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Summer solstice sunrise over Stonehenge

Virtual Travel

How to Livestream Stonehenge's Summer Solstice Celebrations

Annual event at the Neolithic monument will be broadcast virtually in place of an in-person gathering

This giant squid was stranded on Britannica Bay in southwest South Africa.

Rare Giant Squid Washes Onto Shores of South African Beach

At more than 13 feet long, the creature was probably just 2 years old, scientists say

One of the interior passages of the 5,000-year-old Irish megalithic tomb of Newgrange. In this photo, sunlight enters the monument's main chamber at dawn on the winter solstice.

DNA Extracted From Ancient 'Irish Pharaoh' May Reveal Royal Incest

New analysis of elite man buried in Stone Age monument suggests he was the product of either a brother-sister or parent-child pairing

A graph generated by the "hedonometer," a tool that measures happiness on Twitter going back to 2008. After George Floyd's killing, researchers measured the most negativity on English-language Twitter ever—making it the "saddest day in the history of Twitter," they say.

New Research Suggests We're Living in Historically Unhappy Times

A tool that analyzes tweets and a study from University of Chicago researchers show that Americans' happiness has reached new lows in recent weeks

A near-infrared, color image taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows the sun glinting off of north polar seas on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Similar glints were spotted from Earth in 2000 at Titan's equator but Cassini found no evidence of liquid there.

New Research

Bright Patches on Saturn’s Largest Moon Are Dried-Up Lake Beds

New study tackles a 20-year-old mystery about Titan, the second-largest moon in the solar system

This artist's rendering of green airglow on Mars depicts the European Space Agency's Trace Gas Orbiter in the foreground.

Green Glow Detected in Mars' Atmosphere

The emerald light resembles the glow emitted in Earth's atmosphere

A male Broad-tailed Hummingbird photographed at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, where researchers conducted field experiments on avian color vision.

New Research

Compared With Hummingbirds, People Are Rather Colorblind

Experiments reveal the tiny birds can see "non-spectral" colors that blend ultraviolet light with colors humans can see to create distinct hues we can't

See Spot run!

Businesses Can Now Buy Spot, Boston Dynamics' Robotic 'Dog'

The four-legged robot sells for about $75,000

This diagram shows the different kinds of animal bones used to make the 48,000-year-old tools.

Cool Finds

Evidence of Early Bow-and-Arrow Hunting Discovered in Sri Lanka

If confirmed, the 48,000-year-old find will be the oldest known instance of bowhunting outside of Africa

Artist Jason deCaires Taylor's “Ocean Siren” changes color according to the average daily water temperatures measured at Davies Reef on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Recently, marine heatwaves have wreaked havoc on the Great Barrier Reef, causing the most widespread bleaching ever recorded.

This Sculpture Takes the Great Barrier Reef’s Temperature

'Ocean Siren' changes colors in real time to reflect ocean temperatures at Davies Reef, part of Australia’s ailing Great Barrier Reef

An up-close look at SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease

Covid-19

COVID-19 Cases Exceed Eight Million Worldwide

The bleak milestone arrives as cases spike in South America

A close-up view of the os cordis bone, a tiny bone discovered in the heart tissue of some chimpanzees

Tiny, Rare Bone Found in the Hearts of Chimpanzees

Researchers say the bone may be linked to heart disease

Virtually swim with a sea lion in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary in one of four new 360 degree virtual dives.

Celebrate World Ocean Month With Four Virtual Dives

Swim with a sea lion, sea turtles, sharks and more in four 360-degree virtual dives created by NOAA

Researchers are concerned about what the presence of microplastics in protected landscapes will mean for local ecosystems.

New Research

The Forecast in National Parks Is Cloudy With a Chance of Plastic Rain

New research finds America’s western national parks and wilderness areas receive more than 1,000 tons of plastic rain every year

Reconstruction of Batrachopus trackmaker from the Lower Cretaceous Jinju Formation of South Korea

New Research

Fossil Footprints Suggest Ancient Crocodile Walked on Two Legs

The lumbering crocodylomorph lived during the early Cretaceous period, about 106 million years ago

Six images of the Martian moon Phobos captured by NASA's Odyssey spacecraft. Three new images were released this month, giving scientists a fuller picture of Phobos' surface as it waxes and wanes.

NASA Releases Rainbow-Colored Images of Martian Moon Phobos

Scientists say that the brightly colored thermal images, collected by the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, will help them better understand the moon’s origins

In the United Kingdom, coronavirus lockdown measures were relaxed on June 15.

New Research

Studies Estimate That Lockdowns Slowed COVID-19 Spread and Saved Lives

Experts say the results provide evidence in support of extending these measures

Reptile vertebrae found at el-Wad Terrace Cave

15,000 Years Ago, Humans in Israel Ate Snakes and Lizards

Snacking on reptiles may have helped these prehistoric people adapt to living in more permanent settlements

An aggregation of roughly 64,000 green sea turtles at Raine Island in Australia.

Drone Footage Shows Thousands of Nesting Sea Turtles

The roughly 64,000 green sea turtles were photographed off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia at Raine Island, the turtle's largest breeding ground

Of eight species of pangolin, three are considered critically endangered.

China Increases Protections for Pangolins

The mammal’s keratin scales have been removed from the traditional medicine ingredient list

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