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A pin-tailed whydah in Africa

New Research

This Beautiful Species Could Be Trouble for Native Birds

Analysis shows that the parasitic pin-tailed whydah could impact native birds in the Caribbean, Hawaii and the southern U.S.

Cheers To This Spanish Town’s Annual Wine Battle

The boozy event has its roots in a 13th century land dispute

Trending Today

Geek Out to This Asteroid Day Livestream

For 24 hours a YouTube channel will host discussions on space rocks and their potential impacts on Earth

Researchers used facial reconstruction software to paint a vivid portrait of one Dubliner that lived 500 years ago.

New Research

3-D Reconstruction Reveals Face of 500-Year-Old Irishman

The image offers a rare portrait of an ordinary Dubliner

The first atomic shock wave caused by Gilda's explosion on this day in 1946.

The Crazy Story of the 1946 Bikini Atoll Nuclear Tests

They were the first time that a nuclear weapon had been deployed since the 1945 attacks on Japan

Images of Yosemite, like this one taken circa 1865, helped increase public appetite for the park.

Lincoln’s Signature Laid the Groundwork for the National Park System

The “Yo-Semite Valley” was made a California state park on this day in 1864, but it quickly became a national park

Once Upon a Place brings phone booths back to Times Square to tell immigrant stories.

Cool Finds

Phone Booths Are Back in Times Square—And This Time, They’re Telling Immigrant Stories

Once Upon a Place features the oral histories of 70 immigrants

The cloud in the upper left hand part of the image are from a barium release—with the purple-red ionized cloud oriented along the Earth’s magnetic field lines. The blue and white trail in the lower portion of the image is from a tri-methyl-aluminum vapor trail that follows neutral wind.

Trending Today

NASA Launch Will Dot the Sky With Colorful Clouds

No, it’s not aliens or a massive conspiracy plot—just a space-age study of the atmosphere

The Bourse de Commerce building will soon transition to a modern art museum.

Former Paris Stock Exchange To Be Transformed into Art Museum

The renovation will be so remarkable, according to the lead architect, it will cure Brexit-induced malaise

The Neanderthal teeth, including the impacted molar

New Research

Neanderthals May Have Used Toothpicks to Treat Aching Teeth

A Neanderthal living in what is now Croatia and wore grooves in his or her teeth trying to soothe the pain

Southern Resident orcas frolic in Puget Sound.

New Research

Two Thirds of Southern Resident Orca Pregnancies Fail

But now scientists think they know why

Thank the boy wizard for an uptick in owl demand.

New Research

Harry Potter Sparks Illegal Owl Trade in Indonesia

Hedwig made quite the impression—but her popularity is hurting real-life birds

The statues and carvings from Gobekli Tepe were found with fragments of carved skull from thousands of years ago.

New Research

Unprecedented Carved Skulls Discovered at a Stone Age Temple in Turkey

Three carved skull fragments from Gobekli Tepe offer tantalizing hints about the lives of Neolithic people

New Research

Global Fishing Fleets Waste Ten Percent of Catch

Every year, fisheries waste ten million tons of fish—enough to fill 4,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools

Study co-author Kevin Smith applies melted bitumen to a bottle, following a technique used by indigenous groups of the California Channel Islands.

New Research

Drinking From Ancient Water Bottles Didn’t Hurt Indigenous People—Making Them Did

Researchers replicated a bottle-making process used by indigenous groups of the California Channel Islands to test toxic chemicals

Who are you calling fat?

New Research

One in Three American Pets Is Pudgy

Is your kitty curvaceous? It’s not the only one

Traffic on Interstate 405, Los Angeles, California, 2012.

Three Ways the Interstate System Changed America

The idea of a national highway system stretches back to the 1930s but wasn’t put into place until the midcentury

In traditional British cuisine, chicken would be far more likely to be boiled than fried.

The First Printed Fried Chicken Recipe in America

A white Virginian woman named Mary Randolph was the first to publish it, but fried chicken’s Southern history is deeper than ‘The Virginia Housewife’

A fancy moule à gaufres (waffle iron) held by the Musée Lorrain.

These Beautiful Medieval Wafer Presses Are Where Waffles Come From

Leggo my flat, fancy Eggo

The ledger will now be stored in the Albany County Hall of Records, shown here.

Cool Finds

Rare Colonial Court Documents Found on eBay

Thanks to a historian’s spidey sense, they’re now housed in a New York archive

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