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A view of part of Honduras' rainforest.

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Did a Recent Expedition Really Discover a “Lost City” in Honduras?

Controversy surrounds the recent announcement of a re-discovered ancient settlement in the jungles of Central America

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Sorry, ‘Ben-Hur’ Remake…No Circus Maximus for You

Rome blocks the remake from filming at the historic stadium

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This is How Earth Welcomed Back Soyuz

Not a bad re-entry after months on the International Space Station

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Who’s Beheading Animals in Sacramento?

Officials can’t figure out who’s behind a bizarre rash of animal mutilations in California’s capital

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Why’s Wikimedia Suing the NSA?

Wikimedia Foundation joins Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others to protest mass surveillance online

A mummified corpse of a Chinchoro girl between 4,000 and 8,000 years old gets a cleaning.

New Research

Saving the World’s Oldest Mummies From Rot in a Warmer, Wetter World

Why are the ancient bodies of the Chinchorro people stored in a Chilean museum rapidly degrading into black ooze?

Smog over Shanghai

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China’s Smog Might Be to Blame for the East Coast’s Rough Winter

A NASA visualization shows how particles from East Asia can swirl into Pacific storms—a source of precipitation for the U.S.

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How Dick Tracy Invented the Smartwatch

The detective’s two-way wrist radio paved the way for the Apple Watch and other wearables

A large band of warmer than average sea surface temperatures, an indicator of El Niño, stretches across the Pacific

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Gear Up for a Scorcher of a Year: El Niño Has Officially Arrived

It’s later than usual and weak, but definitely here

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UN: Destroying the Ancient City of Nimrud Was a “War Crime”

Global outcry after ISIS razes 3,000-year-old archaeological site with bulldozers

Artist’s conception of Dawn entering orbit around Ceres

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Dawn Has Arrived at Ceres

Downlink connection confirms that the spacecraft is in orbit around the dwarf planet

Elephants perform in Wisconsin in 1980.

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Ringling Brothers Is Phasing Out Its Elephant Act

After years of fielding controversy and claims of abuse, “The Greatest Show on Earth” will soon be retiring its trained elephants for good

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Should People Be Allowed to Boat Through Yellowstone?

Conservationists and recreational paddlers are split on whether to open up remaining National Parks waterways to boaters

Louisville, Kentucky.

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Officials Figure Out What Was Making Louisville Stink

A musty smell permeating the city can be blamed on a naturally-occurring chemical largely responsible for the smell of dirt

NASA's Curiosity rover caught this image of its drill just days before a short circuit caused it to shut down.

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Mars Rover Is Out of Commission (For Now)

Short circuit halts Curiosity in its tracks

A herd of domesticated beefalo in Montana. After interbreeding, free-ranging beefalos currently causing problems in the Grand Canyon appear both physically and genetically close to native bison.

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A Beefalo Invasion Is Causing Trouble in the Grand Canyon

Hundreds of the hybrid animals are drying up water resources and messing with the ecosystem, eliciting calls for culling

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Chilean Volcano Erupts in the Early Morning

The 9,000-foot volcano spewed ash, smoke and lava high into the air

Smokey the bear being given a fire helmet by Washington Fire Departments’ deputy fire chief, M.H. Sutton in 1950

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The Real Smokey Bear Has A New Biography

It’s officially licensed by the Forest Service and written from Smokey’s point of view

A nine-banded armadillo.

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How Armadillos Can Spread Leprosy

These tank-like creatures are the only animals besides us known to carry leprosy

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