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Two chimpanzees at the Budongo Conservation Field Station in Uganda

Chimpanzees Take Turns in Fast-Paced Conversations, Just Like Humans Do

A new study finds the average chimpanzee response time in gestured conversations is 120 milliseconds, which isn’t that far from the human average of 200 milliseconds

The newly discovered self-portrait by Norman Cornish

Cool Finds

Hidden Self-Portrait by Norman Cornish Discovered Behind Another Painting

A conservator in northern England stumbled upon the work on the reverse side of a piece called “Bar Scene”

The Kei apple tree (Dovyalis caffra) is native to southern Africa. It is one of the species that will have its scientific name changed after a recent vote.

Botanists Vote to Remove Racial Slur From Hundreds of Plant Species Names

In a first for taxonomy, researchers opted to change scientific names containing derivatives of the slur “caffra” to derivatives of “afr,” in reference to the plants’ origins in Africa

The torch from the 2024 Summer Games in Paris was sold along with a torchbearer's uniform.

The Paris Olympics

2024 Olympics Torch and Torchbearer’s Uniform Sell at Auction

The sale’s big-ticket item, a torch from the 1960 Winter Games, did not end up selling

Nearly 1,000 birds died in a single night after flying into windows at McCormick Place Lakeside Center in October 2023.

Chicago Building Where Nearly 1,000 Birds Died in One Night Last Fall Installs Bird-Safe Window Film

The glass-covered lakefront convention center has long been known among wildlife advocacy groups as a site of mass casualties for migratory birds

Astronomers released 25 new images to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory's launch.

See 25 Stunning Images of the Cosmos From the Chandra X-Ray Observatory as It Celebrates 25 Years in Space

Chandra, the world’s most powerful X-ray telescope, has been peering at black holes, stellar explosions and dark energy for a quarter-century

Researchers photographed and filmed the carvings underwater.

Cool Finds

Carvings of Ancient Pharaohs Unearthed in Nile River

The underwater expedition took place at a site that was flooded during the construction of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s

Visitors examine a 3D replica of Edward Hopper's Nighthawks.

New Yorkers Step Into Life-Size Replicas of Iconic Edward Hopper Paintings

Three of the realist painter’s most famous artworks came to life in an interactive installation in Manhattan

The ancient wall was discovered in a forest in southern Italy.

Cool Finds

Roman Wall Built to Contain Spartacus’ Forces Discovered in Italy

Archaeologists think the Roman army constructed it to contain the revolting gladiator in 71 B.C.E.

Researchers experimented with venom from red spitting cobras (pictured here), as well as black-necked spitting cobras.

Common Blood Thinners Could Combat Snakebites, Preventing Tissue Damage and Amputations, Study Finds

An estimated 400,000 people per year are permanently disabled because of snake venom, which can cause lesions and necrosis at the bite site

A heat map of brain activity shows stable patterns before and after taking psilocybin in blue and green, while temporary changes are shown in red, orange and yellow.

See How the Brain Responds to Psychedelic ‘Magic Mushrooms’

A new study mapped large, temporary changes in brain areas related to introspection and one’s sense of self, after participants took a dose of the drug psilocybin

The reconstructed Magan boat floating off the coast of Abu Dhabi

This Bronze Age Ship Replica, Made From Reeds and Goat Hair, Just Sailed 50 Nautical Miles

Researchers constructed the vessel using a list of materials found on a 4,000-year-old clay tablet

The five musket balls were found near the Concord River in Massachusetts, just under 20 miles northwest of Boston.

Cool Finds

Musket Balls Fired in Early Revolutionary War Battle Unearthed in Concord

Colonial militiamen fired the lead balls on April 19, 1775—and likely missed their mark

The ruins of Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius in the background. The city was destroyed during an infamous volcanic eruption in 79 C.E., and new research suggests an earthquake may have contributed to the damage and death toll.

Amid Its Volcanic Eruption, Pompeii Was Also Rocked by an Earthquake, Study Suggests

Researchers uncovered skeletal remains of two people in the ancient city that seem to have been killed by a building collapse caused by seismic activity

An illustration of NASA's VIPER rover drilling on the moon

NASA Cancels VIPER Moon Mission After Spending $450 Million to Build a Rover

The project was intended to look for water ice in the shaded craters on the lunar south pole

When researchers excavated part of the ball court, they found a mysterious structure beneath it.

Cool Finds

Researchers Unearth Mysterious Structure Beneath Maya Ball Court

Featuring painted stucco walls, the structure likely dates to between 200 and 600 C.E.

The explosion at Port Chicago on July 17, 1944, killed 320 people and injured 400 more.

Black Sailors Exonerated 80 Years After Deadly World War II Disaster

The Navy secretary officially cleared the 256 Black service members who were punished in connection with the explosion in Port Chicago, California

A reconstruction of a giant armadillo in the collection of paleontology at the Museo de La Plata in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Was This Giant, Armadillo-Like Animal Butchered by Humans in Argentina 21,000 Years Ago?

The creature’s bones show evidence of cutting with stone tools, adding to a series of findings that suggest humans were present in the Americas earlier than thought

An artist's rendition of the eight planets in our solar system. The planets are depicted closer together than they really are.

Astronomers Propose New Criteria to Classify Planets, but Pluto Still Doesn’t Make the Cut

The new definition would define planets based on mass, rather than more ambiguous shape and size characteristics

Prior to the auction, "Apex" was on exhibition at Sotheby’s galleries in New York.

Enormous Stegosaurus Skeleton Called ‘Apex’ Smashes Auction Records and Sells for $44.6 Million

The 150-million-year-old dinosaur became the most expensive fossil ever sold at auction, raising old questions about whether such specimens should be put up for sale

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