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The cloth is embroidered with animals, plants and narrative scenes

See Scrap of Cloth Believed to Be From Elizabeth I’s Only Surviving Dress

The fabric, set to go on view, was previously used as an altar cloth in a small village church

The underlying sketches found beneath The Virgin of the Rocks

Cool Finds

Imaging Reveals Leonardo da Vinci Wrestled With the Composition of ‘The Virgin of the Rocks’

Two underdrawings detected using high-tech imaging techniques show he altered the figures twice before painting

Speakers featured in the Celebrating Indigenous Languages project.

At-Risk Indigenous Languages Spotlighted on New Google Earth Platform

The new initiative features recordings of native languages from around the globe

Humble lettuce, according to John Evelyn, “may safely be eaten raw in Fevers; for it allays Heat, bridles Choler, extinguishes Thirst, excites Appetite, kindly Nourishes, and above all reprelles Vapours, conciliates Sleep, mitigates Pain.”

A 17th-Century Ode to Salads Is Heading to Auction

‘Acetaria’ celebrates the healthful benefits of meatless dining

A Human-Sized Penguin Once Waddled Through New Zealand

The leg bones of Crossvallia waiparensis suggest it was more than five feet tall and weighed up to 176 pounds

Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece is normally housed in the Louvre's Salle des États gallery

People Aren’t Happy About Their Increasingly Brief Encounters With the ‘Mona Lisa’

The problem stems from the masterpiece’s temporary relocation to a different wing of the museum

Players who sustained a high number of subconcussive hits suffered more midbrain tissue damage

One Concussion-Free Football Season Can Still Damage Players’ Brains

A new study found that more than two-thirds of subjects experienced a decrease in structural integrity of the brain by the end of the college season

The Pompeiian sorceress' kit contained about 100 different objects.

Cool Finds

A Sorceress’ Kit Was Discovered in the Ashes of Pompeii

The box of small trinkets was likely used to perform fertility and love rituals and to look for omens about birth and pregnancy

A nurse administers an Ebola vaccine on August 7.

Researchers Have Finally Found an Effective Treatment for Ebola

Two treatments have been found to reliably help patients resist the deadly virus—just nine months after a clinical trial began

Trending Today

Rare Lightning Strikes Detected 300 Miles From North Pole

Cool temps, low moisture and a stable atmosphere usually prevent thunderstorms from developing in the Arctic

A worker sprays a gel on the ground to absorb lead as he takes part in a clean-up operation at Saint Benoit school near Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris during a decontamination operation on August 8, 2019.

Notre-Dame Restoration Delayed Due to Lead Poisoning Concerns

Work is set to continue next week with more stringent safety protocols, decontamination units

Trump Administration Overhauls How the Endangered Species Act Is Enforced

Critics say that the new rules limit much-needed protections for at-risk wildlife

A previous strain of the TR4 fungus led banana producers to switch from the Gros Michel strain to the now-dominant Cavendish variety

A Banana-Destroying Fungus Has Arrived in the Americas

The so-called Panama disease targets bananas’ vascular systems to prevent fruit from growing

Trending Today

Welsh Man Is First to Walk the Length of the Yangtze River

Adventurer Ash Dykes took over a year to walk from the river’s source in Tibet to its mouth in Shanghai

Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley assigned to first SpaceX crewed launch test out their new space suits.

Future of Space Exploration

Astronauts Test Out Their Sleek New SpaceX Flight Suits

The SpaceX designed pressure suits are more form fitting and maneuverable than the Space Shuttle’s orange suits

An adult Goliath frog caught by a local frog hunter.

How Did the World’s Largest Frog Get So Big? Possibly by Building Its Own Ponds

A new study documents the unique nest-building habits of the Goliath frog

Nom, nom, nom.

New Research

Researchers Think They Know Why Cats Eat Grass

Contrary to popular belief, grass only occasionally makes cats vomit

Every 30 seconds, the United States loses the equivalent of nine Grand Canyons to human development

The U.S. Loses a Football Field-Sized Patch of Nature Every 30 Seconds

A new report outlines the benefits offered by preserving 30 percent of the country’s remaining natural land and oceans by 2030

The author's son plans on releasing a trove of his father's unpublished works at some point during the next decade

J.D. Salinger’s Work Is Coming to E-Readers for the First Time

The author’s longtime publishing company will release four e-books in August

The Fincha Habera rock shelter in the Ethiopian Bale Mountains served as a residence for prehistoric hunter-gatherers.

Archaeologists Uncover Evidence of an Ancient High-Altitude Human Dwelling

A trove of artifacts have surfaced in Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains, at a rocky site more than 11,000 feet above sea level

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