Smart News Arts & Culture

161 Years Ago Today Ahab First Battled the White Whale, and Critics Hated It

Today marks the 161st anniversary of Moby Dick, the epic seafaring tale by Herman Melville, and Google is celebrating with its own Doodle

If You’re Trapped With Duct Tape Over Your Mouth, Here’s How to Get It Off

A YouTube video shows that actually you can totally get the tape off your mouth without using your hands

Every Place in North Dakota Captured in 9,308 Photographs

In a series of 9,308 photographs Andrew Filer documented every place in North Dakota. Literally

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100-Million-Year-Old Spider Caught in the Act of Pouncing on Its Prey

A rare fossil captured a 100-million-year-old moment in time, a spider attacking an insect trapped in its web

Bafflement Over the European Union’s Peace Prize Win

The European Union received the Nobel Peace Prize this morning, much to the dismay of many Europeans and Tweeters

Kenai lived to be 23, much longer than the 15-18 years of a typical sea otter.

Kenai the Sea Otter, Rescued From Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Has Died

One of the last two otters rescued from the Exxon Valdez oil spill has just passed away

Mo Yan and Chinese literature translator Howard Goldblatt speak at a literary festival.

China’s ‘Provocative and Vulgar’ Mo Yan Wins Nobel in Literature

Chinese author Mo Yan took this year's Nobel Prize in Literature for his "hallucinatory realism"

This is not the lab in question.

Forensic Chemist Who Helped Put Hundreds in Jail Pleads the Fifth to Fraud Charges

What might have been be a standard academic fraud case is complicated by the fact that the scientist isn't just any chemist, she's a forensic chemist

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Emily Dickinson: The Remix

An ode to the poet, in four takes

Elevator Awkwardness Explained

David Blaine at a recent NYC performance.

David Blaine’s Going to Have 1 Million Volts of Electricity Shot at Him for 72 Hours

Los Angeles could use more green space.

Foreclosed Homes in Los Angeles Will Be Transformed Into Parks

L.A. is transforming foreclosed homes into much-needed urban green spaces

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How Google Keeps Your Spam Out of Your Inbox

You're probably not surprised to find that there's some interesting math behind all of Google's information crunching

Every Day of a 21-Year-Old’s Life, in One Six-Minute Video

Twenty-one years of daily photographs in just over 6 minutes

California Governor Jerry Brown

California Bans ‘Cure The Gays’ Therapy

In California, it's no longer legal to try to cure homosexual youth

A toothbrush floats in the International Space Station.

It’s Now Legal for Early American Astronauts to Sell Their Space Toothbrushes

A new law lays out the details of who owns souvenirs from the early space era

A bog oak floor.

Giant Tree Trunk Unearthed After 5,000 Years in a Bog

A 44 foot-long piece of a 5,000 year old tree trunk was uncovered on September 25 in the UK

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Google Brings Street View to the Great Barrier Reef

Google Street View-style views take you to on a tour of exotic coastal ecosystems

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Motor-Powered Mario Lets You Play Old-School Donkey Kong in Real Life

Laser-cut figurines and metal balls recreate the early 80s classic

Facebook Zero works on all these phones.

Facebook Snuck Into the World of Basic Cell Phones And Took Over

How Facebook is reaching those without smart phones

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