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Cool Finds

Emperor Justinian of the Byzantine and Empress Theodora could almost switch robes in this print

Cool Finds

Gender-Neutral Clothes Are Trendy, But Not New — Humans Dressed Similarly for Centuries

Fashion with distinct looks for men and women is a relatively recent, Western-centric phenomenon

Knights battling during a Medieval fighting championship on January 22, 2015 in Israel.

Cool Finds

Friday Knight Fights: Russian MMA Fighters Go Medieval

The duels are so popular with the fans that the company is actively searching for more knights to fill out its ranks

A male Gentoo penguin brings stones to a female with chicks

Cool Finds

Penguins May Use Poop to Melt Snow From Breeding Sites Before They Get it On

The observation comes from analyzing thousands of images captured by remote cameras trained on penguin colonies on the Antarctic Peninsula

Brewers at work making beer

Cool Finds

Brewmasters Now Using DNA Techniques to Spot Bad Batches

Instead of waiting for bacteria to grow, a quick genetic test can identify problem brews

Cool Finds

Culinary Diplomacy: Why Governments Are Starting Food Trends

Promoting your country’s food is becoming a trendy tactic for nations looking to raise their profile (and tourist revenue)

Cool Finds

How “Operation Mummy’s Curse” is Helping Fight Terrorism

Selling illicit relics is the third most profitable wing of the black market, after drugs and weapons

This 133-foot long wooden steamer, the Rising Sun, is in 6 to 12 feet of water just north of Pyramid Point, where she stranded on October 29, 1917. All 32 people on board were saved.

Cool Finds

In 2015, Lake Michigan Was So Clear Its Shipwrecks Were Visible From the Air

A Coast Guard patrol spotted the wrecks in shallow waters that are only clear after the lake’s ice melts and before summer sediment swirls and algae blooms

Cool Finds

Eau de Death: Perfumer Develops Scents Based on Dead Loved Ones

A French perfumer is attempting to harness the emotional power of scent

Cool Finds

How a Piano Dropped from a Helicopter Paved the Way For Woodstock

The Piano Drop set the stage for the outdoor rock festival

Cool Finds

An Imagined Catalogue of Self-Assembling Furniture

The furniture of the future will put itself together

Illustration of a Greek vase shows Dionysus leading three revelers toward likely hangovers

Cool Finds

Recently Translated Papyrus Details 1,900-Year-Old Hangover Cure

Those disappointed by the effectiveness of this 1,900-year old remedy can instead peruse the eye surgery techniques in other ancient texts

Scientists use underwater vehicles like these to study eruptions beneath the surface.

Journey to the Center of Earth

This is What An Underwater Volcano Sounds Like

Decoding the noises of magma and bubbles will help scientists study explosions from afar

Cool Finds

Here’s How Cinnamon is Harvested in Indonesia

Watch as the inner bark from cinnamon trees is cut and stripped down to create the spice

Cool Finds

There Might Really Be a Planet X, Lurking Beyond Pluto

The far reaches of our own solar system could contain worlds undiscovered.

Cool Finds

This Is Why You Like to Cry In the Shower

Hot, steamy, sad

Ice cores in Colorado are stored in a freezer at -33F. The core pictured here is from Greenland.

Cool Finds

Ice Scientists of the Future Will Study Glaciers That No Longer Exist

Glaciologists are stocking up on ice cores to ensure a future for their field

Cool Finds

Does That Button Really Work, Or Is It a Placebo?

Fake buttons are more common than you might think

A false-color image of Ceres mimics what human eyes would see

Cool Finds

Dawn Spacecraft Sends First Color Images of Ceres

Red and blue tell the tale of a dwarf planet covered in rock and ice

Cool Finds

An Artist Is Trying To Preserve India’s Fading Street Sounds

As shopping malls and suburbs come to Delhi, one woman fights to save the sound of its street vendors

This track pad fits on your thumbnail, and can be customized with nail stickers.

Cool Finds

This Tiny Trackpad Fits on a Fingernail

But why would you actually want one?

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