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The high-status 16th-century woman (right) appears to have suffered from leprosy, a disfiguring disease that likely left its mark on her skin, tissues and bone.

Artists Reconstruct Centuries-Old Faces of Early Edinburgh Residents

Skulls uncovered beneath St. Giles’ Cathedral gave faces to a 12th-century man and a 16th-century woman

This illustration of Venice accompanied a manuscript of one friar's journey from Venice to Egypt and Jerusalem.

Cool Finds

14th-Century Illustration of Venice Is the Oldest Found Yet

The drawing accompanied one friar’s first-person account of a trip from Venice to Jerusalem and Egypt

The Taliabu Grasshopper-Warbler is one of ten new bird species and subspecies described by ornithologist Frank Rheindt.

New Research

Ten New Bird Species and Subspecies Found in Indonesia

Previous bird-collecting expeditions never trekked inland, leaving a treasure trove of undiscovered warblers and leaftoilers

The venomous Indian cobra (Naja naja) is one of the deadliest snakes in the world.

Newly Sequenced Indian Cobra Genome Could Lead to Better Antivenoms

A genetic approach could circumvent the pitfalls associated with current antivenom synthesis techniques

With the number of visitors projected to keep rising, the Netherlands tourist board has decided to shift its focus from promotion to crowd control.

Why the Dutch Government Wants You to Stop Referring to the Netherlands as ‘Holland’

In a push to redirect tourists to other parts of the country, officials are dropping “Holland” from promotional and marketing materials

A large meteorite can launch bits of molten rock into the atmosphere when it impacts Earth. When that molten rock cools, it forms tektites, shown here.

New Research

Crater From Giant Meteorite Strike Might Be Hidden Under Volcanic Plateau

Debris from the strike scattered across Earth, but the exact point of impact has been a mystery

June Bacon-Bercey on Buffalo's WGR-TV, where she became the first African American female meteorologist to forecast the weather on television.

Remembering June Bacon-Bercey, a Pioneering African American Meteorologist

She is believed to be the first African American woman with meteorological training to deliver weather news on TV

A Chinese paddlefish specimen made in 1990 is seen on display at the Museum of Hydrobiological Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan, China. The Chinese paddlefish's sharp, protruding snout made it one of the largest freshwater species in the world.

The Chinese Paddlefish, Which Lived for 200 Million Years, Is Now Extinct

New research concludes the freshwater species likely disappeared between 2005 and 2010 due to human activity

Sweden's 1,200-year-old Rök stone is inscribed with more than 700 runes, some of which may discuss climate change.

New Research

Viking Runestone May Trace Its Roots to Fear of Extreme Weather

Sweden’s Rök stone, raised by a father commemorating his recently deceased son, may contain allusions to an impending period of catastrophic cold

The bicolored white-toothed shrew (Crocidura leucodon), a small mammal known to carry and transmit Borna disease virus to other animals.

A Shrew-Borne Virus Is Responsible for Deadly Brain Infections in Humans

First discovered in livestock hundreds of years ago, Borna disease virus has apparently been claiming human lives for decades

“Their bone size indicates that they were probably militiamen,” says archaeologist Nicholas Bellantoni. "Their femur bones show that they clearly walked a lot and carried a lot of weight back in their day.”

Cool Finds

Skeletons Unearthed in Connecticut May Belong to Revolutionary War Soldiers

If confirmed, the bones would be the first remains recovered from Revolutionary War soldiers in the Constitution State

The Heslington brain, revealed intact within a 2,600-year-old skull unearthed near modern day York, England

New Research

Super Resilient Protein Structures Preserved a Chunk of Brain for 2,600 Years

After death, most brains decompose within months or years. This one lasted millennia

An intentionally lit controlled fire burns intensely near Tomerong, Australia, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, in an effort to contain a larger fire nearby.

More Than One Billion Animals Have Been Killed in Australia’s Wildfires, Scientist Estimates

Some researchers believe the number could be ‘a very conservative figure’

MIT researchers develop a mathematical model to predict a knot’s stability with the help of color-changing fibers.

New Research

The Mathematics of a Well-Tied Knot

Fibers that change color under pressure helped researchers predict knot performance

Vera C. Rubin, who advanced our understanding of dark matter, operating the 2.1-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory.

For the First Time, a National U.S. Observatory Has Been Named for a Female Astronomer: Vera Rubin

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will image the entire visible night sky every few nights

Church ruins from Norse Greenland's Eastern Settlement

New Research

Did Over-Hunting Walruses Fuel the Collapse of Norse Greenland?

A new study has found that Norse hunters began pursuing smaller animals at increasingly risky distances in “a classic pattern of resource depletion”

Most of the graves were lined with stone curbs and closed with slabs.

Cool Finds

High-Status Roman Burials Found in Britain

The discovery provides insight on how Iron Age Britons adopted the Roman lifestyle

“Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall” is a multimedia exhibition charting the life and career of the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees.

Immerse Yourself in Jane Goodall’s Wondrous, Chimpanzee-Filled Life

A new multimedia show includes the primatologist’s childhood possessions, a 3-D film and a “Chimp Chat” station

"Punta Ventana," or Window Point, once had naturally formed rock bridge that created a hole, but it collapsed during an earthquake this week.

Iconic Puerto Rico Landmark Collapses in Earthquake

Punta Ventana, a natural stone archway, fell amid a spate of earthquakes that have been rattling the island

A yellow box indicates where an AI system found cancer hiding inside breast tissue.

New Research

What Does Google’s Breast Cancer Screening A.I. Actually Do?

The program was slightly better than human radiologists at spotting abnormalities in mammograms

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