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Old man and the sea

Deconstructing Dad

Fatherhood remains a ripe subject for scientific research. Here are 10 recent studies on the transformation from man to dad

Osprey Reef, one of five reefs that will have have full national park-level protection in Australia.

Australia Creates World’s Largest Marine Reserve Network

The plan will protect the Coral Sea as well as pygmy blue whale habitat off the southern coast of Western Australia

Andorra makes no effort to charm those crossing the border from France. Shown here is the entry point into the commercial hub of Pas de la Casa.

Andorra: The Ugliest Country in Europe?

They had green mountains, trout streams and wildflowers; meadows and waterfalls, but Andorrans made their country the least charming in all of Europe

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How Trees Defined America

Historian Erik Rutkow argues in a new book that forests are key to understanding how our nation developed and who we are today

Merida in Brave

Five Women Animators Who Shook Up the Industry

From the silent days to the present, women have been a solid—if often unrecognized—force in animation

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Apatosaurus Was a Deceptive Dinosaur

Apatosaurus means “deceptive lizard,” and a short cartoon offers a new interpretation of that name

Publicity photo for The Son of the Sheik

The “Latin Lover” and His Enemies

Rudolph Valentino fought a long battle against innuendo about his masculinity right up until he died. But now he seems to have won

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The Unnatural History of the Dixie Cup

The product was a life-saving technology that avoided the transmission of disease from communal “tin dippers”

Computer models indicate that wildfires will become more frequent in temperate regions as the climate changes over the coming decades

Climate Change Means More Wildfires in the West

A new study indicates that temperate regions will experience more fires, while equatorial areas will see fewer

Mary and Louis Leakey

Louis Leakey: The Father of Hominid Hunting

Louis Leakey popularized the study of human evolution and sparked the search for human ancestors in Africa

The exterior of the Hotel Astoria in St. Petersburg

A Toast to the Astoria Hotel in St. Petersburg, Russia

A Russian icon in the Art Nouveau style on St. Isaac‘s Square near the Neva River, the Astoria evokes a Belle Époque world gone by

The Star Spangled Banner. 1814. Manuscript by Francis Scott Key.

Anthem For America Music Guide

Document Deep Dive: The Musical History of “The Star-Spangled Banner”

Was the national anthem really set to the melody of a drinking tune? Take a closer look at the original manuscript of Francis Scott Key’s song

Two new additions at the Zoo may help researchers break the Fishing Cat breeding code.

Newborn Fishing Cats at the National Zoo May Help Crack Breeding Code

Seven-year-old Electra delivered kittens marking the first time the endangered fishing cats have successfully bred and produced young at the National Zoo

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Ultra Antifreeze Prevents Ice From Even Forming

A new nano-technology can be applied to metals and causes ice and frost to slide off before they have a chance to stick

Jim Starry's patent drawing for the Starport airport design

The Airport Design Utopian

What ever happened to the Starport, the brainchild of Jim Starry that re-imagined the airport?

Mitsugu Watarai with Ken-chan

The Rise and Fall of Ken-chan, the $43,000 Robot Waiter

The spaghetti-slinging robot drew crowds at Grazie’s Italian Restaurant in Tokyo

The brown bear is among the largest land animals in the northern hemisphere. Whether there is still room for it in the French Pyrenees is uncertain.

Can Brown Bears Survive in the Pyrenees?

The keepers of sheep and cows helped eliminate the Pyrenean brown bear, and shepherds are not thrilled to see France’s largest predator return

Even familiar dinosaurs, such as this Allosaurus at Utah's Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, still raise many questions about dinosaur biology.

The Dinosaurs They are a-Changin’

Paleontologists are describing new dinosaurs at an unprecedented pace, but there’s much we still don’t know about the biology of these animals

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When Galaxies Collide: The Fate of the Milky Way

The Hubble Space Telescope shows that we’re on a collision course with the nearby Andromeda galaxy—and set to crash in about 4 billion years

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