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Trioceros hoehnelii, one of the 20 chameleons whose tongues a researcher tested for speed

Tiny Chameleon’s Tongue Can Beat the Fastest Sports Car

The Rosette-nosed Pygmy Chameleon can launch its tongue toward prey at 8,500 feet per second

January 6, 2016

A fragment of a scuttled Revolutionary War-era ship discovered at a Virginia construction site.

Revolutionary War-Era Ship Found at Hotel Construction Site

The scuttled ship could reveal new details about how American colonists built their boats

January 5, 2016

Andy Warhol's portraits of Queen Elizabeth on view at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Several works from this series are hung in British embassies in the United States.

You Can Only See a Fraction of These Publicly Owned British Artworks

Parliament official says thousands of government-owned artworks belong in a gallery

January 5, 2016

A logarithmic scale captures the whole universe

This Image of the Universe Captures Its Immensity

Comets, planets, galaxies and the cosmic web crowd together in this portrait of everything known

January 5, 2016

A portrait of Abraham Lincoln in 1861 shows how the man would not have been amused by this theft.

A Sculpture of Abraham Lincoln’s Hand Has Been Stolen From an Illinois Museum

The 150-year-old plaster art piece went missing sometime before December 11

January 4, 2016

Gene Luen Yang becomes the first graphic novelist to be appointed as the national ambassador for young people's literature.

Meet the New National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

The Library of Congress’ decision to appoint graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang to the post reflects a growing acceptance of comic books

January 4, 2016

Where are the whales?

Hawaii’s Humpback Whales Have Gone Missing

Scientists expect about 10,000 whales to visit Hawaii’s tropical waters this winter—but they’re taking their time

January 4, 2016

Superheavy elements round out the seventh row of the periodic table. (Editor's Note, November 23, 2021: Image updated to reflect most accurate and up-to-date version of the periodic table.)

Four New Elements Are Added to the Periodic Table

Superheavy elements round out the seventh row of the periodic table

January 4, 2016

Get Excited for This Year’s Space-Themed Stamps

The Postal Service honors NASA’s New Horizons Mission and Star Trek’s premiere

January 4, 2016

Vermeer's "Little Street" painting compared to the buildings at the present-day address.

An Expert Has Figured Out the Real-Life Location of Vermeer’s “Little Street” Painting

The painter probably had a personal connection with the house that figures prominently in the painting.

January 4, 2016

The Times Square New Year's Eve Ball is tested the day before New Year's Eve atop the roof of One Times Square in New York, on Dec. 30, 2015.

Here’s Why New York Celebrates New Year’s Eve by Dropping a Ball

New Year’s Eve wasn’t always a riotous party

December 31, 2015

Romanian villagers dress up in real bearskins for ursul.

Ring in the New Year by Dressing Up as a Bear

Romania’s famed bear dance scares away winter

December 31, 2015

The Detroit Reservoir preserved this 19th-century utility wagon.

West Coast Drought Uncovers Remnants of a Long-Sunken Oregon Town

Historic low water levels revealed remains of a town beneath Detroit Lake

December 31, 2015

Single-use styrofoam containers are so 2015.

D.C. Is Banning Plastic Foam in 2016

Say adios to polystyrene takeout containers

December 31, 2015

Screenshot from "American Panorama" showing the origins of foreign-born Americans living in Washington, D.C. in 2000.

Explore America’s History With These Richly Interactive Maps

“American Panorama” delves into the social, political and economic movements that define this country

December 31, 2015

A copy of a photograph of a solar eclipse taken by the English astronomer Arthur Eddington in 1919.

Long-Lost Photos of Eclipses and Stars Found in an Observatory Basement

The stash of old negatives includes a 97-year-old copy of the photo that helped confirm the Theory of Relativity

December 31, 2015

A doctor and patients in Nicaragua during an outbreak of dengue and chikugunya virus earlier in 2015

Introducing the First Dengue Fever Vaccine

Three countries have already approved the vaccine

December 31, 2015

The "Dog Star" Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky.

Night Sky Wonders to Ring in the New Year

The star Sirius is high in the sky, and comet Catalina is at its brightest

December 31, 2015

Do these satellite sea surface images look similar? Experts think so. The image of the Pacific Ocean on the left was taken recently. To the right is a sea surface image taken in December 1997.

This Year’s El Niño Looks Menacingly Familiar

The world is bracing for record rains and droughts

December 30, 2015

Your morning fix is about to get cheaper.

Caffeine Junkies, Rejoice! Coffee Just Got Cheaper

A global surplus of coffee is causing bean prices to bottom out

December 30, 2015

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