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Holiday card design, 195-?. Frederick Hammersley papers, circa 1860s, 1890-2009

Handmade Christmas Cards Sent By Famous Artists to Their Friends

Original designs from artists over the years to celebrate the holidays

The first Andean bear cub was born at 12:01 am, the second at 2:02 am, on December 13 to proud mother Billie Jean.

Double the Fun: Andean Bear Gives Birth to Twins

Born two hours apart starting at midnight, Dec. 13, the cubs and mother, Billie Jean are all doing fine

Steel rule dies that are used to cut leather for mass production Location: Baikal Inc. Handbag Manufacturer

How to Bring Manufacturing Back to the USA in Small-Batch Format

Aspiring makers are now finding ways to manufacture their designs in American factories

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From Golf Courses to Petting Zoos, Dinosaurs Get in the Way

Recently unveiled dinosaur sculptures are frustrating eyesores to some and tourist attractions to others

“Hardness” or just boredom?

Boredom Didn’t Exist as an Emotion in Darwin’s Days

In 1868, Darwin set out to quantify human emotion in a series of novel experiments, which researchers are recreating today

Brits Whine About the Weather on Twitter More Than Any Other Nation

Thanks to Twitter, even people with no direct contact Great Britain’s subjects can bask in its citizen’s propensity for weather-related complaint

Ai Weiwei’s use of historic materials is the topic of discussion at Friday’s gallery talk at the Hirshhorn.

Events December 14-16: Ai Weiwei’s Ceramics, Mayan Calendar and Stradivari’s Instruments

Learn about the contemporary artist’s use of historic objects, why the world didn’t end and just what’s so special about Stradivari in concert

New evidence indicates cheese was invented as far back as 5000 BCE, although ancient cheeses wouldn’t have been as varied or refined as the cheeses we have today.

New Discovery of 7000-Year-Old Cheese Puts Your Trader Joe’s Aged Gouda to Shame

Previously traced to ancient Egypt, prehistoric pottery indicates that cheese was invented thousands of years earlier

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The Best Gifts to Give (or Receive) About Paleofuturism

Books and DVDs make up our expert’s gift guide of more ideas for this holiday season

12/12/12 and the Myriad of Number Patterns in Dates

Seen from a mathematical perspective, today’s date—12/12/12—is more than a coveted wedding anniversary

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Top 7 Human Evolution Discoveries From South Africa

The search for humans’ most ancient ancestors began in South Africa, where some of paleoanthropology’s most iconic fossils have been found

The “Morphotype 1″ tunnel complex: points marked “a” represent tunnels, and points marked “b” signify vertical shafts.

Did Early Dinosaurs Burrow?

Were enigmatic, 230-million-year-old burrows created by dinosaurs?

Beehive ginger

Flower Power, Redefined

In a new book, Andrew Zuckerman embraces minimalism, capturing 150 colorful blooms on white backdrops

Before the Civil War, There Were 8,000 Different Kinds of Money in the U.S.

It wasn’t until after the war that the U.S. started to really use the dollar

The lodge at Bolivia’s Chacaltaya Glacier was once the world’s highest ski resort—until the glacier melted away almost entirely in just 20 years. The lodge closed its ski facilities in 2009 and stands today amid a rocky, almost snowless moonscape.

As the World Warms, the Future of Skiing Looks Bleak

Climate change is delivering serious wounds to the winter sport all over the globe

Mr. Spacely takes a swing from his flying golf cart (1962)

A Futuristic Golf Game in the Sky

In the year 2062, you really, really don’t want to hit a ball out of bounds

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Beyond the Childhood Dinosaur Phase: Why Dinosaurs Should Matter to Everyone

Dinosaurs can help us unlock essential secrets about the history of life on Earth

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Your Guide to Selecting the Best (or Is It Worst?) Ugly Christmas Sweater

Holiday cheer with a touch of nostalgia celebrates garish knitwear from the 1940s to ‘80s

A new study shows that microscopic barbs allow porcupine quills to slice into flesh easily and stay there stubbornly.

Could Porcupine Quills Help Us Design the Next Hypodermic Needle?

Microscopic barbs allow porcupine quills to slice into flesh easily and stay there stubbornly—qualities that could prove useful in medical applications

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Start Hoarding Your Beans, Thanks to Climate Change, $7 Coffee May Be the Norm

Starbucks most expensive cup of coffee to date raises the question, how high can we go?

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