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Stories from Meilan Solly

“Courting Devil Ray Ballet” by Duncan Murrell

These Are the Best Practices for Underwater Photographers Hoping to Protect Marine Life

You can look—and even use flash photography—but don’t touch

Teresa Feodorowna Ries, "Witch Doing Her Toilette on Walpurgis Night," 1895

Remembering the Forgotten Female Artists of Vienna

New exhibition draws on works by around 60 women who lived and worked between 1900 and 1938

Researchers from University College London recruited six javelin athletes to test the efficacy of Neanderthal spear replicas

Neanderthals Used Spears to Hunt Targets From Afar

New analysis adds to growing body of literature suggesting these early human ancestors were more advanced than previously believed

A series of brown spots dotting the tomb's wall paintings were thought to be microbes carried by modern visitors, but researchers found that the marks have actually been around since 1922 opening of the crypt

Decade-Long Restoration of Tutankhamun’s Tomb Finally Concludes

Conservators stabilized famed crypt’s wall paintings, introduced viewing platforms and barriers designed to limit visitor access to fragile areas

Rocking bed used in the human-centric study

Rocking Isn’t Just for Babies. It Helps Adults—and Mice—Fall Asleep, Too

Two new studies outline benefits including increased sleep quality, improved memory skills

Gemologist Brian Berger purchased the Indonesian opal last year

Gemologist Finds Insect Entombed in Opal Rather Than Amber

The unusual specimen appears to contain an open-mouthed insect complete with ‘fibrous structures extending from the appendages’

New Study Showcases Three-Toed Sloth’s Unsung Adaptability

Juvenile members of the so-called “specialized” herbivore species draw on a more diverse diet than previously believed

The museum is located in the tiny Swiss town of Susch

This New Art Museum Is Housed Inside of a Swiss Cave

The brainchild of Polish art collector Grażyna Kulczyk, Muzeum Susch is a gallery “with a disruptive outlook”

Mock-up of the statue in place alongside the Segovian aqueduct

Why a Smiling Statue of Satan Is Stirring Up Controversy in Spain

Some Segovian locals say the affable bust is “offensive for Catholics, because it constitutes the glorification of evil”

Researchers drilled into the depths of Lake Mercer with a pencil-sized nozzle that sprayed hot water

Trove of Tiny Ancient Animal Remains Recovered From Depths of Antarctic Ice

The crustaceans and tardigrade, or water bear, were found around a kilometer below the surface of the subglacial Lake Mercer

The chart was hidden amongst a trove of rolled-up papers in the school's chemistry building

Periodic Table Found During Routine Cleaning at Scottish University May Be World’s Oldest

The chart, believed to date to 1885, was unearthed from storage room in the chemistry building at the University of St. Andrews

Mary Oliver, a Poet Whose Simple Turns of Phrase Held Mass Appeal, Dies at 83

The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer was known for her straightforward meditations on nature, spirituality and the human experience

A photograph by Hugh Mangum from Photos Day or Night: The Archive of Hugh Mangum, edited by Sarah Stacke with texts by Maurice Wallace and Martha Sumler, Hugh Mangum’s granddaughter.

Photographer’s Innovative Pictures Captured Lesser-Seen Faces of Jim Crow South

Hugh Mangum’s portraits reveal his subjects’ array of emotions and defy stereotypical snapshots

Walter Gropius' Dessau Bauhaus building

Five Events to Watch For as Germany Celebrates 100 Years of the Bauhaus Movement

Bauhaus 100 looks back—and forward—to the movement that united formal art and craftsmanship in functional, streamlined designs

Two new studies document the myriad of threats facing Earth's 124 wild coffee species

More Than Half of All Coffee Species Are at Risk of Extinction

The popular Arabica bean, used in such rich blends as Java, is amongst the species threatened by climate change, deforestation

East Antarctica, despite lagging behind West Antarctica, is still losing ice to the tune of some 50 billion tons per year

Antarctica’s Ice Loss Has Reached 250 Billion Tons Per Year

The continent’s annual ice loss has sextupled since 1979, jumping from 40 billion tons to 250 billion tons in 2017

The painting was donated to the church by a former Belgian senator 16 years ago.

Possible Michelangelo Painting Disappears From a Belgian Church Days Before Authentication

Pastor Jan Van Raemdonck had observed similarities between the canvas and a 1538 sketch by the Old Master

The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has severed all ties with Watson

DNA Pioneer James Watson Loses Honorary Titles Over Racist Comments

The renowned scientist has a long history of controversial commentary on not only race, but issues spanning gender, religion and sexuality

Wyatt Walker poses for a 3-D scan of the sculpture's missing right arm

College Basketball Player Lends a Limb to Armless Roman Statue

The 6-foot-9 forward for North Carolina State University posed for a 3-D reconstruction of the sculpture’s missing arm

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