Meteor Shower of the Year'

The annual celestial event is one of the year's most anticipated, and it will peak from August 11 to 12

Firefighters in Jefferson County, Colorado, are encountering prairie rattlesnakes as they battle the Quarry Fire southwest of Denver.

'We Have a Rattlesnake Problem': Wildland Firefighters in the West Must Also Face a Slithering, Venomous Foe

Nearly 100 large fires are burning in the United States right now, including some in rattlesnake territory

The mummy was preserved with her mouth wide open.

Egyptian Mummy Dubbed 'Screaming Woman' May Have Died in Agony

The woman, preserved with an open mouth, went through an expensive mummification process 3,500 years ago

Brahe's mansion, Uraniborg, was located on an island in Sweden. His basement laboratory is represented by the bottom left room in this drawing.

New Research

Was This Renaissance Alchemist Ahead of His Time?

New research suggests that Tycho Brahe isolated tungsten nearly 200 years before the metal was identified as an element

Previous research has looked at the static electricity of bees, but the study authors write that the charges of butterflies hadn't been measured before.

Static Electricity May Help Butterflies and Moths Pick Up Pollen

A new study measured the insects' electrostatic charges and used computer simulations to show that the charges were strong enough to lift pollen

A woman stands behind a model of a Neanderthal at the Natural History Museum in London. Contrary to the narrative that early humans left Africa roughly 50,000 years ago, a new study finds our species migrated from the continent on multiple occasions.

Early Humans Migrated Out of Africa Several Times, DNA Study Suggests

Homo sapiens interbred with Neanderthals as early as 250,000 years ago and may have ultimately bred them out of existence, according to new research

Peregrine falcons can reach speeds of up to 200 miles per hour when they drop from great heights to catch prey.

Yosemite's Peregrine Falcons Are Rebounding Thanks to Unlikely Allies: Rock Climbers

After pesticides decimated the birds' numbers, climbers helped the species regain a foothold in the park

The cotton candy lobster caught by Joseph Kramer.

Rare 1-in-100-Million 'Cotton Candy' Lobster Found off the Coast of New Hampshire

A rare genetic mutation gives the crustacean its unique hues but also makes it more vulnerable to predators

The out-of-place anhinga, spotted in Maine

Out-of-Place 'Devil Bird' Wows Spectators in Maine, the First Anhinga Ever Seen in the State

Anhingas normally live in South America and along the Gulf of Mexico—but one of these long-necked creatures flew farther north than Portland

Scotty, the largest T. rex specimen on record, is on display at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Canada.

The Largest T. Rex Could Have Been 70 Percent Heavier Than Fossils Suggest

Two scientists used modeling to predict how big the giant carnivores could have really grown, making a point that fossils likely don't represent the largest or smallest individuals of a species

A team of archaeoastronomers suggests the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacán, Mexico, may have been constructed to align with the movement of the sun.

Ancient Mesoamerican 'Pyramid of the Moon' May Align With Summer and Winter Solstices

New research suggests the monument in Teotihuacán, along with the larger Pyramid of the Sun, were designed based on astronomical movements

A coating of iron on Komodo dragons' teeth could help keep them sharp for tearing into prey, as well as protect them from digestive acids.

Komodo Dragons Have Iron-Coated Teeth, Study Finds

New research provides the first evidence of the adaptation in a carnivorous reptile, and it might hold clues to understanding the teeth of dinosaurs

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