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Stories from Meilan Solly

The only exceptions to the Ayam Cemani's black coloring are its cream-colored eggs and red blood

These Chickens Have Jet-Black Hearts, Beaks and Bones

The Ayam Cemani owes its unusual coloring to a genetic mutation

The Tiger Temple charged tourists to feed, take photos with captive felines

86 Big Cats Rescued From Thailand’s Tiger Temple Have Died in Government Custody

Although the government says inbreeding, stress contributed to the felines’ demise, critics have also cited cramped conditions, inadequate facilities

Milton's admiration for Shakespeare is well-documented

Is This John Milton’s Annotated Copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio?

A copy of the Bard’s collected plays may contain notes penned by the ‘Paradise Lost’ author

Researchers studied brain mapping in two professional foot painters

Inside the Brains of Artists Who Paint With Their Feet

Two artists born without arms possess complex “toe maps” similar to more typical neural “hand maps”

A copper band found at the McQueen shell ring is similar to ceremonial objects seen at sites in the Great Lakes region

Grave Hints at Interaction Between Early Humans Living in Great Lakes, American Southeast

Parallels between burial sites in the two regions suggest long-distance networks emerged earlier than previously believed

Birds given doses of a common pesticide lost significant body mass, fat stores

Common Pesticides Delay Songbird Migration, Trigger Significant Weight Loss

Within six hours of ingesting a high dose of pesticide, sparrows lost six percent of their body weight and 17 percent of their fat stores

Andrea del Verrocchio, "Head of a Woman With Braided Hair," c. 1475-1478

The Man Who Mentored da Vinci Receives First U.S. Retrospective

National Gallery of Art spotlights Andrea del Verrocchio, a skilled sculptor and painter whose individual accomplishments have long been overlooked

Revere's engraving of the Boston Massacre

Exploring Paul Revere’s Legacy Beyond His Famed Midnight Ride

Before becoming an American legend, the Revolutionary War hero was best known as a skilled artisan, activist and entrepreneur

The Atlantic ghost crab uses teeth in its stomach to produce guttural growls when danger nears.

Ghost Crabs Use Teeth in Their Stomachs to Ward Off Predators

The crustaceans produce guttural growls when danger nears

Archaeologists found traces of a milk protein in seven prehistoric Britons' calcified dental plaque

Prehistoric Farmers’ Teeth Show Humans Were Drinking Animal Milk 6,000 Years Ago

A new study suggests Neolithic Britons processed raw milk to reduce its lactose content

"Being Human" features some 50 works of art and artifacts

This London Gallery Is Working to Be One of the World’s Most Accessible Museums

The Wellcome Collection’s latest permanent exhibition focuses on design features and curatorial approaches suggested by individuals with disabilities

The team's findings could help researchers develop more effective methods of preserving organs harvested for transplant.

How Antarctica’s Only Native Insect Survives the Freezing Temperatures

Antarctic midges rely on a process known as rapid cold hardening to protect against the southernmost continent’s harsh conditions

In 2016, Hurricane Matthew revealed a trove of 16 Civil War cannonballs (seen here) at the same beach where the latest specimens were found

Hurricane Dorian Unearths Civil War Cannonballs at South Carolina Beach

At first, the couple who discovered the pair of cannonballs thought they’d simply stumbled upon a rock

A local culture association has urged the government to move the rocks to a permanently dry location

Drought Reveals Dolmen of Guadalperal, Popularly Dubbed ‘Spanish Stonehenge’

Construction of a dam and reservoir in 1963 flooded the archaeological site, submerging the megalith monument and hiding it from view

The moon lander Vikram in the foreground and the orbiter Chandrayaan- in the background during preparation of the spacecraft for launch, June 10, 2019.

India Locates Lost Lunar Lander but Struggles to Reestablish Contact

The Vikram spacecraft went offline minutes before it was scheduled to touch down near the south pole of the moon

Leatherback sea turtle hatchlings rush toward the water

Baby Sea Turtles’ Fossilized Tracks Found in South Africa

Researchers recorded trackways left by relatives of modern loggerhead and leatherback turtles

Volunteers planted more than 1,000 "happy little trees" across Michigan's state parks

Michigan Plants 1,000 ‘Happy Little Trees’ in Honor of Bob Ross

Hundreds of volunteers replaced damaged and diseased trees with the saplings, which are grown by prison inmates

Rock art in Vallegrande in Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Wildfires Are Destroying Bolivia’s Rock Art

Blazes set by farmers hoping to clear land for agriculture pose a threat to archaeological sites across the South American country

Squirrels readily resumed normal activities such as foraging after hearing nearby birds' relaxed chatter

Squirrels Eavesdrop on Birds to Check if Danger Has Passed

New study suggests eastern grays exposed to predators’ calls resume normal activities more quickly after tuning in to birds’ casual chatter

An artist's portrayal of the so-called "werewolf syndrome" circa 1575-1580.

Medication Mix-Up Leaves 17 Children Suffering From ‘Werewolf Syndrome’

Thanks to distribution error at Spanish laboratory, anti-baldness medication was sold as acid reflux treatment

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