How a 1604 Supernova Presented a Challenge to Astronomers
The supernova provided proof to Galileo, Kepler and others that the heavens were not fixed–although they were wrong about what caused the bright star
More Than 30 Years Since Their Discovery, Prions Still Fascinate, Terrify and Mystify Us
Figuring out what they were was just the beginning of a field of research into prions and prion diseases that’s still growing
Canada to Replace Holocaust Plaque After Uproar
The plaque dedicating the country’s new national Holocaust memorial was criticized for making no reference to Jews or anti-Semitism
‘Why ‘The Family Circus’ Was Always So Sentimental
Cartoonist Bil Keane landed on a formula that worked and he stuck to it
Antikythera Shipwreck Yields New Cache of Treasures, Hints More May Be Buried at Site
The discovery of an ancient bronze arm is a rare archaeological find
Even Colonial Americans Liked Pumpkin Spice
A recipe for pumpkin (or rather, “pompkin”) spice appears in America’s oldest cookbook
People in the 1800s Dreamed of Bicycling on Water
Despite numerous patents, nothing really ever came of this fad
Investigators Are Turning to Big Data to Find Who Betrayed Anne Frank
Many experts believe that someone alerted Nazi authorities to the hiding place of Frank and her family, but the culprit has never been determined
Turkey Claims It’s Found Saint Nicholas’ Crypt
Archaeologists say the body was not stolen by crusaders in the 11th century and is still located below a church in Demre
Rome’s Colosseum Is Reopening Its Upper Tiers to Visitors
For the first time in four decades, the public will be able to enter the top levels of Rome’s amphitheater
World’s Largest Online Database of Jewish Art Preserves At-Risk Heritage Objects
Take a tour through the Bezalel Narkiss Index of Jewish Art, which contains more than 260,000 entries from 41 countries
How Scientists Decide Which Animal Genomes to Sequence
There are an estimated 8.7 million species on Earth–it’s unlikely scientists will ever sequence them all
Hemingway’s Earliest Piece of Fiction Discovered
The phony travelogue describes a trip from his home in Illinois across the Atlantic to Ireland and Scotland
The Irish Cardiologist Whose Invention Saved LBJ
Frank Pantridge miniaturized the defibrillator, making it portable
Ancient Statue Damaged by ISIS Resurrected in Damascus
Palmyra’s Lion of Al-lāt, as the statue is known, once adorned the temple of a pre-Islamic goddess
The Most ‘Realistic’ Civil War Novel Was Written Three Decades After It Ended
By an author who wasn’t even alive when it occurred
The Hollywood Star Who Confronted the AIDS ‘Silent Epidemic’
Rock Hudson died of AIDS-related complications in 1985
How a Controversial European Architect Shaped New York
Le Corbusier’s ideas arguably helped shape the city more than his own designs
This 17th-Century “Women’s Petition Against Coffee” Probably Wasn’t About Women, or Coffee
It probably wasn’t written by angry, sex-deprived wives–although stranger things have happened
The Perks and Pitfalls of Being a Nobel Laureate: Early Mornings, Performance Anxiety
On the plus side, at UC Berkeley you get free parking
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