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Police sketches of the man and woman who stole Willem de Kooning's Woman-Ochre from the University of Arizona Museum of Art in November 1985

Why Would Two Ordinary People Steal a $160 Million Willem de Kooning Painting?

A new documentary tells the tale of a suburban New Mexico couple who allegedly stole the artwork just to hang it behind their bedroom door

Researchers chose to focus on lettuce because the plant has been grown numerous times aboard the International Space Station and would provide a way for astronauts to eat fresh greens besides only canned and freeze-dried foods.  

Innovation for Good

Genetically Modified Lettuce May One Day Help Space Travelers Fight Bone Loss

The vegetable could provide fresh leafy greens to astronauts’ diet while providing a new way to transport and consume medications in the cosmos

Each sensor is unique in size and ranges between 10 to 50 milliliters in diameter and weighs about 30 milligrams.

Innovation for Good

Tiny, Solar-Powered Sensors Fly Through the Air Like Dandelion Seeds

The battery-free devices could be used to gather environmental data over long distances and provide insights into an ecosystem’s health

Set to an asking price of $200 million, Pop artist Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn is poised to become the most expensive 20th-century painting sold at auction.

Iconic Andy Warhol Portrait of Marilyn Monroe Could Sell for Record-Breaking $200 Million

One of the artist’s “Shot Marilyns,” the sage blue silkscreen could become one of the most expensive 20th-century paintings ever sold at auction

Under the proposed rules, companies would need to divulge climate-related risks that are likely to impact the business.

SEC Proposes New Climate Change Disclosures for Companies

The proposal passed on a 3–1 vote, and the public will now have around 60 days to submit comments

A female Bornean orangutan carrying her son in Central Kalimantan, Borneo, Indonesia.

Orangutan’s Vocabularies Are Shaped by Socializing With Others, Just Like Humans

A new study reveals apes have distinct and flexible ‘vocal personalities,’ opposed to a fixed repertoire of calls

Ochre, an iron-rich rock, has been used as paint pigment by humans for hundreds of years in various applications, such as body paint, sunscreen and as a component in adhesives.  

Researchers Discover Oldest-Known Ochre Workshop in East Asia

Tools and pieces of the clay earth pigment found in northern China date to about 40,000 years old, and introduce new theories about early human migration

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion stands at attention during an inspection in England in 1945.

All-Black, All-Woman WWII Unit Awarded Congressional Gold Medal

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion cleared a six-month backlog of mail while stationed in Europe in 1945

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Why Born Enslaved!, 1873

A Bold New Show at the Met Explores A Single Sculpture

The exhibition probes the paradoxes of Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux’s “Why Born Enslaved!,” the most famous depiction of a Black woman in 19th-century art

Symbols on the ancient coin, which is about the size of a U.S. quarter, are an argument for the triumphant overthrow of a brutal dictatorship.

Cool Finds

A Roman Coin Minted as a Salute to Julius Caesar’s Assassination Is Up for Auction

The 2,000-year-old gold piece, perhaps worn by one of the murderers, could sell for $2 million

The moons appear as two blurry dots located close together in the upper right area of the image. Io, seen as a darker speck on the left of the two dots, is the most volcanically active world in the solar system. Europa is seen on the right and features a global ocean beneath its icy surface. 

Citizen Scientist Captures Glimpse of Jupiter’s Moons, Io and Europa, Using Juno Space Probe Data

The natural satellites are seen in the distant background of the gas giant’s portrait

Colorado's first laying out ceremony of human remains that were composted.

Colorado Composts Its First Human Remains

The state legalized biological decomposition of human remains, also known as ‘natural reduction,’ last year

Using human genomes, researchers have developed a massive family tree identifying nearly 27 million ancestors dating back more than 100,000 years ago. 

New Research

Largest Human Family Tree Identifies Nearly 27 Million Ancestors

Researchers create massive genealogical network dating back 100,000 years

Medical professionals agree Pfizer’s current three-shot vaccination schedule still provides strong protection for healthy, young people against getting very sick with Covid-19. 

Pfizer Seeks Authorization of a Second Covid-19 Booster for Older Americans

The request comes after mounting evidence that protection from three shots has faded with time, especially against the Omicron variant

This 17th-century Flemish tapestry, titled The Apotheosis of the Arts, is the largest of a six-part series that was stolen from the Church of Santo Domingo in Castrojeriz, Spain, in 1980. (Note the missing two-by-two-foot square in the lower left corner.)

Cool Finds

With a Stolen Fragment Restored, This Stunning 17th-Century Tapestry Is Made Whole

Spanish authorities had all but given up the search for the missing piece, which was lost in a heist carried out by notorious art thief “Erik the Belgian”

Utah state officials set out two barrel traps to capture an elusive wolverine that was spotted from an aircraft. 

Utah Captures and Collars First Wolverine in State History

The state has only confirmed eight wolverine sightings in 40 years. Data from the GPS collar will provide invaluable insights about the elusive species

Russia has dismissed the idea that their cosmonauts’ bold wardrobe colors have anything to do with Ukraine.

Russian Cosmonauts Board Space Station Wearing Blue and Yellow

Roscosmos denies color choice was a show of support for Ukraine

Historic Royal Palaces conservators hang a portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales, taken in 1988 by photographer David Bailey and commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery. 

How the Royal Family Uses Photography to Connect With the Public

An exhibition at Kensington Palace features images from the 19th century through today, including a never-before-seen portrait of Princess Diana

Artist Victor Ehikhamenor posing with his work, Still Standing, a mixed-media depiction of a Benin ruler.

New Artwork in St. Paul’s Cathedral Reckons With the British Attack on Benin 125 Years Ago

Nigerian artist Victor Ehikhamenor’s ‘Still Standing’ sparks conversation about how to deal with colonial monuments

A feral fox in Australia.

Cats and Foxes Kill 2.6 Billion Animals Per Year in Australia

A new study is the first to quantify the impact the two non-native predators have on local wildlife in the country

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