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An eighth- or ninth-century B.C. Urartian castle similar to the one recently found in eastern Turkey

Cool Finds

2,800-Year-Old Castle Linked to Enigmatic Ancient Civilization Found in Turkey

The structures dates to the time of Urartu, a kingdom that clashed with the Assyrians in the first millennium B.C.

A radar image of Venus' largest block of crust, located in the planet's lowlands and identified by the authors of a new paper.

New Research

Venus May Still Be Geologically Active

Radar images of the planet’s surface suggest large sections of its crust appear to have moved in the geologically recent past

Bronzino, Eleonora di Toledo and Francesco de’ Medici, c. 1550

Florence’s Medici Family Used Portraits as Propaganda

A new exhibition at the Met reveals how the Italian banking dynasty drew on art to cement its power and legacy

Dried sea snot on the surface of the water can be so strong that seagulls can walk on it, and it can damage fishing boat motors.

Turkey Begins to Clean Smelly Sea Snot From Its Shores

The layer of marine mucilage threatens not only tourism and fishing boats but also creatures living in the Sea of Marmara

Cosmetics designed to stay on longer or marketed as "wear-resistant," "long-lasting," and "waterproof" contained the highest levels of PFAS.

Scientists Find Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ in More Than 100 Popular Makeup Products

Waterproof mascara and long-lasting lipsticks contained the highest levels of organic fluorine, an indicator of PFAS

People who reopened graves might take items like swords and brooches but leave more valuable objects untouched.

Cool Finds

Why Did Early Medieval Europeans Reopen Graves?

Contrary to some assumptions, the removal of objects from burial sites was not typically motivated by greed

Wassily Kandinsky, Curved Tips, 1927

Cool Finds

Rediscovered After 70 Years, Kandinsky Watercolor Sells for $1.3 Million

The modern art pioneer painted the work, which resurfaced in a private collection last month, in 1927

The Forever Marilyn statue's June 20 unveiling attracted protesters who view Seward Johnson's 26-foot-tall sculpture as an outdated symbol of sexism.

Why a Newly Installed Statue of Marilyn Monroe Is So Controversial

In the era of #MeToo, some view the sculpture—now on view in California—as a symbol of sexism

A photo of the Asian giant hornet specimen found near Marysville, Washington.

Dead ‘Murder Hornet’ Found North of Seattle

The dried out male hornet is 2021’s first confirmed sighting of the Asian giant hornet, but scientists say the corpse doesn’t look fresh

When a person uses the HiccAway to drink water, they have to suck about four times harder than if they were using a regular straw.

Innovation for Good

This Straw Is Designed to Instantly Cure Hiccups

The ‘HiccAway’ stopped cases of hiccups 92 percent of the time during an early trial

Scholars used a newly developed technique to test skeletons' teeth for the presence of Yersinia pestis, the pathogen responsible for the plague.

Cool Finds

Why Weren’t These Black Death Victims Buried in Mass Graves?

New research suggests some Europeans who died of the bubonic plague were individually interred with care

Based on the size of the skull, the research team also found that the rhino had a long thick neck, a short trunk similar to that of a modern-day tapir, and a deeper nasal cavity.

This Prehistoric Giant Rhino Was ‘Taller Than a Giraffe’

The prehistoric mammal had a 3.8-foot-long head and stood at about 16 feet tall

Organizers used state-of-the-art technology to create nearly life-size reproductions of Michelangelo's famed Sistine Chapel frescoes.

Immersive Experience Brings Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Frescoes to the U.S.

A touring exhibition now on view in San Antonio, Chicago and Charlotte immerses visitors in 34 of the artist’s famed paintings

The newly deciphered genome, T2T-CHM13, added 200 million base pairs to the 2013 version of the human genome and found 115 new genes.

Scientists Are on the Cusp of Finally Deciphering the Entire Human Genome

After 20 years of work, the pursuit is nearly complete, but the team still has to sequence a Y chromosome

Lake Mead generates electricity and supplies water to 25 million people in Western United States.

Hoover Dam’s Lake Mead Hits Lowest Water Level Since 1930s

The reservoir generates electricity and supplies water to about 25 million people across tribal lands, farms and major cities

In 1921, Ruth Middleton embroidered this cotton sack with a powerful family story.

History of Now

A Simple Cotton Sack Tells an Intergenerational Story of Separation Under Slavery

Historian Tiya Miles’ new book traces the lives of three Black women through an embroidered family heirloom known as “Ashley’s sack”

An artist's rendering of Gunggamarandu maunala.

New Research

23-Foot ‘River Boss’ Croc Fossil Found in Australia

Slender-nosed extinct reptile would have patrolled freshwater ecosystems between two and five million years ago

A pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) crosses the Indian Ocean and passes near Mirissa, Sri Lanka.

Using Nuclear Bomb Detectors, Scientists Overhear the Secret Songs of a Never-Before-Seen Pygmy Blue Whale Population

The new group is named ‘Chagos’ after the islands close to where the melodies were detected

New genetic research suggests that the gray whale spotted off the coast of Namibia in 2013 originated in the western Pacific.

New Research

Gray Whale Breaks Migration Record With 16,700-Mile Journey

The whale, which is usually found in the northern Pacific Ocean, was spotted off Namibia in 2013

Officials posted a video showing the statue's excavation on Twitter.

Cool Finds

Headless Statue of Ancient Woman Discovered in Turkey’s ‘Mother Goddess City’

The 1,800-year-old sculpture dates to Metropolis’ Roman era

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