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bell hooks, pictured in 1999

Women Who Shaped History

Groundbreaking Feminist Scholar bell hooks Dies at 69

The prolific American writer shaped a generation of discourse around Black feminism and intersectionality

In the video, Wheaton, a veterinarian, and his board appear tiny compared to the colossal bony fish. While the sunfish's dimensions are unknown, when comparing it to Wheaton's 14 foot-long board, the sunfish may have been anywhere between nine to ten feet long. (Pictured: Matt Wheaton)

Holy Mola! Watch This Colossal Ocean Sunfish Swim With Paddle Boarders Off the California Coast

Also known as a mola, the fish are harmless to people but are extremely curious and will approach divers

Scientists studied the lead isotopic values of the white paint used in 77 Dutch works, including this one by Rembrandt. Rembrandt van Rijn, Tobit and Anna with the Kid, 1626 

Art Meets Science

Scientists Can Determine When and Where Dutch Masters Worked by the White Paint They Used

Using a new technology, researchers say they’ve discovered a link between the chemical composition of pigments in Dutch paintings and historic conflicts

Archaeologists unearthed the body of a female infant at a 10,000-year-old burial site in the Arma Veirana cave in Italy.

Cool Finds

Baby Buried With Care 10,000 Years Ago Found in Italian Cave

The rare interment suggests that some hunter-gatherer societies imbued female infants with full personhood

While the nebula can be observed in visible light (as seen in the image above), it gets its name from how brightly it also appears when viewed in infrared wavelengths of light.  

Hidden Within This Wispy, Butterfly Wing–Shaped Nebula, a Star Is Born

The image of a budding celestial body reveals clues as to what happens before it becomes a full-fledged star

Since the Parker Solar Probe launched in 2018, it's been orbiting the sun and inching closer with every loop.

For the First Time Ever, a NASA Spacecraft Has ‘Touched’ the Sun

The Parker Solar Probe reached the sun’s upper atmosphere, gathering data along the way to help scientists better understand the center of our solar system

The Food and Drug Administration could authorize the experimental pill within days.

Pfizer Says Covid-19 Pill Is Effective and Likely Works Against Omicron

The drug helps those already infected, but experts say vaccination is the best way to prevent contracting and spreading the virus

Artifacts found in an attic in a Boston home consisted of items such as letters, tools and a trade sign, all believed to have been owned by the family of Paul Revere.

Cool Finds

Sold: Paul Revere Family Artifacts Found in a Boston-Area Attic

A trade sign bearing the name of the patriot’s son, along with letters and personal items owned by his grandchildren, sold at auction for $20,000

A medieval composite pen made out of animal bone and a copper alloy was found in an 11th-century settlement in Ireland. The tool's secular setting is a rare find, as literacy in Ireland was generally associated with the church.

Cool Finds

Medieval Ink Pen Testifies to the Rise of Secular Literacy in Ireland

The 11th-century tool may have been used to record family lineages and trade agreements

The agencies will monitor Justin Packshaw and Jamie Facer Childs’ health as they trek across the icy continent over the next few months.

Space Agencies Track Two Explorers Across Antarctica to Prepare People for Mars

The 80-day mission is testing the limits of the human body in a harsh environment

In the video, the giant jellyfish's large bell is seen pulsing and glowing a faint orange as it floats in the dark abyss.

Watch This Giant Phantom Jellyfish With 33-Foot-Long Arms Float Through the Deep Ocean

The footage was captured by a remote-operated vehicle about 3,200 feet below the surface in Monterey Bay, California

The carnivorous theropods may have evolved a quick pace and sharp agility in order to capture prey.

These Three-Toed, Carnivorous Dinosaurs Ran as Fast as Usain Bolt

Two tracks of footprints reveal that theropods could reach speeds of nearly 28 miles per hour, providing insights on their behavior

An aerial view of the ongoing efforts to reconstruct Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral, pictured in June 2021

France Approves Controversial Plan to Renovate Notre-Dame Cathedral

Conservative critics have opposed the new proposal, which aims to make the Paris landmark an “even more beautiful and welcoming” place for visitors

The newly discovered synagogue is the second found in the ancient community.

Cool Finds

Researchers Unearth 2,000-Year-Old Synagogue in Mary Magdalene’s Supposed Hometown

The religious center is the second of its kind found in Migdal, an ancient community on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee

On average, December has about 24 twisters in the United States per year. However, tornados occurring as far north as Illinois and Kentucky are highly uncommon for early winter.  

At Least 100 Feared Dead After December Twisters Slam Midwestern and Southern States

The rare winter event was a result of abnormal weather patterns exacerbated by La Niña and global warming

A photographer captured Thomas Edison asleep in his workshop in 1904. 

Need a Creative Boost? Nap Like Thomas Edison and Salvador Dalí

Waking up just after dozing off seems to be a science-backed source of inspiration

The hydra’s unusual ability to regenerate parts of its body makes the creatures biologically immortal. 

How Tiny, ‘Immortal’ Hydras Regrow Their Lost Heads

A new analysis pinpoints different genes behind the tiny animal’s ability to regenerate body parts

Emmett Till and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley, ca. 1953-1955

Race in America

Justice Department Officially Closes Emmett Till Investigation Without Bringing Justice

Authorities will not press charges after reviewing a second piece of key testimony from the 1955 murder

Found among Steinhardt's stolen artifacts was the Larnax, a small chest that was used to store human remains. Dated to between 1200 and 1400 B.C.E., the chest originated on the island of Crete.

New York Antiquities Collector Returns 180 Stolen Artifacts Worth $70 Million

A deal made with the Manhattan district attorney bars billionaire Michael Steinhardt from purchasing ancient objects for the rest of his life

Aside from photography, James Van Der Zee was also a gifted musician who played both the piano and violin.

The Met Acquires Archive of Work by Harlem Renaissance Photographer James Van Der Zee

Working with the Studio Museum of Harlem, the museum is preserving the photographer’s images of 20th-century Black life

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