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Cool Finds

Stern of an Ottoman Wreck

Cool Finds

Over 40 Ancient Ships Discovered on the Bottom of the Black Sea

Researchers on a geology survey in Bulgarian waters ended up discovering vessels from the Ottoman, Byzantine and Venetian empires

Cool Finds

World’s Largest Herd of Origami Elephants Takes Over the Bronx Zoo

People around the world folded the paper pachyderms to raise awareness of the elephants’ plight

James Welch is featured on today's Google home page in honor of his birthday.

Google Makes Ledger Art to Celebrate Legendary Native American Author James Welch

In an exclusive interview with Smithsonian.com, artist Sophie Diao talks about what inspired today’s Google Doodle

Cool Finds

This 6,000-Year-Old Amulet Is an Ancient Metal Marvel

Lost-wax casting is still used in modern manufacturing

Cool Finds

Collection of Fossilized Poo Certified as World’s Largest

George Frandsen’s 1,200-piece coprolite collection earns the Florida man a spot in Guinness World Records

Deadwood's Racketeer Nickel

Cool Finds

A Brief History of the Racketeer Nickel

A fraudulent 5-cent piece dug up in Deadwood may not be very valuable, but its story is worth its weight in gold

Spotted: one adventurous female panther.

Cool Finds

Why Scientists Are Psyched About a River-Crossing Panther

This big cat is the first female thought to enter the area in over 40 years

An original Western Union stock ticker from the Oakland Museum of California.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

The Physical Stock Ticker Is a Relic, But Its Influence Reverberates Loudly Today

On this day 149 years ago, the first digital transmitter debuted

These bikes won't just make it easier to get around Marrakech—they could also send a message to world leaders about ways to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Cool Finds

Africa Just Got Its First Bike Share Program

Now you can get around Marrakech on a fleet of bicycles—no air pollution needed

Little People meant big fun for generations of imaginative kids.

Cool Finds

These Childhood Delights Just Made It Into the National Toy Hall of Fame

Dungeons & Dragons, Little People and the humble swing are this year’s toy honorees

Cool Finds

New Underpass Helps New Zealand Penguins Cross Busy Road

The blue penguin colony in Oamaru can now cross between their nesting area and the ocean without dodging traffic

"Wedding Dance in the Open Air"
Pieter Brueghel the Younger
1607-1614, oil on oak panel.

Cool Finds

A Brueghel Painting Long Thought to Be Made by a Copyist Is Going on Display

Vindication for Pieter Brueghel the Younger

"Ginzer"
Kiki Smith, 2000
Aquatint, drypoint, and burnishing etching on paper.

Smith placed the corpse of her cat on the plate and traced the outline to produce the image of the etching before burying him to create the etching.

Cool Finds

A Massive Collection of Cat Art Is up for Auction

The results of an art teacher’s passion project are for sale

Man Mound

Cool Finds

Get to Know Man Mound, One of 10 New National Historical Landmarks

The Interior Department has designated new landmarks including James Merrill’s house, a silent film studio and the only human-shaped effigy mound

Cool Finds

Perfectly Preserved Shipwreck Found in Lake Superior

A team has found the The J.S. Seaverns which sank in Michipicoten harbor in 1884 with its hull intact and dishes still on the shelves

Get out and enjoy free national parks like Arches in Utah for Veteran's Day this November 11.

Cool Finds

National Parks and Forests Are Free Today

Celebrate Veterans Day on public land

Winner, Overall and On the Ground
Angela Bohlke

Cool Finds

Forget Nature’s Majesty. These Photos Show Wildlife’s Goofy Side

Check out the winners of the 2016 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Sssh.

Cool Finds

Researchers Are Recording New York to Make it Quieter

A high-tech aural map could reduce noise nuisances throughout the city

Archival image of one of the U-Bahn's "Dora" trains in service.

Cool Finds

See the Cold War-Era Trains Berlin Is Bringing Back Into Service

The “Dora” is returning to the tracks of the U-Bahn

New Research

Europe’s Oldest Polished Axe Found in Ireland

The 9,000-year-old tool shows that Mesolithic people had sophisticated burial rituals and even cremated their dead

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