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Artist Baseera Khan, winner of reality show “The Exhibit,” with their sculpture The Liberator, which goes on display at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden this week

Winner of Reality Show ‘The Exhibit’ Displays Art at the Hirshhorn

Baseera Khan’s sculpture, “The Liberator,” will be on view through July 16

Computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton in 2015

The ‘Godfather of A.I.’ Now Warns of Its Dangers

Geoffrey Hinton quit Google this week to speak his mind on artificial intelligence, which he says may soon grow smarter than—and even manipulate—humans

Fossils in Wales reveal a glimpse into marine life 462 million years ago. In this illustration based on the new finds, the tall sponge in the foreground is less than one inch in height.

This Trove of Fossils in Wales Is Revealing Secrets of Early Animal Life

Scientists have uncovered 170 species from around 462 million years ago, unveiling surprises about when tiny marine creatures evolved and disappeared

Deeply interested in the natural world, Potter would carefully collect and draw specimens.

Beatrix Potter Was a Keen Observer of the Natural World

Famous for “Peter Rabbit,” the children’s author was also a devoted scientist and conservationist

Using suction-cup sensors attached to three humpback whales, researchers captured video footage of the animals rolling around on the ocean floor.

Watch Whales Exfoliate Their Skin on the Ocean Floor

Migrating humpbacks used sand and rubble to slough off dead skin and barnacles, a behavior that may be both practical and social

Route 66's 100th anniversary is coming up in 2026.

Ahead of 100th Anniversary, Route 66 Will Get Much-Needed Upgrades

Approved in 1926, the historic highway grew to become a cultural icon

For the second time, a visitor has eaten Maurizio Cattelan's Comedian, which features a banana duct-taped to a wall.

Someone Ate Maurizio Cattelan’s Banana Again

A student in Seoul feasted upon the fruit from “Comedian,” an artwork featuring a banana taped to a wall

A spinning 3D view of one person's cerebral cortex. Pink indicates above average activity and blue shows below average activity.

Researchers Use A.I. to Decode Words From Brain Scans

A new tool translates “something deeper than language,” generating text that captures the gist of podcasts or silent films viewed by participants

Male California sea lions are polygamous and must fight to defend their territories and their harems.

Why Male California Sea Lions Are Getting Bigger

The “raccoons of the sea” have varied diets, allowing them to grow large to compete for mates

Gordon Lightfoot performing in Beverly Hills, California, in 2019

Gordon Lightfoot, Legendary Folk Musician, Dies at 84

The Canadian singer-songwriter is known for hits like “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” “If You Could Read My Mind” and “Early Morning Rain”

Before they made their big flight to the South Pacific, the snails were adorned with dots of red, UV-reflective paint to help conservationists find them in the dark.

Scientists Reintroduce 5,000 Snails to French Polynesian Islands

The project’s organizers say it’s the largest-ever release of creatures that are extinct in the wild

The new Richard Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History opens in New York City on May 4.

New York’s Natural History Museum Unveils a Canyon-Like New Wing

With butterflies, bugs and an atrium that looks like it’s carved into rock, the Gilder Center will open its doors to the public on May 4

A view of the Coretta Scott King Peace and Meditation Garden and Monument on April 27, which would have been the civil rights leader's 96th birthday

Women Who Shaped History

Monument to Coretta Scott King Unveiled in Atlanta

Located at the King Center, the new memorial honors a legacy that’s often overlooked

One of the iterations of the Enterprise that fans can explore on the portal

‘Star Trek’ Fans Can Now Virtually Tour Every Starship Enterprise Bridge

An interactive web portal explores the vessel’s evolution over nearly six decades

A vineyard in the Mudgee wine region of Australia.

Climate Change Is Threatening Vineyards in Australia

Winemakers are looking for ways to adapt and grow fruit that’s more resistant to heat and drought

Freddie Mercury on stage in Oakland, California, in 1982

You Can Buy Freddie Mercury’s Handwritten Lyrics, Costumes and More

More than 1,500 items once belonging to the famed British singer are going to auction

The carriage is designed to resemble the one that Charles III will ride in.

You Can Book Uber’s Horse-Drawn Carriage Ahead of Charles III’s Coronation

One driver—and a team of four white horses—will be available in the days leading up to the ceremony

A sign for Covid-19 testing in New York City on March 9, 2023.

As Public Health Emergency Ends, CDC Will Stop Tracking Community Levels of Covid-19

The agency will continue to monitor cases of the virus based on hospitalizations and wastewater testing

California condors are the largest birds in North America.

Twenty Endangered California Condors Die Amid Avian Flu Outbreak

Scientists fear the deaths could set back the slow-breeding birds’ recovery by at least a decade

Researchers uncovered the two-foot-tall Buddha statue in Berenike.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Buddha Statue in Ancient Egyptian Port City

The new find sheds light on the rich trade relationship between Rome and India

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