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The exterior of Maeshowe, a chambered tomb in Scotland's Orkney Islands, pictured in September 2019

Why Were This Ancient Scottish Tomb’s Chambers Built Upside Down?

New research suggests the inverted designs seen at Maeshowe were designed to ensure passage into the underworld

All classes are free and open to the public.

Education During Coronavirus

Take Free, Online College Classes Featuring Anthony Fauci and Other Covid-19 Experts

MIT’s class includes live-streamed lectures on Tuesday mornings and Purdue’s self-paced course offers a certificate in contact tracing

Archaeologists first spotted the sturgeon's bony plates near a barrel in the Gribshunden shipwreck.

Cool Finds

Well-Preserved Atlantic Sturgeon Found in 15th-Century Danish Shipwreck

The fish’s remains were stored in a barrel in the royal vessel’s pantry

The museum's CEO emeritus, John Guess Jr., stands in front of the newly installed Spirit of the Confederacy sculpture.

Why the Houston Museum of African American Culture Is Displaying a Confederate Statue

The institution describes the move, which arrives amid a reckoning on the U.S.’ history of systemic racism, as “part of healing”

“When so many books are published,” debut author Natasha Randall tells BBC News, “there is an awful lot of noise you have to compete with.”

Why U.K. Publishers Released 600 Books in a Single Day

Dubbed “Super Thursday,” the barrage of books includes many titles delayed by Covid-19

As the researcher taps the page, numbers appear on screen.

With a Simple Piece of Paper, Engineers Create Self-Powered, Wireless Keyboard

Scientists at Purdue University have found a way to make a piece of paper digitally interactive

The 1,100-year-old sword found in Norway measures about three feet long.

Cool Finds

Norwegian Archaeologists Unearth Grave of Left-Handed Viking Warrior

Vikings’ weapons were often buried on the opposite side of where their owners had held them in life, pointing toward belief in a “mirror afterlife”

Green lasers pointed at a plastic mannequin head wearing a face shield show how the droplets from a cough or sneeze escape around the sides.

New Research

Face Shields and Valved Masks Don’t Fully Stop the Spread of Aerosols

A new visualization shows how droplets from a cough or sneeze escape around the sides of a plastic face shield

A recent study found that a single pair of used blue jeans can release, on average, 56,000 microfibers per wash.

Microfibers From Blue Jeans Are Polluting Arctic Oceans

Researchers found that bits of denim are much more prevalent in our oceans than previously thought

This Andy Warhol print of Haring (left) and his lover Juan DuBose is expected to fetch around $250,000.

Keith Haring’s Personal Art Collection Is Up for Auction

Sotheby’s sale features works by Warhol, Basquiat, Lichtenstein and other members of the graffiti artist’s circle

“Wise and Valiant: Women and Writing in the Golden Age of Spain” spotlights Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (left) and Catalina de Erauso (right), among others.

Remembering the Forgotten Women Writers of 17th-Century Spain

A show in Madrid highlights female authors who penned histories, biographies, poetry, novels, scripts and more

Smoke billows over Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921.

Lawsuit Seeks Reparations for Victims of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

Led by a 105-year-old survivor of the attack, the plaintiffs detail almost 100 years of lasting harm

How would you calculate the weight of a T. Rex based only on its bones? There's at least two ways to find the answer, experts found.

How to Weigh a Dinosaur

A new study reveals the proper technique to weigh these extinct creatures

The statues have stood outside of the Shelbourne Hotel since 1867.

Dublin Hotel Controversially Removes Four Statues of African Women

City officials say the Shelbourne, which moved the sculptures because it believed they depicted enslaved women, failed to follow proper procedures

"Human Forms" is on view through November.

Ancient Israeli Cave Transformed Into Art Gallery

For his latest show, artist Ivo Bisignano created a series of massive wooden sculptures that mimic the cavern’s curvature

Polish explorers check a footage from a remote-operated vehicle deep in the Czech Republic's deepest cave.

New Research

World’s Deepest Freshwater Cave Is Twice as Deep as Previously Thought

New research shows the Hranice Abyss in the Czech Republic is 3,280 feet deep

This illustration depicts what Andromeda's gaseous halo might look like if it were visible to humans on Earth. At three times the size of the Big Dipper, the halo would be "easily the biggest feature on the nighttime sky," per the NASA statement.

Andromeda’s Halo of Gases Is Bumping Up Against Our Own, Scientists Say

Researchers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope mapped the gaseous halo that surrounds the Andromeda Galaxy

The rusted metal casket that holds the preserved heart of Pierre David (1771-1839), former mayor of Verviers

Renovations Reveal 19th-Century Mayor’s Heart Entombed in Belgian Fountain

Workers unearthed a metal box thought to contain the local leader’s organ last month

A photo of a highland wild dog in Papua, Indonesia. A new genetic study confirms that these wild dogs are in fact a surviving population of the New Guinea singing dog, which was thought to be extinct in the wild.

New Research

Thought to Be Extinct, New Guinea’s Singing Dogs Found Alive in the Wild

A new genetic study confirms that the unique dogs, thought to be extinct in the wild, still exist outside of human care

The Siesta after Millet, Vincent Van Gogh, 1890

Sleep Experts Make the Case Against Daylight Saving Time

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine called for the abolishment of seasonal time changes last week

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