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One of the many Edicaran biota fossils within the bounds of Nilpena Ediacara National Park, which is now open in South Australia.

The World’s Newest National Park Protects 550-Million-Year-Old Fossils

The 148,000-acre Nilpena Ediacara National Park in South Australia is helping scientists unravel the mysteries of life’s evolution on Earth

Balto and his sled driver, Gunnar Kasson, at the unveiling of Central Park's Balto statue in 1925.

Balto’s DNA Provides a New Look at the Intrepid Sled Dog

Scientists sequenced the famous canine’s genome as part of a larger project studying the genes of 240 mammal species

Climate activists with the group Declare Emergency spread paint on the plexiglass case of Edgar Degas' Little Dancer, a sculpture on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Climate Activists Smear Paint on Degas Sculpture’s Glass Case

Sitting beside “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen,” the protesters urged Biden to declare a climate emergency

Poppies in bloom in Antelope Valley, California, on April 11, 2023.

The Science of California’s ‘Super Bloom,’ Visible From Space

The state’s unusually wet winter provided the right conditions for dormant wildflower seeds to bloom all at once

The first image to show the shadow of black hole M87 as well as its jet

First-of-Its-Kind Image Captures a Black Hole’s Shooting Jet

The finding could help reveal how black holes launch such high-energy ejections

Portable altar of Countess Gertrude, shortly after 1038

Heirs of Jewish Art Dealers Move Forward With Yearslong Restitution Battle

For over a decade, they’ve argued that their ancestors were forced to sell valuable artifacts. Now, they’re back in court with a new legal strategy

Rosalind Franklin's work with X-ray imaging played an important part in the discovery of DNA's structure.

Women Who Shaped History

What We’re Still Learning About Rosalind Franklin’s Unheralded Brilliance

Using new historical evidence, two scientists argue the female chemist was more involved in discovering DNA’s structure than she got credit for

The island spans 25 acres and is located roughly six miles from the nearest town.

You Can Buy a Beautiful Uninhabited Scottish Island for $187,000

The 25-acre Barlocco Island has seabird colonies and stunning scenery—but no utilities or buildings

At the request of the Comité Champagne, Belgian officials destroyed 2,352 cans of Miller High Life for using the slogan the "Champagne of Beers."

European Officials Trash Thousands of Brews in Dispute Over ‘Champagne of Beers’ Slogan

The word is typically reserved for sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France

In a recent study, researchers examined 40 videos of great apes spinning on ropes and calculated their average rotational velocity.

Great Apes Love to Spin Around—Here’s Why

A recent study suggests that apes, like humans, seek out altered mental states

During the 2017 solar eclipse, the path of totality was just 71 miles wide. In 2024, it's expected to be 125 miles wide.

Cleveland Is Giving Away a Free Trip to See the 2024 Solar Eclipse

The city is within the 125-mile-wide path of totality and will experience a total eclipse for nearly four minutes on April 8, 2024

Aurora borealis captured in northern Minnesota on April 23.

Widespread Auroras That Lit Skies This Week Are Getting More Common

The stunning colors that dazzled viewers on Sunday will appear again as the sun’s activity builds to a peak in 2025

Researchers uncovered 50 burials dated to roughly the second century C.E.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Ancient Necropolis Near Parisian Train Station

Residents of Lutetia buried their dead at Saint-Jacques between the first and fourth centuries C.E.

The bone fragment from four different angles, with a white scale bar representing one centimeter. The flat side of the bone contains puncture marks that suggest it was a punch board used for tailoring hides.

This 39,600-Year-Old Bone May Have Been Used by Prehistoric Tailors

New research suggests early Homo sapiens punched holes in leather hides to create seams for clothing

An artist's recreation of what the recently discovered fortlet might have looked like

Archaeologists Discover Lost Roman Fort in Scotland

The new find marks the tenth such fort found in the area, once the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire

The lioness, photographed by a trail camera in February, is likely around five years old.

First Lion Spotted in Chad National Park in 20 Years Is ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Healthy’

A trail camera snapped a photograph of the lounging big cat, giving wildlife officials renewed hope about the species’ recovery in West and Central Africa

Descendants of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and descendants of slaves owned by Lee face Washington, DC, as they pose for a photo during a reunion at Lee's former plantation home, the Arlington House, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on April 22, 2023.

The Descendants of Robert E. Lee and the Workers He Enslaved Join Hands in Racial Reconciliation

The Confederate general’s Virginia home hosted families from all across the United States.

Hawaiian monk seal Kaiwi and her pup lie face-to-face in the sand on Kaimana Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 20.

Newborn Monk Seal Pup and Mother Get 24/7 Police Protection

Wildlife officials closed down a popular Hawaiian beach to protect the pair of endangered mammals

Park-goers hoping to catch a glimpse of the synchronized flashing of fireflies can soon enter a lottery.

How You Can See Tens of Thousands of Fireflies Flash in Unison

The lottery for viewing these bioluminescent bugs at Great Smoky Mountains National Park opens Friday

Mars and Deimos in a high-resolution composite image captured by the United Arab Emirates' Hope probe

See the First Detailed Close-Ups of Mars’ Moon Deimos

A United Arab Emirates spacecraft took a high-resolution look at the mysterious moon and uncovered new evidence about its origin

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