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Cool Finds

The Catch of the Day Is a 10,000-Year-Old Gigantic Deer Skull

Last week, Irish fishermen pulled up the skull and horns of an extinct great elk, which could have 12-foot-wide antlers

Still the enigma

New Research

Was Mona Lisa’s Enigmatic Smile Caused by a Thyroid Condition?

Doctor theorizes that the sitter’s lank hair, weak smile and yellowing skin point to post-pregnancy hypothyroidism

A mesmerizing murmuration of starlings

New Research

Your Hysterical Tweet About That Spider in Your Sink Could Prove Useful for Science

A new study suggests mining social media for phenology data is fairly reliable and could assist researchers tracking how rapidly the world is changing

The Iceman's tattoos align with classic acupuncture points, and the plants found amongst his belongings have well-known medical applications

What Ötzi the Iceman’s Tattoos Reveal About Copper Age Medical Practices

New study argues that the 5,300-year-old Iceman’s community boasted surprisingly advanced health care techniques

The graffiti found on St. Sophia's walls includes sketches of cats, business announcements and invocations of medieval curses

Artificial Intelligence Can Now Decipher Medieval Graffiti (Cat Sketches and All)

Researchers sought to decipher the 11th-century graffiti adorning the walls of St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Kiev

Spix's macaw.

New Research

In the Last Decade, Four Birds Went Extinct and Four More Are Likely Gone

Habitat loss is the main culprit in killing off the birds, including Spix’s macaw, the star of the popular 2011 film Rio

Budapest-based MAXIN10SITY's "The Neon Unconscious" 2018. According to the artists: "The piece explores how a 1980s dreamer might envision some future convergence of humanity and technology." The work will be coupled with a retro synth wave soundtrack.

See the Electrifying Art Lighting up This Year’s LUMA Projection Arts Festival

The Binghamton visual arts festival is the only one in the U.S. to focus exclusively on projection mapping

Artist's impression of galactic wind.

New Research

Astronomers Spot Galactic Wind From Early Universe

The ejection of molecular gas from a galaxy 12 billion light-years away may have kept an early galaxy from burning out too quickly

To animals that rely on learned migration patterns, accumulated knowledge and thriving physical landscapes are equally essential for survival

Bighorn Sheep and Moose Learn Migration Then Pass Knowledge on to Next Generation

Hooved animals known as ungulates rely on generational lessons to guide seasonal migration, locate high-quality vegetation

Genetic analysis of these excavated remains showed that unclear family linkages because some of the young warriors had widespread origins.

How Did These Hostage Children End Up Buried With Elite Germanic Warriors?

Analysis of remains in a high status grave shows that not all of the deceased were directly related, raising questions about why they were buried together

New Research

Jupiter’s Magnetic Field Is Super Weird and Has Two South Poles

Analysis of data from the Juno probe shows the giant planet’s field is much different from our own and suggests it has a dissolved core

The moa, a species of giant flightless birds, went extinct soon after humans arrived in New Zealand during the 13th century

Oral History Suggests Māori Proverbs on Bird Extinction Mirrored Fears of Indigenous Group’s Own Decline

The moa, a giant flightless bird, served as symbol of extinction and reflection of Māori fears over encroaching European presence

Rhyta, a type of ancient vessel, were found to contain traces of cheese.

Traces of 7,200-Year-Old Cheese Found in Croatia

A new study posits that cheese production may have helped ancient farmers expand into Europe

Sofonisba Anguissola, "Self-Portrait at the Easel Painting a Devotional Panel," 1556

Madrid’s Prado Museum Will Spotlight Pioneering Duo of Female Renaissance Artists

Lavinia Fontana is widely considered the first professional female artist, while Sofonisba Anguissola served as Philip II of Spain’s court painter

Now You Can View the Travel Sketchbooks of Françoise Gilot, Artist and Inspiration to Picasso

The sketches were made in the ‘70s and ‘80s, during Gilot’s journeys abroad

An artist's rendering of a space elevator.

Trending Today

Japan Takes Tiny First Step Toward Space Elevator

Two mini-satellites will test elevator motion in space as part of research for an elevator between Earth and low orbit

"Battle of Mont Saint-Jean or the Battle of Waterloo" by Antoine Charles Horace Vernet (1758 - 1836) and Jacques François Swebach (1769-1823)

Can Napoleon’s Defeat at Waterloo Be Traced to a Volcanic Eruption in Indonesia?

A new study posits that an 1815 eruption caused inclement weather that, according to some theories, led to Napoleon’s defeat

The drill hole in the ISS.

Trending Today

Russia Says Hole in International Space Station Was Drilled

Authorities are unsure whether tiny hole in a Soyuz capsule was created in a production facility on the ground or on board the ISS

Until now, it’s been unclear whether the bonnethead's seagrass consumption was intentional or the result of indiscriminate feeding

Fish Are Friends, Not (Always) Food: Meet the World’s First Omnivorous Shark Species

Bonnethead sharks enjoy a diet of up to 60 percent seagrass, as well as crab, shrimp, snails and bonyfish

The recovered slippers.

Trending Today

After 13-Year Chase, F.B.I. Nabs Pair of Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers

The shoes were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005 and were recently recovered in Minneapolis

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