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The final design is a modified version of a submission by 24-year-old Andrew Prekker.

Minnesota Reveals New State Flag Design

Submitted by a 24-year-old Minnesotan, the updated flag is expected to fly on May 11

Turquet’s octopus

Octopus DNA Reveals Clues to When the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Last Collapsed

Understanding the ice sheet’s past could help researchers shed light on its future melting

Vincent van Gogh's Beach at Scheveningen in Calm Weather (1882)

‘Law & Order’ Creator Dick Wolf Donates 200 Artworks to the Met

The collection of Baroque and Renaissance pieces includes Vincent van Gogh’s first painting of the outdoors

The Two Towers in Bologna, Italy, on December 14, 2023

Donations Help Save Bologna’s 12th-Century Leaning Tower

Officials recently shut down the area around the increasingly delicate structure

NASA engineers react to the first-ever high-definition video sent by laser from deep space, which feaures an orange tabby cat named Taters.

NASA Streams Video of a Cat Chasing a Laser From Deep Space

In a first, the agency beamed the playful clip to Earth from a distance 80 times farther than the moon

The rare George Washington portrait could sell for as much as $2.5 million in January.

The Met Is Selling This Rare Portrait of George Washington

Artist Gilbert Stuart painted the work after the president sat for him in late 1795

Humans may perceive dogs with dark eyes as younger and more friendly, according to new research.

Here’s Why Most Dogs Have Brown Eyes

Humans may have bred their canine companions to have darker eyes, because we perceive them as younger and more friendly, study finds

Data from the Hubble Space Telescope produced this new image of the galaxy UGC 8091.

See the ‘Sparkling Snow Globe’ Galaxy Captured by the Hubble Space Telescope

The new, holiday-inspired image features UGC 8091, an “irregular” dwarf galaxy in the constellation Virgo

Researchers say the mural, uncovered near the Colosseum, is one of a kind.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Uncover ‘Exceptional’ Ancient Mural Near Colosseum

The artwork—made from shells, tiles and other materials—demonstrated the wealth and power of its owner

Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge

Could Climate Change Cause More Lakes to Turn Bright Pink?

While rosy-hued waters exist naturally around the world, a pond in Hawaii recently turned pink, and Australian scientists say the same could happen there

The sun rises over the Gunung Padang in Java, Indonesia.

Archaeologists Criticize Alleged Discovery of the ‘Oldest Pyramid in the World’

A controversial study arguing an Indonesian structure is 25,000 years old is under investigation by the journal that published it

Rembrandt's The Night Watch (1642)

Art Meets Science

Lead Base Layer Discovered in Rembrandt’s ‘The Night Watch’

Researchers analyzed a tiny paint sample from the piece and found a lead-rich layer on the canvas

This A.I.-generated illustration shows what some of the undiscovered extinct birds might have looked like.

Humans May Have Driven Twice as Many Bird Species to Extinction as Previously Thought

Statistical modeling of undiscovered extinctions suggests 1,430 bird species have disappeared during modern human history

Aerial view of construction work on the Maya Train on August 31, 2023

First Section of Mexico’s Controversial Maya Train Opens

The rail system, built to connect tourist destinations, has been criticized for endangering archaeological and environmental sites

Uranus with its rings and moons, showcasing storms and a polar ice cap on the planet. The new Webb image was produced by combining longer and shorter exposures.

See the James Webb Telescope’s Stunning New Image of Uranus With Its Rings and Moons Clearer Than Ever

The gleaming ice giant could soon become a top priority for exploration

Safety fencing at Arlington National Cemetery rings the Confederate memorial.

Federal Judge Allows Removal of Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery

The Defense Department had mandated that the monument be dismantled by January 1, 2024

This seventh-century Buddha sculpture was among the artifacts.

The Met Will Repatriate 16 Artifacts to Cambodia and Thailand

The looted objects are tied to the notorious art dealer Douglas Latchford

Chimpanzees and bonobos may have the longest social memory of any non-human animal.

Chimpanzees and Bonobos May Remember Faces for More Than 20 Years

The great apes, which are humans’ closest living relatives, appeared to recognize photos of their former acquaintances in a study, even decades later

A volcano erupts near the evacuated town of Grindavík in southwestern Iceland.

Volcano Erupts in Iceland After Weeks of Earthquake Activity

On Monday night, plumes of lava and ash blasted more than 330 feet into the air

The 31-inch-tall tree is billed as the "humblest Christmas tree in the world."

103-Year-Old Artificial Christmas Tree Sells for Over $4,000

The tree was originally purchased for 8-year-old Dorothy Grant in 1920

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