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Last November, "Salvator Mundi" sold for $450 million, becoming the most expensive work of art ever sold privately or at auction

Historian Asserts That Leonardo’s Assistant Painted Majority of ‘Salvator Mundi’

The Oxford research fellow names Bernardino Luini as main artist, believes da Vinci only painted between five to 20 percent of the painting

The Air Force's X-37B space plane.

Trending Today

The U.S. Military Has Been in Space From the Beginning

While the proposed branch of the armed forces may be controversial, the history of the so-called “Space Force” is longstanding

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Fire Closes Yosemite Valley Indefinitely

Smoke and flames from the Ferguson Fire have closed the roads to the National Park’s most popular attraction at the height of tourist season

One-fifth of the men who presided over the Roman Empire were assassinated

Why Roman Emperors Were More Likely to Be Assassinated During Droughts

Low rainfall leads to poor harvests, starving troops, more mutinies and higher risk of regicide

A calmer scene at Hawaii's Kilauea volcano.

The Eruption on Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano Is Simmering Down

But experts caution that violent activity could start again at any moment

Do you smell something, Bob?

New Research

Ocean Acidification Is Frying Fish’s Sense of Smell

By the end of the century, the ocean is predicted to become two-and-a-half times more acidic, which is bad news for sea life.

Wild-caught elephants live shorter lives and reproduce poorly in captivity

Captured Elephants Die Up to Seven Years Sooner Than Those Bred in Captivity

Myanmar’s wild-captured elephants exhibited median lifespan three to seven years shorter than that of captive-born creatures

A view of the Perseid meteor shower over Northern Ireland in 2017.

Why This Year’s Perseid Meteor Shower Promises to Be Especially Dazzling

Thanks to the moon’s conspicuous absence, those looking up at peak viewing hours will see 60-70 shooting stars every hour

Many friendly foxes carried a version of a gene that differed from their feral counterparts.

New Research

What the Fox Genome Tells Us About Domestication

After only a few decades of domestic breeding, friendly foxes have social behavior woven into their genes

Scorched Earth from Ireland Fire Illuminates WWII-Era Sign

The site is one of more than 80 ‘Éire markings’ that proclaimed Ireland’s neutrality during the war

These ephemeral puddles are the birthplace, home and grave of the killifish.

New Research

Meet the Fish That Grows Up in Just 14 Days

The turquoise killifish, which lives in ephemeral pools in Mozambique, progresses from embryo to sexual maturity faster than any other vertebrate

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A Memorial Sign to Emmett Till Was Defaced With Four Bullet Holes

This is the third time the marker of the African-American boy’s brutal torture and murder in Mississippi in 1955 has been vandalized

Blood-Sucking Invasive Tick Species Spreading Across United States

The Asian long-horned tick has not yet been found to harbor deadly pathogens, but it poses serious risks to animals

One of the known Pablo Picasso works held in collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tehran.

Ten Picassos Discovered Amid Tehran Museum’s Hidden Collection of Western Art

The Picassos will be included in a major exhibition of works that have been held in storage since Iran’s 1979 revolution

The world's most Michelin-starred chef ever

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Joël Robuchon, the World’s Most Michelin-Starred Chef Who Transformed the Mashed Potato

The French chef turned the focus of fine cuisine toward simplicity and flavor

Hospital Superbug May Be Developing Tolerance to Hand Sanitizers

Australian researchers have found that a strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is able to survive after being exposed to alcohol solutions

Dog urine conveys an array of information, including its owner's sex, age and reproductive status

Why Small Dogs Go Above and Beyond to Mark Their Territory

Tinier males tend to lift their legs at higher angles, perhaps to exaggerate size and competitive ability

Trending Today

CO2 Levels Reached an 800,000-year High in 2017

That’s just one of many sobering facts about our changing world in the “State of the Climate in 2017” report released late last week

“Today, they started to demolish my studio ‘zuo you’ in Beijing with no precaution,” the long-time dissident wrote on Instagram

Authorities Raze Ai Weiwei’s Beijing Studio

The contemporary art giant is known for his caustic criticism of the Chinese government

A plan for the Virginia women's monument

American South

New Virginia Monument Will Pay Tribute to Hundreds of Historic Women

The monument features 12 bronze statues and a wall etched with 400 additional names of women who played an important role in shaping Virginia’s history

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