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Their Royal Highnesses on North Seymour Island, Richard Foster, 2009

Official Paintings From Charles III’s World Tours Are Going on Public Display for the First Time

Over 40 years, artists have accompanied Charles on his travels to 95 countries with only one directive: Paint whatever interests them

The cats that perished aboard the Emanuel Point II were well-fed and may have served as companions for the sailors.

New Research

Spanish Shipwreck Reveals Evidence of Earliest Known Pet Cats to Arrive in the United States

The two felines—one adult, one juvenile—appear to have been cared for by the sailors before the vessel sank in a hurricane in 1559, according to a new study

Crocodile-like sebecids were known to roam South America after dinosaurs went extinct. Recently found fossils suggest they inhabited the Caribbean as well—and thrived there long after they disappeared on the continent.

Fossils Reveal Enormous, Crocodile-Like Reptiles Survived for Millions of Years Longer Than Previously Thought

New discoveries in the Dominican Republic suggest sebecids roamed the Caribbean as recently as 4.5 million years ago, long after they vanished from South America

The mural features a red balloon covered in bandages.

Rarely Seen Banksy Mural Preserved on a 7,500-Pound Section of a Warehouse’s Wall Goes on Display in New York

“Battle to Survive a Broken Heart” features a red heart-shaped balloon covered with bandages. After spending a decade in storage, the artwork will head to auction on May 21

Arborists are reforesting Detroit's Poletown East neighborhood with giant sequoias and other species of trees.

Giant Sequoias Are Taking Root in an Unexpected Place: Detroit

Arborists are planting urban groves of the world’s largest trees in one of the city’s most blighted neighborhoods

Pope Francis meets with Martin Scorsese on January 31, 2024 in Vatican City.

Martin Scorsese’s New Documentary Will Feature One of Pope Francis’ Final Interviews

The film focuses on a project founded by the pope that encourages small communities around the world to tell their stories through cinema

A researcher swabs a frog. 

Scientists in Australia Mapped the Genome of an Endangered Frog Species in an Effort to Save It

A deadly fungus threatens the southern corroboree frog, which needs a lot of help to survive

The shorter sword was decorated with polished gems, two of which were carved with swastikas.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth 2,300-Year-Old Sword Decorated With Two Small Swastikas in a Celtic Necropolis

Found in France, the site featured more than 100 graves filled with ancient metal artifacts—including bracelets, brooches and two well-preserved swords

Pearl (left) is a 4-year-old Chihuahua, while Reggie (right) is a 7-year-old Great Dane.

When Reggie, the World’s Tallest Dog, Met Pearl, the World’s Shortest Dog

He was a massive Great Dane. She was a pint-sized Chihuahua. During one adorable playdate, the two superlative pups became fast friends

Ronan the California sea lion sits in front of a pool at UC Santa Cruz’s Long Marine Laboratory.

This Sea Lion Can Headbang Better Than You—Watch Her Out-Perform Humans at Keeping a Beat

A new study of Ronan, a sea lion famous for her dancing skills, challenges the idea that only vocal learners can match a tempo

A cache found in the Czech Republic weighed more than 15 pounds.

Cool Finds

Hikers Stumble Upon Gold Coins and Treasures That Could Be Worth $340,000

After discovering the 15-pound cache while hiking in the Czech Republic, the two men handed it over to a local museum

Chinese mitten crabs had never been found in the Pacific Northwest, until now.

Invasive Crab With Furry, Mitten-Like Claws Detected for the First Time in the Pacific Northwest

A commercial fisherman nabbed a large male Chinese mitten crab in the lower Columbia River late last month, putting biologists on high alert

The obelisk once stood outside a temple in Luxor, Egypt.

Cool Finds

Egyptologist Reveals Mysterious Messages Hidden in the Hieroglyphics on a 3,000-Year-Old Obelisk

Jean-Guillaume Olette-Pelletier says he has identified seven sets of crypto-hieroglyphs on the 75-foot-tall structure, which France received as a gift in 1836

A view of the sky during the Eta Aquariid meteor shower over the Fred C. Babcock/Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area in Florida

How to Watch the Peak of the Spectacular Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower

The shower will peak during pre-dawn hours in early May, as fast-moving meteors trail across Earth’s atmosphere, thanks to debris left behind by Halley’s Comet

Researchers think the chariot tire was made by a highly skilled blacksmith.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Thought They’d Found a Piece of Old Farm Equipment. It Turned Out to Be a Rare Iron Age Chariot Tire

The more than 2,000-year-old tire was found among a trove of artifacts during excavations ahead of construction for a new golf course near Inverness, Scotland

The S.S. Almond Branch was torpedoed by a German submarine during World War I.

Man Who ‘Always Fancied’ Owning a Shipwreck Buys One on Facebook Marketplace for $400

Hobbyist diver Dom Robinson jumped at the chance to purchase the S.S. “Almond Branch,” a cargo ship that’s been resting 190 feet beneath the surface of the English Channel since World War I

Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8, Mark Rothko, 1960

Child Scratches Mark Rothko Painting Worth Millions While Visiting Dutch Art Museum

Artworks by the Latvian-American Abstract Expressionist have been damaged before, but repairs have added up to hundreds of thousands of dollars

The charismatic salamanders known as axolotls can survive in the wild despite being bred in captivity, according to a new study.

Captive-Bred Axolotls Can Survive in the Wild, Offering Hope for the Critically Endangered Amphibians

The popular salamanders are nearly extinct in the wild, where they are confined to a small system of canals in Mexico City. But a new study suggests released axolotls could thrive in their natural habitat as well as artificial wetlands

The installation at 980 Madison Avenue features drawings, sculptures and paintings from throughout Picasso's career.

See Rare Pablo Picasso Masterpieces Curated by His Daughter, Paloma

Nearly a dozen of the works on view in “Picasso: Tête-à-tête” at the Gagosian Gallery in Manhattan have never been on public display before

Eastern quolls went extinct on mainland Australia in 1963.

See Eastern Quolls Get Released on Mainland Australia in a New Bid to Re-establish the ‘Magic Little Animal’

Conservationists recently introduced 15 of the polka-dotted marsupials into a protected area of New South Wales

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