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New Research

Saturn’s Rings Rain Organic Compounds Into Its Atmosphere

The Cassini probe’s final flybys show that 22,000 pounds of material per second drops from the rings into the planet’s ionosphere

Pottery shards from Pulau Ay site

Ancient Precursor to Pumpkin Spice Latte? Archaeologists Uncover Earliest Human Use of Nutmeg

Shards of ancient ceramics on Pulau Ay reveal nutmeg’s early history

Eight-Year-Old Girl Finds Iron Age Sword in Swedish Lake

She’s no King Arthur, but locals are calling Saga Vanecek the “Queen of Sweden.” To that we say, long live Saga!

Bite marks on the pterosaur bone match up with the teeth of two prehistoric fish: a Saurodon (pictured here) and a Squalicorax.

Prehistoric Sharks Chowed Down on Pterosaurs

Even 83 million years ago, top carnivores considered wings a tasty treat

Denis Mukwege (left) and Nadia Murad (right) are this year's Nobel Peace Prize recipients

Two Activists Fighting Against Sexual Violence in Wartime Are This Year’s Nobel Peace Prize Recipients

Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad are recognized for working to bring healing to victims, accountability to perpetrators and greater visibility to the public

New Research

Residue of Opium Poppy Found in Bronze Age Juglet

Whether the opium was consumed or used as oil for perfume or for anointing remains unclear

New Research

Astronomers Find What May Be First Exomoon—And It’s an Absolute Unit

Astronomers suspect that there’s Neptune-sized celestial body trailing an exoplanet about 8,000 light years

The contemporary Wolf Hall manor stands on the same property as the lost 16th-century estate

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth Foundations of Wolf Hall, Where Henry VIII Fell for Jane Seymour

The team’s finds include a network of Tudor-era brick sewers, the foundations of two towers and ornate tiles

Species with a predilection for berries, like this bohemian waxwing, are susceptible to getting drunk on fermented fruits.

Birds Are Acting Erratically in Minnesota. Blame It on the Alcohol.

The birds have been feasting on fermented berries, leading to all manner of drunken antics and fowl play, including flying under the influence.

The intricate network of crevices seen on the African elephant's skin helps it retain moisture and stay cool

New Research

How African Elephants Get Their Wrinkles

The animal’s crevice-filled skin helps keep it cool and shares a surprising set of similarities with the human skin disease ichthyosis vulgaris

Headdress frontlet, ca. 1820–40, by a Tsimshian artist, British Columbia.

Finally, a Native American Exhibition in the Met’s American Wing

91 of the objects on display were gifted to the museum on the condition that they be contextualized within the framework of America’s art history

Australia is on Track to Eliminate Cervical Cancer

A new study predicts that by 2028, there will be fewer than four new cervical cancer cases per 100,000 Australian women

The institution begins the long road to restoration

Brazil’s National Museum Launches Rebuilding Efforts with Temporary Exhibition of Surviving Collection

Stabilization work must be completed before experts can assess extent of damage to museum’s collection of more than 20 million artifacts

New Research

Researchers Studied Cute Pictures of Baby Giraffes to Learn About Their Spots

A new study shows giraffes’ iconic puzzle-piece markings aren’t random, and the size and shape may help little ones survive their first months of life

Ma destinée (My destiny), 1867. Brown ink and wash and white gouache on paper.

Landmark Exhibition Brings Victor Hugo’s Forgotten Drawings Into Focus

The famed French author produced some 4,000 brooding, tempestuous artworks during his lifetime

From L to R: Frances H. Arnold was recognized for her work in the directed evolution of enzymes, while George P. Smith and Sir Gregory Winter were honored for the phage display of peptides and antibodies

Trending Today

Three Evolutionary Scientists Share This Year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Frances Arnold, George Smith and Gregory Winter employed principles seen in evolution to develop proteins that tackle global chemical problems

Visitors interacting with the art at Tania Bruguera's new show

Cool Finds

This Art Exhibition Is Guaranteed to Make You Weep

Tania Bruguera’s new show at London’s Tate Modern includes a room spritzed with an organic compound to stimulate “forced empathy”

Nobel Prize winner Donna Strickland photographed in her lab.

The Nobels Notoriously Overlook Women Physicists. Donna Strickland’s Win Puts That Disparity into the Spotlight

Nobel committee recognizes three physicists in total, all of whom contributed to advancing laser technology

The Green Bank Telescope pictured—and other radio telescopes like it—are listening for "technosignatures," or possible transmissions from intelligent life forms

New Research

In the Search for Aliens, We’ve Only Analyzed a Small Pool in the Cosmic Ocean

A new study estimates how much of outer space we’ve scoured for other life and finds we haven’t exactly taken a deep dive

Sloths' slow-paced lifestyle is a survival strategy, not a sign of laziness

Sloths Don’t Just Live in Slow-Mo, They Can Put Their Metabolism On Pause

Unlike most mammals, sloths don’t use vast amounts of energy when it’s hot, instead opting to slow down and conserve power, more like birds or reptiles

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