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A Covid-19 testing site in New York City on December 9. An estimated 27.6 percent of cases nationwide were caused by the XBB.1.5 variant this week, according to the CDC's most recent data.

What to Know About the ‘Most Transmissible’ Covid-19 Variant

XBB.1.5 is the fastest-spreading variant in the country, but it is not known to cause more severe illness than previous ones

Americans might choose more sustainable meals when beef items on menus are labeled "high climate impact."

Could Climate Impact Labels Change the Way We Eat?

Warnings on fast-food menus might make Americans think twice about choosing beef, a new study finds

Archaeologists have only unearthed half of the Viking hall so far and plan to continue their dig later in 2023.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Viking Hall in Denmark

The structure may have been used for political meetings or other community gatherings

Girl With a Pearl Earring, Vermeer's most famous painting, will be on display at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum starting next month.

Largest Exhibition of Vermeer Paintings Ever Staged Will Open in Amsterdam Next Month

Of the Dutch artist’s 35 known paintings, about 28 will be on display at the Rijksmuseum

Watermelon snow near the summit of the Chilkoot Trail in Alaska.

Why Some Western Snow Is Turning Pink

Algae bring a rosy hue to some mountain snowpacks, which might accelerate melting

People with a presciption for mifepristone will now be able to get that prescription filled at certified retail pharmacies.

Abortion Pill Can Be Sold at Pharmacies, FDA Says

The new rule could expand medication abortion access in some places

Archaeologists used a remotely operated vehicle called Deep Trekker to explore the H.M.S. Erebus site.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Recover 275 Artifacts From Mysterious Arctic Shipwreck

Explorer John Franklin and his 128 crew members disappeared while searching for the Northwest Passage in the 1840s

Toni Morrison, the renowned author of powerful novels about the Black experience, taught at Princeton between 1989 and 2006.

Toni Morrison’s Rarely Seen Papers Will Go on View at Princeton

The university is planning a months-long series of exhibitions, programs and performances

Some experts say cannabis product packaging may appear similar to other snacks, which can confuse kids. 

More Kids Are Accidentally Eating Marijuana Edibles, Study Finds

Between 2017 and 2021, accidental cannabis ingestion in young children rose by 1,375 percent

Egyptian officials with the ancient sarcophagus on January 2, 2023

U.S. Returns Looted Sarcophagus to Egypt

The “Green Coffin” had been at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences since 2013

Researchers are studying psilocybin therapy to treat conditions like alcohol addiction and major depressive disorder.

Adults Can Now Use Magic Mushrooms With Supervision in Oregon

State-certified facilitators will guide patients in hallucinogenic trips, which may help treat mental health conditions

Frost-capped sand dunes near Mars's north pole, captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter two days after the planet's winter solstice

See the Chilling Beauty of Winter on Mars

NASA images reveal frost, geysers and intricate frozen patterns on the Red Planet

A photo of Henrietta Lacks in the living room of her grandson, Ron Lacks

Henrietta Lacks’ Virginia Hometown Will Build Statue in Her Honor, Replacing Robert E. Lee Monument

Lacks’ unique cancer cells were taken without consent and used for medical breakthroughs

The bats were kept inside when temperatures dropped below freezing but were released back to their homes in late December.

Texas Woman Rescues 1,500 Hypothermic Bats During Cold Snap

The Houston Humane Society wildlife center director nursed the animals to health in her attic

Robert Burns, the renowned Scottish poet most famous for writing “Auld Lang Syne” 

Cool Finds

This Rare Robert Burns Book Was Discovered in a Barber Shop, Where It Was Used to Clean Razors

The rarely seen copy of the Scottish writer’s debut poetry collection is now on display

The new local celebrity of Cypress, California, perches on a rooftop.

A Rare Snowy Owl Is Captivating Southern California

How the Arctic bird ended up among palm trees remains a mystery

The Collaboration, which stars Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope, makes its Broadway debut.

‘The Collaboration’ Brings Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat to Broadway

Starring Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope, the production explores two art icons’ complex relationship

Historian John Rice Irwin, linguist Carl Croneberg and historian Gwendolyn Midlo Hall

Three Pioneering Scholars Who Died This Year

They believed that the stories of marginalized communities were worth chronicling

Vandals broke in to Koonalda Cave in South Australia and wrote a prank message over 30,000 year old art

Vandals Destroy 30,000-Year-Old Indigenous Cave Drawings in Australia

The perpetrators broke in to the cave and defaced some of the earliest known examples of First Peoples Rock Art

China has eased its Covid testing with the relaxation of zero-Covid policies.

Covid Surges in China, Reaching an Estimated 37 Million Cases Per Day

The country abruptly relaxed its zero-Covid policy earlier this month

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