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Ptil Tekhelet sells tzitzit, or fringes attached to the corners of Jewish prayer shawls, colored with dye from the Murex trunculus snail

Jerusalem Museum Untangles History of the Color Blue, From Biblical Hue to Ancient Royalty

The show inks out the history of the enigmatic sky blue dye known as ‘tekhelet’

R.I.P., guppy.

New Research

Praying Mantis Seen Hunting Fish for the First Time

The ravenous insect repeatedly returned to the hunting site, suggesting praying mantises may be capable of complex learning

Arthur Mitchell in "Agon."

Remembering Arthur Mitchell, the Barrier-Breaking Black Ballet Dancer

Mitchell joined the New York City Ballet in 1955 and later founded the Dance Theater of Harlem

Researchers fed microplastics to mosquito larvae in the lab.

New Research

Mosquitoes Are Passing Microplastics Up the Food Chain

These reviled insects are adding another charge to their rap sheet: ferrying harmful microplastics ingested from contaminated water

This 1860 portrait of Abraham Lincoln, believed to be by John C. Wolfe, depicts the young presidential nominee without his signature beard

More Than 700 Lincoln Collectibles Are Set to Go on Auction

Historian Harold Holzer amassed his extraordinary collection of lithographs, prints and assorted Lincolniana over the course of half a century

Faced with rising floodwaters that threaten to top their 19-inch absorption limit, the open-air pits could pose a significant environmental and health hazard

Florence Fall-Out Threatens to Release Waste Stored in Dozens of North Carolina Hog Lagoons

As of noon Wednesday, the Department of Environmental Quality had identified 21 flooded lagoons actively releasing hog waste into the environment

New Research

The Universe’s Strongest Material is a Cosmic Lasagna

A new study suggests that the “nuclear pasta” found in neutron stars is 10 billion times stronger than steel

Trending Today

Why Washington Mountain Goats Are Being Flown From One National Park to Another

Olympic National Park’s mountain goats are moving to saltier pastures

Denise Mueller Korenek just broke the Cycling World Land Speed Record

Trending Today

American Woman Sets New Bicycle Speed Record

Cyclist Denise Mueller-Korenek hit 183.932 MPH while drafting behind a drag racer in Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats, besting the previous record of 167 mph

Cool Finds

5Pointz Graffiti Revived at New Museum of Street Art

A 20-story stairwell at a Manhattan Hotel brings together the works of street artists who worked at the now-demolished 5Pointz outdoor gallery

SpaceX released an updated rendering of the Big Falcon Rocket launching into the solar system

Art Meets Science

Elon Musk Is Sending a Japanese Billionaire to the Moon, and He’s Taking a Group of Artists With Him

Yusaku Maezawa hopes to recruit six to eight artists for the week-long mission, which is expected to launch as early as 2023

New genetic evidence confirms that ivory poaching in Africa involves only a few powerful players who consolidate the goods for illegal trade abroad.

How DNA Testing Could Bring Down Ivory Trade’s Biggest Criminals

Genetic testing exposes three major cartels illegally trafficking ivory out of several African countries

New Research

This Pulsar is Giving Off Weird Infrared Light and We’re Not Sure Why

Researchers believe a disk of dust from a supernova or a pulsar wind nebula could explain the strange energy signal

Pope Joan allegedly enjoyed a brief tenure as the Catholic Church's leader during the mid-800s

Why the Legend of Medieval Pope Joan Persists

The mythical female pope is back in the news as an academic uses medieval coins to look for physical evidence of her reign

Monty, the dog that found the Bronze Age relics, unearthed 13 sickles, two spear points, three axes and several bracelets.

Who’s a Good Archaeologist? Dog Digs Up Trove of Bronze Age Relics

While on a walk outside a small Czech village, Monty the dog and his owner found nearly two dozen 3,000-year-old artifacts

Pembroke Castle's outer ward, seen from the south.

Excavation at Welsh Castle May Shed Light on the Mystery of Henry VII’s Birthplace

Archaeologists say the Tudor king was likely born in a high-status residence in the castle’s outer ward

Trending Today

Five Baby Squirrels Saved From Truly Knotty Predicament

Five gray tree squirrels in Wisconsin were found with their tails hopelessly knotted together, requiring some help from a wildlife rehab

Freddie Oversteegen was a teenager when she joined the Dutch resistance

Freddie Oversteegen, Teenage Resistance Fighter Who Assassinated Nazis, Has Died at 92

Oversteegen and two other young women used their unassuming charms to ensnare Nazi collaborators

Humans' CMAH gene mutation may enable them to exhibit higher endurance over long periods of exercise

Human Gene Mutation May Have Paved the Way for Long-Distance Running

Mice with engineered versions of the CMAH gene exhibited 30 percent better endurance than those without

The Bard's early life continues to be illuminated.

Cool Finds

Docs Show Shakespeare’s Father Had Legal and Financial Trouble Throughout the Bard’s Teen Years

Twenty-one documents found in the U.K.’s National Archives add context to the Bard’s feelings toward power and monarchy

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