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Romaine lettuce was recently affected by an E. coli outbreak

The Government Shutdown Is Affecting FDA Food Inspections—but Don’t Panic

FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb says the agency will resume scheduling inspections of ‘high risk’ foods next week

Cool Finds

Egyptian Schoolboy’s 1,800-Year-Old Lesson to Go on Display

The British Library took the exercise out of storage as part of an upcoming exhibition on the history of writing

The predator and her prey

Very Naughty Kitty Slashed 17th-Century Portrait

Apparently Padme is not a fan of Baroque artist John Michael Wright

Shucked oyster shells lay beneath the moonlight at Fanny Bay Oyster Company on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

New Research

Oysters Open and Close Their Shells as the Moon Wanes and Waxes

A new study suggests the mollusks may widen and narrow their shells depending on movement of plankton, which shifts with the lunar cycle

Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro

Brazil Dissolves Its Ministry of Culture

The change is part of a rash of reforms by new Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro

Icelandic horses today

Cool Finds

Burials Suggest Icelandic Vikings Had a Thing for Stallions

Adding some insight into their little-known funerary practices, DNA analyses confirm that sacrificial stallions were buried in Viking graves

Dental calculus on the lower jaw a medieval woman entrapped lapis lazuli pigment.

Blue Pigments in Medieval Woman’s Teeth Suggest She Was a Highly Skilled Artist

A new study posits the woman was licking brushes covered with pigments of lapis lazuli, a rare and expensive stone used to decorate illuminated manuscripts

In trials, the app correctly identified breathing patterns indicative of impending overdose 90 percent of the time

This App Tracks Breathing to Identify Opioid Overdoses Before They Turn Deadly

Second Chance transforms smartphones into sonar systems, tracking users’ breathing and sending for help if a potential overdose is detected

Cromwell is a divisive figure alternately remembered as a heroic leader and a ruthless war criminal

Why British Lawmakers Are Fighting Over a Bust of Oliver Cromwell

It started in the fall of 2017

Cool Finds

Planet Hunter TESS Is Already Spotting Hundreds of Crazy New Worlds

The first data from the space telescope’s mission tallies more than 200 potential planets, including some just 50 light-years away

An Iguana Species Last Documented by Charles Darwin Has Been Reintroduced to a Galápagos Island

The Galápagos land iguana on Santiago Island was decimated by invasive animals like cats, dogs and pigs

What Llama-Poop-Eating Mites Tell Us About the Rise and Fall of the Inca Empire

Lake-dwelling mite populations boomed at the height of the Andean civilization but dropped following the arrival of Spanish conquistadors

New Research

Sorry, the Mona Lisa Is Not Looking at You

A new study suggests the famous painting’s eyes don’t follow viewers around the room but are looking off to their right instead

Why Scientists Want to Engineer Spicy Tomatoes

With genetic tinkering, the fruits may offer an easy source of capsaicin, the beneficial compound that gives peppers their heat

Joseph Lee received a patent for his automated kneading machine in August 1894.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame Announces Its 2019 Inductees

Joseph Lee, inventor of the automatic bread and breadcrumb makers, was posthumously honored alongside 18 other men and women

New Research

Dragonflies Embark on an Epic, Multi-Generational Migration Each Year

Monarch butterflies aren’t the only migratory marathoners in North America

Trending Today

Joshua Tree National Park Closes During Shutdown Due to Damage to Namesake Trees

Many national parks remain understaffed during the government shutdown while instances of vandalism and destruction rise

The poison mimic frog, or Ranitomeya imitator, is one of the world's only known genetically monogamous frogs.

Scientists Identify Gene Pattern That Makes Some Animals Monogamous

A new study has found that 24 genes show similar activity in the brain tissue of five species that stick with one mate at a time

Market of Eminou Square and New Mosque Yeni Cami, with store signs in Ottoman Turkish, Armenian, Greek and French, 1884–1900, Sébah & Joaillier.

The Getty Digitizes More Than 6,000 Photos From the Ottoman Era

The images date to the 19th and 20th centuries, the waning days of the once-powerful empire

The most common allergy for adults is shellfish.

A Lot of American Adults Have Food Allergies—and a Lot Mistakenly Think They Do

A new study found that 19 percent of adults believe they had a food allergy, but only 10 percent have symptoms consistent with the condition

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