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Gelatin silver print of Theodore Roosevelt. Dimensions: Mount: 9 × 17.9 cm (3 9/16 × 7 1/16")

Library of Congress Digitizes Its Huge Trove of Teddy Roosevelt Papers

Among the thousands of documents is a letter containing the first use of the president’s famed maxim: ‘Speak softly and carry a big stick’

Pando Grove in fall.

Pando, One of the World’s Largest Organisms, Is Dying

Mule deer and cattle are eating saplings before the clonal grove can regenerate

Plastic on a beach in St. Helena.

New Research

Remote South Atlantic Islands Are Flooded With Plastic

In less than ten years, plastic pollution around St. Helena, East Falkland and Ascension Islands has increased tenfold, and 100 times in the last 30 years

The southwestern city of Chengdu may bask in the glow of an artificial moon as soon as 2020

Chinese City Wants to Launch Fake Moon to Illuminate Its Streets

Proposed satellite would cover 6- to 50-mile wide stretch of Chengdu with light eight times brighter than that of the real moon

New Research

A Case of Mistaken Sea Monster Identity

Re-analysis of Kansas fossils show they come from a newborn Tylosaurus, which were born without their tell-tale toothy snouts

Cool Finds

To Mourn Beloved, 17-Year-Old Cat, Artist Made Genre-Spanning, Star-Studded Tribute Album

Pharrell, Bono, Laurie Anderson, Michael Stipe, The National and others penned songs for Souris, artist Sophie Calle’s animal companion

A glimpse at the newly unearthed frescoes

Beautifully Painted Shrine Emerges From the Ashes of Pompeii

The remnants of a garden, a pool and an altar with traces of burnt offerings were also found

Venice, one of the cities most at risk, has already installed submerged floodgates aimed at combating flooding, but it’s one of the few to take such preventative action

Rising Seas Pose Imminent Threat to Dozens of Historical Sites Across the Mediterranean

Venetian canals, Phoenician port city of Tyre and Croatia’s Old City of Dubrovnik are amongst the sites at risk of flooding, erosion

Urban rats appeared to enjoy a steady diet of high-quality food, including protein-rich meat, while rural rats struggled to get by on limited, often meat-free meals

Urban Rats Enjoy Richer, More Reliable Diet Than Their Rural Counterparts

Researchers analyzed the remains of 86 brown rats that roamed Toronto between 1790 and 1890

The inscription, as found on a column drum unearthed during the dig

2,000-Year-Old Stone Inscription Is Earliest to Spell Out ‘Jerusalem’

In ancient times, a shorthand spelling was typically used

General Director Taco Dibbits with "The Night Watch"

You’ll Be Able to Watch Rembrandt’s Most Ambitious Work Be Restored In-Person—or Online

Experts at the Rijksmuseum estimate the process of conserving “The Night Watch” is expected to take several years

Same-Sex Penguin Couple Take a Crack at Incubating an Egg

Sphen and Magic (or ‘Sphengic’) seem to be doing quite well at caring for their foster baby-to-be

During World war II, the original Monuments Men rescued more than five million works of art, including Jan and Hubert van Eyck's 1432 "Ghent Altarpiece"

British Army Revives Monuments Men to Salvage Art in War-Torn Countries

The 15-person squad, formed to combat loss of cultural heritage in the Middle East, will specialize in art crime, engineering and archaeology

New Research

Male Gorillas That Babysit End Up With Larger Brood of Their Own

Male gorillas that participated in child-rearing were also more successful breeders

Radar data pinpoints the remains of the Viking ship

Cool Finds

Rare Viking Ship Burial Found in Norway

Ground-penetrating radar detected the remains of a 66-foot long boat along with the traces other burial mounds and five longhouses

Climate change is already a sobering topic. Drink up while you can.

Thanks to Climate Change, Beer Will Go the Way of Bees, Chocolate and Coffee

It’s not the most severe impact of rising temperatures, but the lack of a cold one on a hot day could “add insult to injury,” says a new study

The animatronic mask is situated directly across from the traditional 1588 Armada portrait, which depicts a far more polished version of Queen Elizabeth I

What Did Elizabeth I Actually Look Like? This Artist Has a Suggestion

Mat Collishaw’s ‘Mask of Youth’ presents realistic depiction of the Tudor queen, explores her savvy command of public persona

Asian elephants have less than a 33 percent chance of lasting beyond the 21st century

Earth Lost 2.5 Billion Years’ Worth of Evolutionary History in Just 130,000 Years

Even if humans curbed destructive actions within next 50 years, it would take between five to seven million years for mammal biodiversity to fully recover

An original 1932 lithographic film poster of "The Mummy" designed by Karoly Grosz

Spooky Poster for ‘The Mummy’ Poised to Take Back Title of World’s Most Expensive Movie Poster

The relic from Hollywood’s golden age of horror is expected to surpass auction record set by fellow horror film poster from the 1930s last year

Monster of Rome from Image of the Papacy

Rare Book Library Summons Tales of World’s Oldest Monsters

The monsters have arrived at Toronto’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

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