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Ginkgo has survived three mass extinctions, including the one that killed the dinosaurs.

Smithsonian Scientists Are Using Ginkgo Leaves to Study Climate Change—They Need Your Help

Citizen scientists can submit leaf samples from their hometowns through the end of August

An aerial view of meltwater rivers carving into the Greenland ice sheet on August 04, 2019.

Greenland Lost 12.5 Billion Tons of Ice in a Single Day

The amount of ice collectively lost last Wednesday and Thursday would be enough to cover Florida in almost five inches of water

Moving forward, individuals will only be able to spray paint the wall on specified days

Future Graffiti Additions to Prague’s John Lennon Wall Will Be Strictly Regulated

Local authorities are introducing security measures in response to vandalism, obscene graffiti

The musical finds the six queens competing for the dubious honor of telling the most tragic tale

The Six Wives of Henry VIII Are Coming to Broadway

In ‘Six,’ the Tudor queens get a chance to share their side of the story

Warmer temperatures yield more female hatchlings, while colder temperatures yield more males

Turtle Embryos May Be Able to Influence Their Sex by Moving Around Inside the Egg

When embryos found the so-called ‘Goldilocks’ temperature zone, sex selection was randomized, producing a nearly even split between males and females

Edward was born on Sunday, July 28, at the San Diego Zoo

Artificially Conceived Southern White Rhino Offers Hope for Critically Endangered Cousin

Scientists are working to bring northern white rhinos back from the brink by using southern females as surrogate mothers

Out of 200 styluses found during excavations, this was the only one with an inscription

This Ancient Roman Souvenir Stylus Is Inscribed With a Corny Joke

Loosely translated, the message reads, ‘I went to Rome and all I got you was this stylus’

Female (left) and male (right) black widow spiders

Male Black Widow Spiders Find Potential Mates by Following Other Suitors’ Trails

Although this strategy may seem counterintuitive, researchers say speedy tracking is an important factor in successful courtship

Excavation of a Celtic grave at the Kernschulhaus 2017

This Iron Age Celtic Woman Was Buried in a Hollowed-Out Tree Trunk

The woman performed little physical labor during her lifetime and enjoyed a rich diet of starchy and sweetened foods

The bottlenose mother, pictured here with her adoptive whale calf and biological daughter, exhibited unusually tolerant behavior

Researchers Document First Known Case of Dolphin Mom Adopting Whale Calf

The melon-headed male whale actively competed for his adoptive mother’s attention, repeatedly shoving his bottlenose dolphin sister out of the way

Ben Enwonwu, "Christine," 1971

Family Realizes Long-Forgotten Portrait Was Painted by Famed Nigerian Artist Ben Enwonwu

Last year, a similarly rediscovered portrait by Enwonwu sold for $1.6 million, setting an auction record for Nigerian Modernist art

Grasshoppers swarm a light a few blocks off the Strip on July 26, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Swarms of Grasshoppers Invading Las Vegas Are Visible on Radar

Experts say the insects are migrating north in response to unusually heavy rainfall in the region

Climate change-induced heatwaves trigger Arctic wildfires, which then release carbon dioxide and pollutants into the atmosphere

The Arctic Is Experiencing Its Worst Wildfire Season on Record

Arctic infernos released 50 megatons of carbon dioxide—the equivalent of Sweden’s total annual emissions—into the atmosphere in June alone

A picture of the XF8F-1 Bearcat. David L. Mandt was flying the same model when he crashed into the Chesapeake Bay.

Traces of WWII Veteran’s Doomed Final Flight May Have Been Located in the Chesapeake Bay

Few definitive traces of either the pilot or his plane have materialized since the 1945 crash

Etta Cone purchased Matisse's controversial 1907 painting, "Blue Nude," in 1926

Baltimore Museum of Art, Home to Largest Matisse Collection, Will Open Center Dedicated to Artist

The gallery’s Matisse holdings encompass more than 1,200 paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints

Keven Walgamott lost his left hand and part of his arm in an electrical accident 17 years ago

Robotic Hand Restores Wearer’s Sense of Touch

The prosthetic enabled a test subject to pick up an egg without cracking it, send a text message, peel a banana and hold his wife’s hand

Polychrome mosaic emblema (panel) showing fish and sea creatures, Pompeii, House of the Geometric Mosaics

From Baked Dormouse to Carbonized Bread, 300 Artifacts Show What Romans Ate

The show features frescoes, preserved fruit, cooking utensils and vessels recovered from Pompeii

A pair of pangolin leather cowboy boots (left) and arapaima cowboy boots (right), both listed for sale on eBay

Cowboy Boots Purchased in the U.S. Played Part in Pangolins’ Decline

Before 2000, imported pangolin skins were widely used in the production of exotic leather accessories

L to R: Jacket, Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo (Spanish, 1871–1949), 1920s–30s; Evening Dress, Madeleine Vionnet (French, 1876–1975), spring 1931; Evening Dress, Gilbert Adrian (American, 1903–1959), fall 1945

Couture Covering 96 Years of Fashion Is Coming to the Met’s Costume Institute

A little-known couture collector has gifted the museum 165 items drawn from her collection of approximately 15,000 pieces

Volcanic deposits found at Pompeii could yield insights on Vesuvius' future

Why Archaeologists and Volcanologists Are Clashing Over Excavations at Pompeii

Volcanologist Roberto Scandone argues that enthusiasm for archaeology has yielded an “act of vandalism to volcanology”

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