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Stories from Sarah Kuta

The researchers based their conclusions on an intact ancient construction site found at Pompeii.

This Ancient Construction Site in the Ruins of Pompeii Is Revealing New Secrets About the 2,000-Year-Old Recipe for Roman Concrete

New research suggests the Romans used a method known as “hot mixing” to produce self-healing concrete, which allowed them to build structures that endured for centuries

Spotted lanternflies have spread to nearly 20 states since 2014.

Bees Are Turning the Sticky-Sweet Secretions of Spotted Lanternflies Into Honey—and Some People Love the Smoky-Smelling Stuff

The invasive insects have been spreading across the United States for over a decade, leaving behind poop that bees are transforming into a less sweet, sometimes savory, honey

The vessel was transporting intricately carved gravestones and grinding mortars when it sank.

You Can Now See 750-Year-Old Artifacts Recovered From England’s Oldest Shipwreck

Gravestone slabs, cauldrons and other items recovered from the “Mortar Wreck” are now on display at the newly reopened Poole Museum in southern England

Gas stoves are responsible for more than half of some Americans’ total exposure to toxic nitrogen dioxide, a new study suggests.

Gas Stoves Are Poisoning Americans by Releasing Toxic Fumes Associated With Asthma and Lung Cancer

In the United States, gas stoves are the main source of indoor nitrogen dioxide—a toxic gas tied to many health problems—according to a new study

Sales of the MetroCard will end December 31.

The Era of the New York City MetroCard Is Almost Over. Say Goodbye to the Iconic Yellow Passes With a New Exhibition

As the Metropolitan Transit Authority moves to a contactless, tap-and-go payment system, “FAREwell, MetroCard” allows visitors to learn more about the history of the long-running fare card

The South Unit Scenic Loop road offers panoramic views of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

A Scenic Road Winding Through Theodore Roosevelt National Park Finally Reopens After Six Years

The South Unit Scenic Loop officially welcomed visitors again in late November following $51 million of repairs, in time for the debut of the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library next summer

Two new studies involving thousands of participants examined how chatbots can influence political beliefs.

Can Chatting With an A.I. Bot Shift Our Political Beliefs?

New research suggests that chatbots have a greater sway on policy issues than video ads, and that spouting the most information—even if wrong—is the most persuasive strategy

The pits are evenly spaced around a large circle.

Archaeologists Are Unraveling the Mysteries Behind Deep Pits Found Near Stonehenge

Based on a comprehensive study, researchers are now convinced the shafts were human-made, likely dug during the Late Neolithic period, roughly 4,000 years ago

Experts spent two days trying to save the whale, which weighed roughly 20,000 pounds.

When a Humpback Whale Got Stranded in Oregon, a Native Community Turned the Tragedy Into a Revival of a Traditional Practice

Members of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians salvaged a beached whale’s remains, a practice that hadn’t been performed in generations

An international team of archaeologists from Italy, Spain and Tunisia has been excavating Henchir el Begar since 2023.

Archaeologists Discover Ancient Roman Olive Oil Production Facilities in North Africa

Located in western Tunisia, the plants operated between the third and sixth centuries and likely helped supply precious olive oil to Rome

Adult male magnificent riflebirds have ultrablack feathers covering most of their bodies.

Inspired by Bird Feathers, This New ‘Ultrablack’ Fabric Absorbs Nearly All the Light That Hits It

Researchers took inspiration from the magnificent riflebird while developing a textile that reflects only about 0.13 percent of visible light, making it the darkest fabric ever reported

Harappa was one of the large cities created by the Indus Valley civilization.

Why Did This Advanced Ancient Civilization Collapse? New Research Suggests Climate Change Played a Role

The Indus Valley civilization, located in present-day Pakistan and India, went through four periods of intense drought, which may have led to the society’s demise

Claude lived at the California Academy of Sciences for 17 years and became a beloved celebrity.

Claude, San Francisco’s Beloved Albino Alligator and ‘Unofficial Mascot,’ Dies at Age 30

Veterinarians will conduct a full exam and necropsy to determine the cause of death, but Claude had been undergoing treatment for a suspected infection in recent weeks

For the study, the researchers worked with two adult male macaques that had previously been trained to tap in time with a metronome.

These Monkeys Learned to Tap to the Beat of the Backstreet Boys. Can They Teach Researchers About the Origins of Human Musicality?

Two macaques learned to keep time with various songs, which might point to how humans got their sense of rhythm. But some scientists doubt that the primates’ feat, which required extensive instruction, can give evolutionary clues

The photograph is known as The Last Jew in Vinnitsa.

A Historian Has Finally Uncovered the Identity of the Nazi Gunman in a Haunting Holocaust Photograph

The 1941 image shows a Nazi soldier pointing a gun at the head of a man kneeling at the edge of a pit filled with bodies. With help from A.I., the gunman has been identified as 34-year-old Jakobus Onnen

The unfamiliar monk parakeets got to know each other slowly before moving on to behaviors like preening, pictured here.

Monk Parakeets Are Highly Social Birds, but They Slowly ‘Test the Waters’ When Making New Friends

The bright green parrots start with low-cost social behaviors—like sitting near each other without touching—when first interacting with unfamiliar birds within their species, possibly to avoid aggressive encounters, new research suggests

Mars regularly experiences dust storms, like this one captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2012. Scientists say they found evidence of "mini lightning" during some of these storms.

Scientists Say These Small Electrical Discharges May Be the First Direct Evidence of Lightning on Mars

Rather than big bolts of lightning as seen on Earth, NASA’s Perseverance rover recorded audio of small zaps similar to those from static electricity

The birch bark tar is covered in tooth marks and contains traces of saliva.

Ancient DNA Reveals That a Teenage Girl Chewed on This Wad of ‘Gum’ 10,500 Years Ago

Based on genetic material preserved in birch bark tar from Estonia, researchers found that the teen likely had brown hair and brown eyes

Researchers studied thousands of brain scans to see how the organ's architecture changes over a lifetime.

Your Brain Goes Through Five Distinct Epochs of Neural Wiring During Your Lifetime, New Research Suggests

These eras of brain architecture are marked by four major turning points, which occur around the ages of 9, 32, 66 and 83, according to a new study

Most of the canoes are still submerged in Lake Mendota, but archaeologists have recovered two of them.

Archaeologists in Wisconsin Unearth an Ancient ‘Parking Lot’ With 16 Dugout Canoes—Including One That’s 5,200 Years Old

The team has several theories about how Indigenous groups created and used the vessels, which were discovered during research over the past five years

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