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"You're talking about little me?!"

Four Incredible Facts About Sea Otters

We thought you otter know these

A woolly rhinoceros painted by a prehistoric artist on the wall of Chauvet cave in France

New Research

Why Some Woolly Rhinos Grew Ribs on Their Necks

These misplaced ribs don’t grow unless something unusual is going on in the gene pool

Trending Today

New York City Could Finally Lose Its Prohibition-era Dancing Rule

The infamous “Cabaret Law” is rooted in racism

Maori Translation of ‘Moana’ Is a Hit in New Zealand

Experts hope the film will spark a renewed interest in the Maori language

A VR animation of a 1945 design for a massive elevated airport over the Hudson River

New Exhibit Imagines the Buildings New York Could’ve Had

From a gigantic airport, to an urbanized Ellis Island, the show reveals the many fascinating ideas for New York City that never made it off the page

The wings of a normal and CRISPR-edited Sara Longwing butterfly show how disabling a single gene can change the patterns

New Research

Scientists Identify the Genes That Paint Butterfly Wings

Using genetic editing, scientists isolated just two genes that play a major role in making butterfly wings as pretty as they are

A newspaper's photograph of six men, all of different ethnicities. The caption reads: "Through by birth the men in this group, photographed at a National army cantonment, are as diverse as one could possibly imagine, they stand together in their readiness to fight for Uncle Sam."

Cool Finds

Help Find Historic Cartoons in World War I-era Newspapers

The crowd-sourcing effort is the first project in a new digital workspace that aims to make the Library of Congress’ vast resources more accessible

Oxpeckers hang out with large ungulates–animals with hoofs like rhinos, giraffes and water buffalo.

Those Little Birds On The Backs Of Rhinos Actually Drink Blood

You think that’s ticks they’re eating?

"Endangered, you say?"

Five Fascinating Facts About the Amazing Cassowary

They may look pretty scary, but they’re actually pretty cool

The ice cream cone came to the attention of American audiences at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

The Amazing, Portable, Edible Ice Cream Cone

Unlike foods that came before it, ice cream in a cone could be eaten on the go–without a spoon

A hawksbill sea turtle poses for its close up.

New Research

New Study Offers Glimmer of Hope for Sea Turtles

Turtle numbers are on the rise in many areas of the globe, but the endangered species still needs help

A European bison, also referred to as a wisent

A Wild Bison Was Spotted in Germany for the First Time in Two Centuries. Then It Was Shot

As conservationists work to restore the once mighty European bison, they must face misunderstandings from concerned citizens

Cassiopea jellyfish resting "upside-down" in their tank

New Research

Even Without a Brain, Jellyfish Still Need to Sleep

These simple, ancient creatures show just how deeply rooted sleep may be in the animal kingdom

Kathy Niakan at work in the lab

New Research

Gene Editing of Embryos Gives Insight Into Basic Human Biology

A genetic tool allows researchers to disable a gene key to human development in a closely regulated experiment

3D recreation of an Roman galley found on the floor of the Black Sea

Cool Finds

Exceptionally Preserved Ancient Ships Discovered in the Black Sea

Since 2015, the Maritime Archaeological Project expedition has uncovered 60 wrecks, covering 2,500 years of maritime history

Farhad Moshiri, Yipeeee, 2009, private collection, London

Farhad Moshiri, Dubbed ‘the Middle East’s Andy Warhol,’ Gets First Major U.S. Exhibition

A selection of the pop artist’s significant works will be displayed, fittingly, at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh

Cheers!

Cool Finds

Did Lager Beer Originate In South America?

Residue from 1,000-year-old pots suggests people in Patagonia were fermenting beverages with lager yeast well before the Bavarians

An engraving from later in the 1880s shows rioters burning an orphanage for black children.

The Civil War Draft Riots Brought Terror to New York’s Streets

This dark event remains the largest civil insurrection—the Civil War itself aside—in American history

A record-breaking gathering of Waldo (known across the pond as 'Wally') impersonators in Dublin, Ireland, in 2011.

The Science Behind Our Search for Waldo

‘Where’s Waldo’ was first published on this day in 1987

A fan art drawing of Smaug atop his horde.

J.R.R. Tolkien Gave the World His Childhood Fascination With Dragons in ‘The Hobbit’

The dragon Smaug—who debuted in The Hobbit in 1937, was inspired by his early reading of mythology

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