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Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

Banksy's Piranhas will move into storage ahead of its 2026 debut at the London Museum's new location.

Banksy Transformed This Police Box Into a Piranha Tank. Soon, the Artwork Will Go on Permanent Display in London

The piece was part of the anonymous artist’s animal series that appeared around the city last summer. In 2026, it will make its debut at the London Museum

The Virgin and Child With Infant St. John the Baptist in a Landscape (The Alba Madonna), Raphael, circa 1520

America’s Largest-Ever Exhibition on Raphael Will Open at the Met Next Year

More than 200 of the Renaissance master’s works will be on display in the landmark show, which debuts in March 2026

Ahu Tongariki, home to 15 moai statues, is one of Easter Island’s most iconic cultural landmarks.

New Research

Seasonal Waves Could Reach Some of Easter Island’s Massive Moai Statues by 2080, New Study Suggests

Researchers warn that rising sea levels could cause flooding that will endanger the historically significant statues, which were created by the Rapa Nui people between roughly 1300 and 1600 C.E.

E.Y. “Yip” Harburg's sketch for the lyrics of “Over the Rainbow"

Want to See the Original Lyrics for ‘Over the Rainbow’? All You Need Is a Library Card

The Library of Congress has acquired a collection of musical manuscripts and other rare artifacts connected to “The Wizard of Oz”

Fewer Americans are reading for pleasure.

Reading for Pleasure Has Declined by a ‘Deeply Concerning’ 40 Percent Over the Past Two Decades

Between 2003 and 2023, the proportion of Americans who read for fun on a given day has been steadily falling, a new study suggests

Bloom patterns resemble flowers as they unfold.

New Research

College Sophomore Discovers New Origami Pattern That Could Be Used to Build Telescopes and Satellites

Based on the work of a student at Brigham Young University, origami theorists have unlocked a new set of patterns that could change space exploration

The flip-flop mosaic decorated the floor of a cold pool room in the villa's bath complex.

Archaeologists Are Investigating an Ancient Mosaic Depicting Sandals That Look Strangely Like Modern Flip-Flops

The colorful artwork decorates the frigidarium of the Villa Romana del Casale, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Sicily

The book is on view inthe Central Library's lobby.

Someone Returned a Library Book That Their Grandmother Checked Out Eight Decades Ago

The San Antonio Public Library received the book in the mail along with a letter: “I hope there is no late fee for it because Grandma won’t be able to pay for it anymore”

The Chapel Choir of the University of Exeter performed the monastic songs from the Buckland Book.

Cool Finds

Hear the Long-Lost Chants of English Monks Whose Monasteries Were Dissolved by Henry VIII

A university choir has revived music found hiding in plain sight in a book once used by monks at southern England’s Buckland Abbey

Experts have announced 6,212 new additions to the Cambridge Dictionary.

‘Delulu,’ ‘Skibidi’ and ‘Tradwife’ Are Among More Than 6,000 Words Added to the Cambridge Dictionary

Many of the additions reflect how internet culture has changed the English language in recent years

Robots running in the 100 meter finals on August 17, 2025

World’s First ‘Robot Olympics’ Featured Soccer, Kickboxing and Lots of Falling Down

Hundreds of humanoids from 16 countries stumbled over each other while competing in the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing

The bronze, curving panel is meant to resemble a sheet of paper coming out of a printer.

Nobody Has Been Able to Solve the CIA’s Famous ‘Kryptos’ Sculpture. Soon, the Solution Will Be Sold to the Highest Bidder

Three of the four messages carved into the sculpture have been deciphered, but the final puzzle has left amateur sleuths stumped. In November, the solution could fetch up to $500,000 at auction

These custom copper stools from Price Tower were sold in 2024 and later purchased by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy.

Custom Furnishings From Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper Have Been Preserved for Posterity

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy hopes to return the 11 artifacts to the Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma

Rothko used the tall space to work on his paintings for the Rothko Chapel.

The New York City Studio Where Artist Mark Rothko Worked Is for Sale

The private unit takes up the second and third floor of the carriage house, which was originally an equestrian training space. The apartment is listed at $9.5 million

Wildlife officials in Oregon are using drones with speakers to deter wolves from attacking cattle.

Drones Are Blasting Iconic Argument From ‘Marriage Story’ to Scare Wolves Away From Cows in Oregon

Scarlet Johansson and Adam Driver’s charged dialogue is playing from speakers attached to drones as wildlife officials get creative in their efforts to stop wolves from killing cattle

A digital rendering of the bridge

Italy Plans World’s Longest Suspension Bridge to Connect Mainland With Sicily

The bridge, expected to cost more than $15 billion, would stretch more than two miles across the Messina Strait

The newly conserved felt hat is now on view at the Bolton Museum in Bolton, England.

A 2,000-Year-Old Sun Hat Worn by a Roman Soldier in Egypt Goes on View After a Century in Storage

The felt cap—one of only three surviving examples of its kind—was recently conserved by a museum in England

Exterior of Norwich Castle Keep, commissioned by William the Conqueror.

William the Conqueror’s Norwich Castle to Reopen Following $37 Million Renovation

In partnership with the British Museum, 900 Norman artifacts will be displayed across the reimagined space’s five floors

Auctioneum book specialist Caitlin Riley found the volume with other unremarkable texts on a shelf.

Cool Finds

Rare First-Edition Copy of ‘The Hobbit’ Found in English Home Sells for Nearly $60,000

Experts found the volume while appraising the items in a home in Bristol, England. Only a few hundred copies are thought to survive

The Hollywood Premiere Motel was designed by architect Joyce Miller.

This Mid-Century Motel Described in Reviews as ‘Eerie’ Just Became a Los Angeles Historic Monument

Built in 1960, the Hollywood Premiere is the first motel to be added to the list of more than 1,300 protected sites in the city

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