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Minarets are built adjacent to mosques and used to call Muslims to prayer.

300-Year-Old Minaret Toppled to Make Way for Road Expansion in Iraq

Residents and cultural officials are dismayed by the city of Basra’s decision to demolish the structure

The dinosaur and mammal engaged in a final tussle.

Rare Fossil May Show a Small Mammal Attacking a Dinosaur

The well-preserved bones could upend the traditional view of dinosaurs as predators and mammals as prey, if the findings are confirmed

Desiree Perez, Roc Nation's CEO, walks through "The Book of HOV" with Jay-Z.

In the ‘Heart of the City,’ a Tribute to Jay-Z

The Brooklyn Public Library is celebrating the rapper’s life and career in a new exhibition, “The Book of HOV”

The Toshodaiji Temple, an eighth-century Buddhist site in Nara, Japan

Teenage Tourist Carves His Name Into 1,200-Year-Old Temple in Japan

The UNESCO World Heritage site is one of several historical landmarks around the world to be vandalized this summer

Researchers estimate the states with the highest rates of Alzheimer's disease are Maryland, New York and Mississippi.

Here’s Where the Highest Rates of Alzheimer’s Are in the United States

A first-of-its-kind report estimates Alzheimer’s disease prevalence in 3,142 counties across the nation

RCW58, a Wolf-Rayet bubble nebula, is made of ejected material from the star WR 40, which shines at the center of the image.

See Ten Dazzling Space Images From the Astronomy Photographer of the Year Awards

From comets to nebulas to the Milky Way, the shots shortlisted in the annual competition capture the beauty of the cosmos from Earth

John Mayer, Sammy Hagar and Bob Weir perform with Dead & Company in San Francisco in 2016

Will the Dead Stay Dead After Sunday’s Farewell Concert?

Once again, Deadheads said their goodbyes to the latest iteration of the era-defining jam band

The Church of San Pablo now stands above the underground passageways in the ancient city of Mitla.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Entrance to the Zapotec Underworld Beneath a Church in Mexico

New scans of the site have confirmed the existence of an “underground labyrinth”

A lightsheet used to reveal hidden text in a manuscript of William Camden's Annals

Cool Finds

Hidden for 400 Years, Censored Pages Reveal New Insights Into Elizabeth I’s Reign

Scholars used advanced imaging to read crossed-out, pasted-over passages in the first official account of the Tudor queen’s time on the English throne

The research team stands alongside the SARS-CoV-2 wet cyclone aerosol sampler they developed.

New Device Can Detect Covid in the Air Within Five Minutes

Researchers report the technology is 77 to 83 percent accurate in finding any of the coronavirus variants in a room

Researchers caught and tagged a 13-foot-long female sawfish off the coast of Cedar Key, Florida, in June.

13-Foot Endangered Sawfish Spotted in Northern Florida Hints at a ‘Slow Recovery’

Scientists tagged the rare animal farther north than any such fish in decades, suggesting the species is returning to areas it once lived

The memorial wall inside the new Africatown Heritage House

New Exhibition Tells the Story of the ‘Clotilda,’ the Last Known American Slave Ship

A display spotlighting the schooner’s survivors is now open inside the new Africatown Heritage House in Mobile, Alabama

A southern Pacific rattlesnake. Previous studies had found examples of companionship reducing stress in birds and mammals, but not reptiles.

Having a Companion Could Help Rattlesnakes Stay Calm

During a stressful event, snakes experienced a smaller spike in heart rate when they were in the presence of another snake, according to a new study

A portrait of the Ramesses II (left) and researchers Philippe Walter and Catherine Defeyt using portable X-ray fluorescence equipment to take measurements (right)

New Research

X-Rays Uncover the Secrets of 3,000-Year-Old Egyptian Paintings

A new study provides insight into how tomb painters altered their work over time

This polishing stone is more than 5,000 years old and was once used to sharpen ax heads.

Cool Finds

Rare Neolithic ‘Polishing Boulder’ Discovered in England

Used to sharpen axes, the 5,000-year-old polissoir is only the second of its kind ever found in the country

A magpie nest in Antwerp, Belgium, made with anti-bird spikes

Crows and Magpies Snatch Anti-Bird Spikes to Build Their Nests

Birds in Europe are prying up the metal barbs, meant to repel them from roosting on buildings, and using the devices as nesting material

Inside Pennsylvania's State Capitol building, lawmakers are working on efforts to adopt a new official state song.

Pennsylvanians Might Soon Be Singing a New State Song

The state’s official tune simply can’t compete with the likes of “Georgia on My Mind,” lawmakers argue

Opill was first approved by the FDA about 50 years ago, but until now, users needed a prescription to access it.

FDA Approves First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill

Experts say the decision will increase access to safe and effective contraceptives for millions of Americans

Scientists found that carvings on the bones of giant sloths were made within a few years of the animals' deaths.

New Research

Humans May Have Arrived in the Americas Earlier Than Previously Thought

Researchers say that humans coexisted with giant sloths in Brazil some 25,0000 years ago

Phytoplankton form swirls of green in the Barents Sea north of Norway. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image on July 27, 2004.

Climate Change Is Shifting the Color of Earth’s Oceans

More than half of our oceans have taken on a greener hue in the past 20 years, a trend that cannot be fully explained by natural variation, per a new study

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