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This illustration depicts a giant planet the size of Jupiter, WD 1856 b. The planet is about seven times larger than the white dwarf star that it orbits every 34 hours.

This Giant Planet Is Orbiting a Dead Star

In a first, NASA astronomers have discovered a planet orbiting a ‘dead’ white dwarf star

Some animals eat the leaves, but the venomous spines are certainly enough to discourage humans from getting too close.

New Research

How Venomous Australian Stinging Trees Cause So Much Pain

The trees may look fuzzy, but they’re covered in tiny needles that can cause months of pain

Indian fishermen row their boat on the Bay of Bengal.

New Research

Undersea Earthquakes May Help Us Take the Ocean’s Temperature

The technique could allow for more accurate and comprehensive monitoring of the world’s warming oceans and track climate change

Researchers identified seven prehistoric human footprints at Alathar, a dried-up lake bed in Saudi Arabia.

New Research

Human Footprints Found in Saudi Arabia May Be 120,000 Years Old

If confirmed, the footfalls would represent the oldest evidence of Homo sapiens’ presence on the Arabian Peninsula

“It’s not a banana, it’s a concept,” artist David Datuna told reporters after plucking the $120,000 fruit off the wall and eating it. “I just ate the concept of the artist.”

The Infamous Art Basel Banana Is Headed to the Guggenheim

Maurizio Cattelan’s 2019 artwork will join the collections of one of the world’s preeminent cultural institutions

The postage-stamp sized sample of amber contained 39 half-millimeter-long crustaceans called ostracods, including 31 of a new species.

New Research

Scientists Discover Oldest Sperm Yet Preserved in Amber

The longest sperm in the sample is one-third the body length of the creature that produced it

An aerial view from September 17 shows people walking through a flooded street after Hurricane Sally passed through Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Why Did Hurricane Sally Move So Slowly? It Has to Do With Climate Change

Creeping along at just 2 to 3 miles per hour, Sally is the latest in a trend of slow-moving storms, scientists say

Devadatta (Daibadatta), appearance of evil spirits with supernatural arts shows an evildoer who holds sway over a variety of evil spirits.

You Can Now Explore 103 ‘Lost’ Hokusai Drawings Online

Newly acquired by the British Museum, the trove of illustrations dates to 1829

“Armed with a fierce intelligence and a love of analytical reasoning, Ginsburg (by Everett Raymond Kinstler, 1996) fought passionately for all Americans to have equal representation under the law and inspired women in particular, to believe in themselves to make positive change,” say Kim Sajet, director of the National Portrait Gallery.

Nation Mourns Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Who Broke Barriers and Became a Feminist Icon

The Supreme Court justice, who died at 87, “inspired women to believe in themselves,” says the Smithsonian’s Kim Sajet

Vikings' maritime expeditions brought them out of Scandinavia and into Northern Europe, where they intermingled with local populations.

Sweeping DNA Survey Highlights Vikings’ Surprising Genetic Diversity

A new study suggests Viking identity didn’t always equate to Scandinavian ancestry

A newly discovered Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Oulton, England, includes more than 200 graves.

Cool Finds

This Anglo-Saxon Cemetery Is Filled With Corpses’ Ghostly Silhouettes

All that remains of several individuals buried in a 1,400-year-old graveyard are shadowy traces of their skeletons

The Mayflower Autonomous Ship's debut in Plymouth, England, is one of many events marking the 400th anniversary of the original Mayflower's 1620 journey.

An A.I.-Driven ‘Mayflower’ Will Cross the Atlantic Next Year

The autonomous vessel’s launch, originally scheduled to mark the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ landing at Plymouth, was delayed by the pandemic

A split image showing an active Sun during solar maximum (on the left, taken in 2014) and a quiet Sun during solar minimum (on the right, taken in 2019).

A New Solar Cycle Promises Calm Space Weather

Experts say the sun’s next decade will likely feature a low number of events like solar flares that can disrupt power grids and satellites

Los Machos rock shelter and schematic rock art panel

New Research

Fingerprint Analysis Reveals New Insights on Prehistoric Rock Art’s Creators

Study suggests an adult man and a juvenile girl crafted the red ocher paintings seen at Spain’s Los Machos rock shelter

Stan, a 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, will go on the auction block at Christie's on Oct. 6.

You Can Buy This T. Rex Skeleton—for a Hefty Price

Paleontology enthusiasts with an extra $8 million lying around can bid on Stan, a 67-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex

This cave bear probably lived between 22,000 and 39,500 years ago, and researchers hope to get a better estimate with closer study.

Ice Age Cave Bear Found Preserved in Permafrost on Siberian Island

According to preliminary analysis, the bear is between 22,000 and 39,500 years old

NMSU professor Martha Desmond, biologist in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology is trying to find out why hundreds of thousands of migratory birds have been found dead across the state.

Thousands of Migrating Birds Drop Dead Across Southwestern U.S.

Researchers aren’t sure what’s causing the mass die-off impacting birds flying south for the winter

The Knights Templar constructed the Saint Stanislaus chapel in the Polish village of Chwarszczany during the 13th century.

Cool Finds

Crypts, Tunnel Discovered Beneath Knights Templar Chapel in Poland

Last fall, an archaeological investigation revealed tantalizing structures hidden below the 13th-century building

A new study suggests the Nebra Sky Disc is 1,000 years younger than previously assumed.

New Research

Is This Ancient Map of the Cosmos Younger Than Previously Thought?

A controversial new analysis of the Nebra Sky Disc suggests the artifact dates to the Iron Age, not the Bronze Age

“The pandemic has, in almost every dimension, made inequity worse,” said Bill Gates during a press conference about the results of the Goalkeepers Report.

New Report Details Impacts of Covid-19 Pandemic on Global Health

The annual Gates Foundation report assesses global progress toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals

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