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Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer stands with the taxidermied remains of her groundbreaking discovery.

In the 1930s, This Natural History Curator Discovered a Living Fossil–Well, Sort of

Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer was convinced she’d found something special in a pile of fish, but it took some time for her discovery to be recognized

Pictured (from left to right): Torso E1912; the Bull’s Head; and the Calf Bearer.

Trending Today

Manhattan DA Launches First Antiquities Trafficking Unit

The unit will investigate the uptick in looted artifacts flooding the antiquities market

Turing standing next to the Mark I

Cool Finds

Listen to Alan Turing’s First Computer-Generated Christmas Carols

In 1951, the BBC played two carols from Turing’s computer, which have now been recreated by New Zealand researchers

English dolphins gliding through their home turf

Cool Finds

England Has Its Own Pod of Dolphins

Researchers discover that the group of 28 animals are actually local residents, not just visitors

New Research

Scientists Record the Thunderous Call of the Loudest Known Fish

The Gulf corvina’s collective mating call is so powerful that it can damage the hearing of sea lions and dolphins

A 2010 picture of the statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest, which was removed from Health Sciences Park (formerly Nathan Bedford Forrest Park) in downtown Memphis last December.

Memphis Removes Two Confederate Statues

One was dedicated to Jefferson Davis, the other to Nathan Bedford Forrest

President Lincoln depicted on a Christmas card from the 1920s. Christmas wasn't as important of a holiday in Lincoln's time, but his personal Christmas story is worth telling.

President Lincoln’s Last Christmas

The character of American Christmas changed as a result of the Civil War

The dino print, before it was smashed

Trending Today

Vandals Shatter 115-Million-Year Old Dino Track in Australia

Believed to be from a rare polar dinosaur, the damage was discovered by a school class visiting Bunurong Marine National Park

Zora Neale Hurston’s Study of the Last Known U.S. Slave to Be Published in 2018

Cudjo Lewis was captured and transported to the U.S. in 1860. After regaining his freedom five years later, he went on to help establish African Town

The frontispiece of Wheatley's poetry collection describes her as a "Negro servant" rather than a slave, though she wasn't freed until after the book's publication.

The Most Notorious Poet in 18th Century America Was An Enslaved Teenager You’ve Never Heard Of

Phyllis Wheatley was a prodigy, but her ultimate fate reflects the gross racial disparities of 1700s America

Stay cozy!

Marshmallow-Topped Hot Chocolate Will Keep You Warm This Long Solstice Night

Marshmallows and hot chocolate each have a long history, but their union only dates back about a century

Artists rendering of the Dragonfly craft exploring Titan

Trending Today

NASA Unveils Finalists for Its Next New Frontiers Mission

In 2025, the agency will either try to grab a piece of a comet or send a space-helicopter drone to the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan

An image from the Slater Mill Historic Site in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

How Industrial Espionage Started America’s Cotton Revolution

To the British, Samuel Slater was ‘Slater the traitor,’ but to the Americans, he was the father of the American industrial revolution

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Art Meets Science

Millions of Historic Images Pay Tribute to the Diversity of Life on Earth

Bask in the infinitely strange wonder of our planet with these gorgeous biodiversity galleries

The rock from the Apex Chert in which the fossils were found

New Research

At 3.5 Billion Years Old, Are These the Oldest Fossils?

A new analysis of this decades-old find suggests that they were indeed once biological life—but not all are convinced

'It's a Wonderful Life' protagonist George Bailey with his family, Mary Hatch Bailey and Little Mary Hatch, at the end of the film.

The Weird Story of the FBI and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’

The film supposedly had Communistic tendencies

The newly lifted funding ban allows for more research of viruses like influenza, SARS, and MERS. But critics worry it's a risky step.

The Next Pandemic

NIH Lifts Ban on Funding High-Risk Virus Research

Manipulating viruses could help prepare the U.S. for future pandemics, but it could also risk starting the next outbreak

Engraving of the Marquis de Sade (1740-1814)

‘120 Days of Sodom’, Marquis de Sade’s Depraved Opus, Declared a French National Treasure

Officials sought to prevent the manuscript from being sold at an upcoming auction

Two early Rose Marie Reid designs.

How Swimsuits Became Fashion Items

Rose Marie Reid’s vision for beachwear helped shape the modern swimsuit

Trending Today

First Center for Empathy and Art Launched in Minneapolis

The center will bring together researchers, artists, historians and philosophers to learn how art museums can promote empathy and understanding

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