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An illustration shows the satellite Cassini moving near Saturn and its largest moon Titan

Potential Ingredients for Life Found on Saturn’s Moon Titan

But that life likely wouldn’t look like what we’re used to here on Earth

Even the name "Daniel Defoe" was a pseudonym of sorts—born Daniel Foe, Defoe added the first syllable to his last name to sound more aristocratic.

The Author of ‘Robinson Crusoe’ Used Almost 200 Pseudonyms

Daniel Defoe honed his pen on political writing before he came to the novel

Candles were an important source of after-dark light in the early United States, so it makes sense that one of the first patents would be related to improving them.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

What the First Three Patents Say About Early America

Gunpowder, fertilizer, soap, candles and flour were all important to Americans

This diorama shows a sailor receiving his "daily tot." It was even mixed according to custom: on a "scuttled butt" with an officer overseeing the mixing.

Reasons Why the Royal Navy Bribed Sailors With Booze

The rum ration existed until 1970

American soldiers sift through art looted by the Nazis at Neuschwanstein Castle in 1945

Legal Fight Over Nazi-Looted Painting Ends After 26 Years

The heirs to the Paul Klee masterpiece, which was seized 80 years ago as “degenerate art,” have finally reached a settlement with the city of Munich

The Small Magellanic Cloud, where some of your atoms likely originate

New Research

Half of Our Atoms May Come From Other Galaxies

According to computer simulations, large galaxies may grow by sucking in matter smaller star clusters expel

Die Hermannsschlacht, Gemälde von Friedrich Gunkel, 1862–1864

New Research

New Excavation Will Examine Germany’s Legendary “Founding Battle”

The dig hopes to find conclusive evidence that Kalkriese is the site of the Battle of Teutoburg Forest

The Aurora Australis as seen from the International Space Station in 2011

Cool Finds

Astronaut Captures ‘Awesome Sauce’ of Aurora From Space

Humans have been amazed for millennia by these atmospheric events

Dalton Trumbo was one of the "Hollywood 10" who were arrested for refusing to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. He was later blacklisted from working in the industry.

The Columnist Who Shaped Hollywood’s Most Destructive Witch Hunt

Billy Wilkerson’s complicated legacy has only been recently discussed by the magazine he founded

A member of the 9th Cavalry circa 1890.

Three Things to Know About the Buffalo Soldiers

These segregated regiments offered black soldiers a chance to fight for their rights

Blue chrysanthemums

New Research

The Scientific Feat That Birthed the Blue Chrysanthemum

In a world first, scientists engineered the flowers to take on an azure hue

Ramazzottius varieornatus, a species of tardigrade, photographed with scanning electron microscope

New Research

Why Are Tardigrades the World’s Hardiest Creature? DNA Offers Clues

They may be tiny, but don’t let their stubby stature fool you

The WP-3D Orion "Hurricane Hunters" are a key part of NOAA's hurricane toolkit.

Why Does NOAA Still Send Pilots Into Hurricanes?

The first “Hurricane Hunter” flight was a bet, but today they’re an essential part of risk management

The United States's version of the Imperial system is based on an older British version.

America Has Been Struggling With the Metric System For More Than 200 Years

The United States is the one of the world’s only holdouts at this point, but it could have been the first country outside of France to adopt the system

Cookie Dough was among 10 flavors found to contain low levels of glyphosate

New Research

Trace Amounts of Pesticide Found in Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

But don’t have a cow

These eyeglasses, which belonged to a prisoner at Auschwitz, are one of the more than 1,000 artifacts included in the traveling exhibition.

Trending Today

Auschwitz Museum Announces First Traveling Exhibition of Artifacts

More than 1,150 objects make up the exhibition, which will travel to 14 cities in Europe and North America

New Research

Yes, Sperm Counts Have Been Steadily Declining—But Don’t Freeze Your Sperm Yet

The study is a striking reminder of how much science has to learn about these little wrigglers

An oracle bone description

Trending Today

Museum Offers $15,000 Per Character to Decipher Oracle Bone Script

The inscriptions offer detailed information about the Shang Dynasty, but researchers need help to read them

200 Objects Damaged After Lightning Sets Fire to French Museum

Three paintings on loan from the Louvre are among the destroyed works

The Rosetta Stone in the British Museum.

Interact With the First 3-D Scan of the Rosetta Stone

The British Museum’s model lets users get a close-up view of the precious relic

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