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Readers diving into the 2019 Hay Festival.

The Man Who Transformed a Welsh Town Into a ‘Kingdom’ of Used Books

Thanks to Richard Booth, who died on August 20 at the age of 80, the town is still known as a literary hub

Artist Rudolf Bleschka created the diseased fruit models between 1924 and 1932

Art Meets Science

Glass Models of Decaying Fruit Set to Go on View After Two Decades in Storage

Designed to serve as teaching tools, the delicate glassware reveals the ravages of such diseases as peach leaf curl, pear scab and gray mold

New Research

Graphene-Coated Fabric Causes Mosquitoes to Buzz Off

Researchers found the insects can’t penetrate thin layers of the wonder material, which also blocks the scent of human sweat

Climbing equipment and trash scattered a camp on Mount Everest, according to AFP. Some are calling the mountain "world's highest rubbish dump."

To Clean Up Everest, Nepal Is Banning Single-Use Plastics on the Mountain

Earlier this year, volunteers collected three metric tons of garbage from the famed landmark

Visitors interact with living sound artworks in the "Sonic Succulents" installation by Adrienne Adar

Listen to the Sounds of Succulents at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

An ongoing installation encourages visitors to interact with prickly cacti, palm plants and potted succulents

The Ride, by Cigdem Aydemir.

Melbourne Gets Gallery Devoted to Female Artists

Finkelstein Gallery seeks to correct the art world’s longstanding gender imbalances by featuring contemporary art by women

Rapture Reef before Hurricane Walaka hit in October 2018.

Trending Today

Hawaii’s Rapture Reef Was Flattened by Last Year’s Hurricane Walaka

The first NOAA survey since the Category 3 storm hit found the coral reef in Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument was demolished

Althea Gibson photographed after winning the French International Tennis Championships in Paris.

Women Who Shaped History

Althea Gibson, Who Smashed Through Racial Barriers in Tennis, Honored With Statue at U.S. Open

‘It’s about time,’ said former doubles partner Angela Buxton

Trending Today

Astronomers Name Five of Jupiter’s New Moons

A contest earlier this year helped determine the names of the new moons—all named after lovers or offspring of the god Jupiter, aka Zeus

Vehicles on a Toll road in Jakarta.

Trending Today

Indonesia Plans to Build a New Capital on Borneo

On Monday, Joko Widodo, president of Indonesia, announced the nation’s central government’s new location

Aaron Burr (left) and his son, abolitionist John Pierre Burr (right)

155 Years After His Death, Abolitionist John Pierre Burr’s Epitaph Updated to Include His Father, Aaron Burr

Descendant Sherri Burr’s research shows that the vice president had children with Mary Emmons, a servant in his household

Blindfolded insect larvae opted to perch on twigs matching their body coloring about 80 percent of the time

These Caterpillars Can Detect Color Using Their Skin, Not Their Eyes

In experiments, peppered moth caterpillars successfully camouflaged themselves even when blindfolded

Burning birch bark to produce sticky tar.

New Research

Making Neanderthal Birch Tar Isn’t as Complex as Thought

But even if Neanderthals were using a simpler method to produce the sticky resin, their use of it still suggests a level of planning and cognitive ability

Liane Russell conducted pioneering work into the harmful effects of radiation, and she also discovered that the the Y-chromosome determines maleness in mice.

Women Who Shaped History

Remembering Liane Russell, the Geneticist Who Studied Radiation’s Harmful Effects on Embryos

Russell’s pioneering research led to careful guidelines for administering radiological procedures to women of child-bearing age

Females of the species boast blue-hued legs, as well as an iridescent sheen on their outer shell and abdomen

Turquoise-Tinted Tarantula Discovered in Sri Lanka

The species is only the second member of its genus ever found in the South Asian country

Cool Finds

An 8,000-Year-Old Platform in Britain Could Be the Oldest Boat-Building Site Ever Discovered

The Stone Age platform, where log boats may have been constructed, reveals early knowledge of advanced wood working techniques

After Roger Fenton, Prince Albert, May 1854, 1889 copy of the original

Thousands of Unseen Photographs, Documents Digitized for Prince Albert’s 200th Birthday

The collection highlights the royal consort’s role in shaping Victorian society, from his interest in photography to his passion for social reform

Trending Today

London’s ‘Eiffel Tower’ Is Still Losing Money

Built for the 2012 Olympic Games, the ArcelorMittal Orbit has not turned into the tourist attraction it was expected to become

Najin (left) and Fatu, the last two northern white rhinos, on the day before their eggs were harvested.

Trending Today

Eggs Successfully Collected from the Last Two Northern White Rhinos

Advances in fertility science will hopefully allow researchers to implant embryos of the species into surrogate southern white rhinos

The earliest recorded reference to Tholey Abbey dates to 634 A.D.

New Stained Glass Is Coming to Germany’s Oldest Monastery

Gerhard Richter is set to design a trio of windows for the Benedictine Tholey Abbey

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