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Switzerland

The Swiss Have Made Cheese Since the Iron Age

This discovery pushes Swiss cheesemaking traditions back millennia

Cool Finds

Astronomers Deploy a Laser System for a Clearer View of the Skies

A new four-laser system at the Paranal Observatory will help the massive telescope compensate for atmospheric turbulence

The remnant of SN 1006

New Research

Ancient Arabic Text Shines Light on Massive Supernova

A new look at records from an ancient astronomer yields insights into one of the brighest supernovas ever seen from Earth

New Research

Eating Toxic Algae Might Make Some Plankton Act Drunk

Though it may seem funny, it could have serious environmental consequences

Five tribes fought for 20 years to have Kennewick Man recognized as Native American.

Trending Today

Over 9,000 Years Later, Kennewick Man Will Be Given a Native American Burial

Five Native American nations will join together to bury his remains

The ruins of the ancient city of Palmyra after it was recaptured by the Syrian army in March.

Trending Today

Unesco: Don’t Worry, Palmyra Is Still Authentic

The ancient city may have been destroyed, but it is still a treasured cultural site

Xian'er, the robot monk, with its creator, Buddhist monk Master Xianfan.

Cool Finds

A Robot Monk Is Spreading Buddhist Teachings in China

An adorable robot serves up automated mantras

This photograph of Harper Lee was taken in 1961, one year after she wrote for the Grapevine.

Cool Finds

Biographer Uncovers Unsigned Feature Article by Harper Lee

The ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ author published a profile of a Kansas investigator in an FBI magazine while helping Truman Capote research ‘In Cold Blood’

Paleontologists Matt Lamanna and Ruben Martinez with the skull of Sarmientosaurus

New Research

Newly Discovered Dinosaur Species Had Great Eyesight and a Droopy Head

Sarmientosaurus weighed as much as two elephants but had a brain the size of a lime

This artist's concept shows the distant dwarf planet Makemake and its newly discovered moon. Makemake and its moon, nicknamed MK 2, are more than 50 times farther away than Earth is from the sun.

Think Big

Hubble Spies a Tiny Moon Orbiting Dwarf Planet Makemake

Our solar system still has plenty of surprises

A print of Lake Suwa from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji.

Trending Today

Japanese Priests Collected Almost Seven Centuries of Climate Data

Historic records from “citizen scientists” in Japan and Finland give researchers centuries of data on ice conditions

Flashing lights embedded in the ground make crossing and texting safer in Augsburg.

Cool Finds

A German City Installed Traffic Lights For Texters

In Augsburg, distracted smartphone users don’t have to look up to stay safe

For one hour on May 7, silence will reign at a British supermarket.

Cool Finds

A British Store Will Go Quiet For Customers With Autism

Shh—people are shopping

Brindled Stamiter, Cricetus fasciatus

Weird Animals

Audubon Pranked Fellow Naturalist by Making Up Fake Rodents

Annoyed with naturalist and houseguest Constantine Rafinesque, John J. Audubon dreamed up 28 non-existent species

Prince's Minnesota home and studio is known as "Paisley Park."

Trending Today

Prince’s Paisley Park Studios Will Become a Museum

A la Graceland

New Research

“Shark Vision” Shines Light on Biofluorescent Species

Using a specially designed filter, divers uncovered the glowing patterns on the skin of catsharks

Protestors sit outside a local town hall.

Trending Today

Indian Artists Are Protesting a Private Takeover of a Public Art Gallery

Local artists want the Venkatappa Art Gallery to stay public

A visualization of the Varying Length Model of the cosmic web.

Cool Finds

Take in the Beauty of This Gravity Web That Connects Galaxies Across the Universe

A new simulation visualizes how distant galaxies might be connected

A statue of Julian of Norwich at Norwich Cathedra. She is one of the first-known women writers in the English language.

Cool Finds

For the First Time, See Two Early Medieval Books Written By Women On Display Together

The manuscripts detail the authors’ experiences

Builders work on the Chernobyl New Safe Confinement arch in April 2016. Once complete, the massive arch will be slid over the reactor's current concrete sarcophagus.

Trending Today

Thirty Years Later, a Gigantic Arch Is Set to Cover Chernobyl

The New Safe Confinement is one of history’s most ambitious engineering projects—and it comes not a moment too soon

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