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These four lightbulbs augured a future with nuclear power.

On This Day in History

On This Day in 1951, Four Illuminated Lightbulbs in Idaho Were Evidence of the First Time a Nuclear Power Plant Generated Electricity

Although it was just a byproduct of developing a new type of reactor, the generation of electricity from nuclear energy signaled a bright future ahead

During a systematic metal detector survey in southern Arizona, Deni Seymour unearthed a 16th-century cannon likely left behind by Spanish conquistadors.

These 500-Year-Old Cannons May Help Unravel the Mysteries of the Coronado Expedition

The 16th-century artifacts were found during excavations in Arizona. Researchers say they may be the oldest firearms ever discovered in the continental United States

A recently excavated mastodon tooth found in a backyard, still embedded in the jaw

Cool Finds

A Homeowner Found Huge, Fossil Teeth While Mowing the Lawn. Then, Excavations Revealed a Complete Mastodon Jaw

The new discovery is the first of its kind in New York state for at least 11 years and appeared in a county rich with mastodon remains

Sombrero ground lizards (Pholidoscelis corvinus) are endemic to Sombrero Island, north of Anguilla, which means they're found nowhere else on the planet.

This Once-Rare Lizard Bounced Back From the Brink of Extinction After ‘Painstaking’ Restoration Efforts in the Caribbean

In 2018, fewer than 100 Sombrero ground lizards remained on Sombrero Island—but now, more than 1,600 of the critically endangered reptiles are scampering around the limestone landscape

Robert Smithson created Spiral Jetty on Utah's Great Salt Lake in 1970.

Utah’s Spellbinding ‘Spiral Jetty’ Has Been Added to the National Register of Historic Places

Robert Smithson constructed the famous 1,500-foot-long land artwork on the shore of the Great Salt Lake in 1970

The wasp species known as the "velvet ant" has a pattern of white and ultra-black coloration.

Meet the Brazilian Velvet Ant, a Rare ‘Ultra-Black’ Wasp That’s So Dark It Absorbs Almost All Visible Light

While the distinctive coloration is thought to be a warning to predators, it also has intriguing implications for designing man-made materials

The silver amulet contained a thin foil scroll.

New Research

Archaeologists Say This Tiny Amulet Is the Oldest Evidence of Christianity Found North of the Alps

Discovered in central Germany, the 1,800-year-old silver artifact held a tiny scroll, which researchers have now deciphered using high-resolution scans

Happiness "lights up" similar areas on both modern and ancient body maps, with the exception of the liver, which was more significant for the ancient Mesopotamians.

Ancient Texts Reveal How Mesopotamians Felt Emotions—From Happiness in the Liver to Anger in the Feet

Researchers found that ancient Mesopotamians associated body parts with emotions, just as we do—but they discovered some hilarious differences

Frances Perkins served as Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945.

Who Was Frances Perkins? Meet the Trailblazing Workers’ Rights Advocate Whose Homestead Just Became a National Monument

Perkins was America’s first female cabinet secretary and the longest-serving Secretary of Labor

The title page of the first edition of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol

On This Day in History

‘A Christmas Carol’ Marvelously Captured the Holiday’s Victorian Spirit and Inspired New Traditions for Centuries to Come

Published on this day in 1843, at a time when Christmas was undergoing great transformation, Charles Dickens’ novel centered the virtues of kindness, charity and reform

Beloved films like Dirty Dancing, No Country for Old Men, Beverly Hills Cop and Spy Kids are heading to the National Film Registry.

The National Film Registry Adds 25 New Movies, Including ‘Dirty Dancing,’ ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ and ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’

This year’s list includes a diverse set of American films celebrating various genres and storytellers

Crows congregate in Delano, California, in 2014. The birds tend to gether in urban areas, prompting some city officials—spanning New York, Illinois and Oregon—to try to disperse them.

Officials Ward Off 20,000 Crows With Flares and Lasers in Upstate New York, an Annual Battle Waged in Cities Nationwide

Massive roosts of crows in Rochester leave streets covered in feces, but some “corvid fanatics” aren’t pleased about certain methods for dealing with the birds

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams inspect safety hardware aboard the ISS in August 2024.

NASA’s Starliner Astronauts Face Another Delay in Their Return Home, Drawing Out Their Unexpectedly Long Mission

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were supposed to stay at the ISS for a little over a week. It’s now been more than six months, and the end date has been pushed again

Towana Looney's surgery at NYU Langone Health lasted seven hours and involved dozens of medical professionals.

An Alabama Woman Got a Gene-Edited Pig Kidney Transplant. Three Weeks Later, She Has ‘Never Felt Better’

On November 25, 53-year-old Towana Looney became just the third living person to receive a pig kidney in an experimental procedure

The carved boulder, which weighs about 60 pounds and measures less than a foot across, “may have represented a totem or a mythological or spiritual figure,” says archaeologist Omry Barzilai.

Cool Finds

A Mysterious Boulder Carved to Look Like a Tortoise Shell May Offer Evidence of the Middle East’s Earliest Ritual Ceremonies

The 35,000-year-old rock was found in Manot Cave, which was inhabited by both prehistoric humans and Neanderthals

This year's list includes Emergency Quarters, The Iguanodon's Horn and Ernő Rubik and His Magic Cube.

The Ten Best Children’s Books of 2024

This year’s top titles range from an alphabet book of quirky tunes to an authentic portrait of our nation

Fred Korematsu in 1983 

On This Day in History

On This Day in 1944, the Supreme Court Upheld the Executive Order That Incarcerated Over 120,000 Japanese Americans During World War II

Even at the time, the now-notorious decision provoked strong dissent from three justices worried about sliding into the “ugly abyss of racism”

The world's largest iceberg, A23a, is on the move again after spending the last few months stuck in an ocean vortex.

The World’s Largest Iceberg Is Free-Floating Again, and It Could Help Build ‘Thriving Ecosystems’

After spending months stuck in a swirling ocean vortex, iceberg A23a is once again drifting through the Southern Ocean, offering scientists a glimpse into how it might affect waters in new regions

Joe Rosenthal holding a print of his famous photograph in 2000

San Francisco Names a Street For the Photographer Who Captured Marines Raising an American Flag at Iwo Jima

Joe Rosenthal is famous for his Pulitzer Prize-winning image. But he spent most of his career photographing San Francisco, where he lived for many years

A red-bellied woodpecker peers into a hole in a tree and spots a very alarmed-looking young screech owl. The photograph, which was highly commended in the contest, is titled "You're not my mother."

Check Out 14 Hilarious Winners From the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards Contest

From an “awkward” smiling frog to embarrassing owl parents, this year’s winners of the entertaining annual competition won’t let you down

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