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Duncan Grant’s studio

Bloomsbury Group’s Countryside Hub Opens to Visitors Year-Round

A new expansion has helped the Charleston Museum overcome conservation and space concerns that once forced it to shut down during winter

Aizanoi photographed in 2017

What Was “Eye Cream” Doing in a 2,200-Year-Old Tomb in West Turkey?

The find was discovered in a cemetery located in the ancient city of Aizanoi

New Species of Translucent, Gelatinous Fish Discovered in the Deep Sea

Sadly, after evolving to survive at such extreme depths, these snailfish “melt rapidly” when brought to the surface

A monarch on tropical milkweed.

New Research

How This Popular Garden Plant May Spread Parasites That Harm Monarchs

Non-native tropical milkweed encourage year-round monarch populations which harbor a deadly parasite for the imperiled insect

Nine men's morris is a strategy game that dates back to the Roman Empire and is similar to modern-day checkers

Cool Finds

Excavations at Medieval Vyborg Castle Reveal Secrets of “Hidden” Passageway

The finds include a game board etched into the surface of a clay brick that was likely used to play a variation of the strategy game nine men’s morris

The device is designed to function as an artificial shoreline, drifting with ocean currents and collecting plastic in a 10-foot net-like screen

2,000-Foot-Long Plastic Catcher Released to Aid Cleanup of Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Skeptics argue the device will endanger marine wildlife, exacerbate existing pollution problems

Wind and Solar Farms Could Bring the Rains Down in Africa

Scientists believe solar panels and windmills will both bolster renewable energy sources and change the landscape of the immense Sahara desert

Jocelyn Bell Burnell photographed in 2011

Decades After Being Passed Over for a Nobel, Jocelyn Bell Burnell Gets Her Due

Honored with a Special Breakthrough Prize, the astrophysicist says she’ll use the winnings to fund scholarships to support today’s outsiders in the field

Cool Finds

The Catch of the Day Is a 10,000-Year-Old Gigantic Deer Skull

Last week, Irish fishermen pulled up the skull and horns of an extinct great elk, which could have 12-foot-wide antlers

Still the enigma

New Research

Was Mona Lisa’s Enigmatic Smile Caused by a Thyroid Condition?

Doctor theorizes that the sitter’s lank hair, weak smile and yellowing skin point to post-pregnancy hypothyroidism

A mesmerizing murmuration of starlings

New Research

Your Hysterical Tweet About That Spider in Your Sink Could Prove Useful for Science

A new study suggests mining social media for phenology data is fairly reliable and could assist researchers tracking how rapidly the world is changing

The Iceman's tattoos align with classic acupuncture points, and the plants found amongst his belongings have well-known medical applications

What Ötzi the Iceman’s Tattoos Reveal About Copper Age Medical Practices

New study argues that the 5,300-year-old Iceman’s community boasted surprisingly advanced health care techniques

The graffiti found on St. Sophia's walls includes sketches of cats, business announcements and invocations of medieval curses

Artificial Intelligence Can Now Decipher Medieval Graffiti (Cat Sketches and All)

Researchers sought to decipher the 11th-century graffiti adorning the walls of St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Kiev

Spix's macaw.

New Research

In the Last Decade, Four Birds Went Extinct and Four More Are Likely Gone

Habitat loss is the main culprit in killing off the birds, including Spix’s macaw, the star of the popular 2011 film Rio

Budapest-based MAXIN10SITY's "The Neon Unconscious" 2018. According to the artists: "The piece explores how a 1980s dreamer might envision some future convergence of humanity and technology." The work will be coupled with a retro synth wave soundtrack.

See the Electrifying Art Lighting up This Year’s LUMA Projection Arts Festival

The Binghamton visual arts festival is the only one in the U.S. to focus exclusively on projection mapping

Artist's impression of galactic wind.

New Research

Astronomers Spot Galactic Wind From Early Universe

The ejection of molecular gas from a galaxy 12 billion light-years away may have kept an early galaxy from burning out too quickly

To animals that rely on learned migration patterns, accumulated knowledge and thriving physical landscapes are equally essential for survival

Bighorn Sheep and Moose Learn Migration Then Pass Knowledge on to Next Generation

Hooved animals known as ungulates rely on generational lessons to guide seasonal migration, locate high-quality vegetation

Genetic analysis of these excavated remains showed that unclear family linkages because some of the young warriors had widespread origins.

How Did These Hostage Children End Up Buried With Elite Germanic Warriors?

Analysis of remains in a high status grave shows that not all of the deceased were directly related, raising questions about why they were buried together

New Research

Jupiter’s Magnetic Field Is Super Weird and Has Two South Poles

Analysis of data from the Juno probe shows the giant planet’s field is much different from our own and suggests it has a dissolved core

The moa, a species of giant flightless birds, went extinct soon after humans arrived in New Zealand during the 13th century

Oral History Suggests Māori Proverbs on Bird Extinction Mirrored Fears of Indigenous Group’s Own Decline

The moa, a giant flightless bird, served as symbol of extinction and reflection of Māori fears over encroaching European presence

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