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The tail, or fluke, of a humpback whale is identifiable, like a fingerprint is for a human.

Humpback Whale Makes Record-Breaking 8,000-Mile Migration Across Three Oceans, but the Reason Is Still a Mystery

Biologists say mating, climate change or simply being confused might have driven the creature to swim great distances, between Colombia and Zanzibar

The exhibition showcases political cartoons dating from 1909 to 2003.

See Winston Churchill Through the Eyes of the Political Cartoonists He Inspired

A new exhibition at London’s Imperial War Museum brings together political cartoons from around the world that celebrate and satirize the wartime prime minister

The Scream by Edvard Munch

On This Day in History

Meet the Mysterious and Brooding Norwegian Painter Responsible for ‘The Scream’

Born on this day in 1863, Edvard Munch lived a life marked by mental health struggles and sought to brush themes of anxiety and dread into his art

Monarch butterflies are well-known and beloved migratory pollinators in North America.

Monarch Butterflies Might Soon Be Listed as Threatened Under the Endangered Species Act

If a new proposal is adopted, the insects would become the most commonly seen species to be the subject of federal protection under this law

The five women—Marie-Jose Loshi, Monique Bitu Bingi, Lea Tavares Mujinga, Simone Ngalula and Noëlle Verbeken—took legal action against the Belgian state for the suffering they endured as children.

Belgium Has Been Found Guilty of ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ for Kidnapping Thousands of Children in Congo

A Brussels court has ordered Belgium to pay damages to five women, now in their 70s and 80s, who were abducted from their parents when they were young children

The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds were recently captured by NASA astronaut Don Pettit aboard the ISS.

NASA Astronaut Shares Breathtaking Photos From the ISS, Featuring Galaxies and Glowing ‘Star Trails’

On his fourth flight, Don Pettit is once again sharing the art of astrophotography, capturing and posting pictures of Earth, satellites and space

An interpretation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet by Salvador Dalí

Stunning Artworks Seized From the Mafia Go On Display at a New Exhibition in Milan

“Save Arts: From Confiscations to Public Collections” features more than 80 works recovered by Italian authorities, including pieces by Andy Warhol and Salvador Dalí

A fossil skull of a prehistoric amphibian, found in a 230-million-year-old burrow in Wyoming, turned out to be from an unknown species.

A Paleontologist Cracked Open a Rock and Discovered a Prehistoric Amphibian With a Clever Survival Strategy

Named “Ninumbeehan dookoodukah” by Eastern Shoshone students and elders, the creature burrowed in riverbeds to stay moist during extreme droughts

Micro-CT scans of the bone needles and the other examples of bone they were compared against

New Research

These Delicate Needles Made From Animal Bones May Have Helped Prehistoric Humans Sew Warm Winter Clothing

Researchers have discovered 32 needle fragments made from the bones of smaller animals. The tiny tools may have been used to sew insulated garments during the last ice age

Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson. Here, the couple is pictured in the Bahamas, where Edward served as governor between 1940 and 1945.

On This Day in History

When a British King Stunned the Royal Family by Abdicating the Throne to Marry a Divorced American Socialite

Scandal dogged Edward VIII, a suspected Nazi sympathizer, even after he relinquished his crown to marry Wallis Simpson, the woman he loved

St. John the Baptist and St. Jerome in a detail from The Madonna and Child With Saints

This Peculiar Painting From the Experimental Mannerist Movement Is Back on Display After a Stunning Ten-Year Restoration

Parmigianino painted St. Jerome asleep on the ground in his 16th-century altarpiece—a choice that’s still puzzling experts five centuries later

Researchers found that in 2023, a decrease in low-altitude clouds, specifically over the Atlantic Ocean, drove an increase in the planet's temperature.

Scientists Find Another Reason Why 2023 Was So Hot: a Decline in Low-Lying Clouds

According to new research, Earth might have reflected less solar radiation last year than in any other year since 1940, a trend that adds to the planet’s warming

The genetic basis for orange cats' coloration has long been unknown to scientists.

Geneticists Solve the Mystery of Why Some Cats Are Orange—and Why They Tend to Be Males

Two new, preliminary papers identify a gene related to a cat’s coloration. The work also explains why tortoiseshell and calico cats tend to be females

New research suggests early humans hunted and ate mammoths, as well as elk and bison, to a lower degree.

An Ice Age Infant’s Bones Reveal Early Americans Ate Woolly Mammoths as a Protein Staple

New research examines chemical signatures to determine the diet of a prehistoric boy and his mother, suggesting the Clovis people relied on mammoths for a large portion of their menu

Ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz on view at Heritage Auctions London

Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers From ‘The Wizard of Oz’ Sell for a Record-Breaking $28 Million

The iconic shoes, which went missing for more than a decade, are now the most valuable piece of movie memorabilia ever auctioned

This year's favorites include Light in the Underworld, Juneteenth Rodeo and Sea Beach.

The Ten Best Photography Books of 2024

These works are not just for casual readers—they are for those who seek to expand their horizons, enrich their lives, and connect with the world on a deeper level

A cat in a stroller examines ancient Egyptian artifacts at the Shanghai Museum.

Hundreds of Curious Cats Contemplated Ancient Egyptian Artifacts During a Series of ‘Meowseum Nights’ in China

For ten nights, animal lovers brought their furry friends to “On Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt” at the Shanghai Museum, where many examples of ancient cat imagery are on display

This image of the Geminid meteor shower, as seen from China, earned first place in the 2021 astrophotography contest by the International Astronomical Union Office of Astronomy Education.

How to Watch the Geminid Meteor Shower This Weekend

The peak of this popular annual meteor shower risks being washed out by an almost full moon this year—but stargazers can still spot shooting stars if they follow the right tips

President Theodore Roosevelt clenches his teeth as he makes a point during an interview with unidentified journalists.

On This Day in History

On This Day in 1906, a Nobel Prize Was Awarded to an American for the First Time for Ending a War on the Other Side of the Globe

It was immediately controversial that President Theodore Roosevelt, famous for vigorous military interventions, was the first statesman to win the Peace Prize

The sun sets over Death Valley, California, on July 7, 2024, a day when its temperature reached 129 degrees Fahrenheit.

Climate Scientists Project 2024 Will Be the Hottest Year on Record—and the First to Pass 1.5 Degrees Celsius of Warming

After November 2024 was the second warmest November in the books, experts say the year is “effectively certain” to break the heat record set by 2023

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