The gray whale was spotted during an aerial survey on March 1, about 30 miles off the coast of Nantucket. (New England Aquarium)

A Rare Gray Whale, Believed Extinct in the Atlantic for 200 Years, Has Been Spotted off New England

Scientists say a lack of Arctic sea ice due to climate change could have created a passageway for the mammal to travel from the Pacific Ocean

Catherine Duncan

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What It Takes to Complete the Ultimate Skywatching Endurance Challenge

The Forgotten Sisters Behind 'Happy Birthday to You'

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A Fresh Understanding of the World We All Inhabit

Before Beyonce and Taylor Swift Ran the World, There Was Joan Baez

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Tens of Thousands of 12,000-Year-Old Rock Paintings Found in Colombia

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These French Cheeses Are at Risk of Extinction

Scientists Reject Proposal to Define the Anthropocene, a Geological Age Marked by Human Activity

SMITHSONIAN VOICES

Six Animals the Smithsonian Has Helped Save From Extinction

Paris Is Preparing for the Summer Olympics With a New Exhibition at the Louvre

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Scientists Taught Pet Parrots to Video Call Each Other—and the Birds Loved It

On this day in 1936, Adolf Hitler violated the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Pact by remilitarizing the Rhineland. Signed in 1919, the Treaty of Versailles had established stiff peace terms for Germany in the wake of the country’s defeat in World War I.

See the announcement of the treaty in photos.

Golden Gate Reflections

© Alex Slosberg