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Trending Today

Deep-Sea Snail Builds Its Own Ironclad Suit of Armor. But Even That Can’t Protect It From Ocean Mining

The sea pangolin only lives by a few hydrothermal vents in the Indian Ocean, which are being targeted by deep-sea miners

A pair of pangolin leather cowboy boots (left) and arapaima cowboy boots (right), both listed for sale on eBay

Cowboy Boots Purchased in the U.S. Played Part in Pangolins’ Decline

Before 2000, imported pangolin skins were widely used in the production of exotic leather accessories

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Medals Will Be Made of Recycled Materials

The design for the medals, created by Junichi Kawanishi, were unveiled this week

Well, that stinks.

Heading to the Beach? Beware the Fecal Bacteria

A new report found that more than 2,600 sites in the U.S. and Puerto Rico were “potentially unsafe” for at least one day in 2018

When does a joke become a dad joke? When it becomes apparent.

New Research

Laugh Tracks Make Bad Jokes Funnier, According to Science

The bursts of audience laughter hated by TV critics do induce laughter, meaning the sit-com giggles are here to stay

Volcanic deposits found at Pompeii could yield insights on Vesuvius' future

Why Archaeologists and Volcanologists Are Clashing Over Excavations at Pompeii

Volcanologist Roberto Scandone argues that enthusiasm for archaeology has yielded an “act of vandalism to volcanology”

A baby croc is held up in front of the Turkey Point wildlife preservation area in 2008.

Why Florida Crocs Are Thriving Outside a Nuclear Power Plant

But is the Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station the reptilian utopia that it seems?

Members of the control group showed none of the behavioral and physiological changes seen among the experimental clutches

New Research

Unhatched Bird Embryos Communicate With Siblings by Vibrating Their Shells

Baby seabirds exposed to nestmates’ warnings exhibit behavioral and physiological adaptations designed to help avoid predators

Trending Today

Plaque Memorializes First Icelandic Glacier Lost to Climate Change

In 2014, the Okjökull was declared dead after dwindling from over 5 square miles to a mound of “dead ice”

The newly identified American Pocket Shark was first discovered in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

This New Shark Species Looks Like a Tiny Sperm Whale

The 5.5-inch-long Mollisquama mississippiensis—one of only two pocket shark specimens known to science—also glows in the dark

Former U.S. ambassador to Canada David Jacobson visits Alert on a much cooler day in 2010.

Trending Today

The World’s Northernmost Permanent Settlement Set a Record High Temperature

The military installation of Alert on Ellesmere Island, 600 miles from the North Pole, hit 69.8 degrees Fahrenheit last week

A rendering of the 363-foot Saturn V projection

Future of Space Exploration

Watch the Apollo 11 Anniversary Show That Was Projected Onto the Washington Monument

The immersive experience combined full-motion projection-mapping artwork and archival footage

The European brown bear hasn't roamed Britain since the Middle Ages—and possibly even earlier.

Wolves and Bears Are Being Returned to a Rare Patch of Ancient Woodland in Britain

The Bristol Zoological Society is launching an animal exhibit that will see the predators share a U.K. habitat for the first time in 1,000 years

Condor 409, pictured here, is the mother of the 1000th condor born since a breeding program was launched to save the critically endangered species.

The California Condor Nearly Went Extinct. Now, the 1000th Chick of a Recovery Program Has Hatched.

“When we confirmed it…it was just this feeling of overwhelming joy,” one wildlife expert said

Biswamoyopterus gaoligongensis

Cool Finds

New Species of Giant Flying Squirrel Discovered in China

Weighing 3 to 4 pounds, the Mount Gaoligong flying squirrel was recently found in Yunnan province

After a queen ant successfully mates with multiple males, she chews off her wings, returns to the ground and starts a new colony

Swarms of Flying Ants Overtaking Great Britain Show Up as Rain on Radar

Once a year, the winged insects take to the skies and engage in mating rituals

Beachgoers on St. Simons Island sprang to action on Tuesday.

Georgia Beachgoers Help Save Pod of Stranded Pilot Whales

All but three of the animals that swam too close to shore made it back to the sea alive

Bonding over a shared experience isn’t just a human thing.

New Research

Chimps Bond Over Movies, Just Like Us

After watching video clips together, chimps and bonobos were more sociable than those that watched the movies alone

The researchers' findings don’t necessarily portend Ciomadul’s imminent eruption, but they do suggest it's worth taking a second look at seemingly extinct volcanoes

New Research

Magma Lurks Below This ‘Extinct’ Volcano in Romania

Rocks in the upper crust beneath Ciomadul are, on average, 15 percent molten, with some areas reaching as high as 45 percent

Ice at the Martian pole. The dark spots are pockets of warming under the ice.

Future of Space Exploration

This Material May Make Human Habitation on Mars Possible

Silica aerogel traps heat and allows light in while blocking ultraviolet radiation, making it a good candidate for building human settlements

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