Nora McGreevy

Nora McGreevy

 

Nora McGreevy is a former daily correspondent for Smithsonian. She is also a freelance journalist based in Chicago whose work has appeared in Wired, Washingtonian, the Boston Globe, South Bend Tribune, the New York Times and more.

This illustration depicts what Andromeda's gaseous halo might look like if it were visible to humans on Earth. At three times the size of the Big Dipper, the halo would be "easily the biggest feature on the nighttime sky," per the NASA statement.

Andromeda's Halo of Gases Is Bumping Up Against Our Own, Scientists Say

Researchers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope mapped the gaseous halo that surrounds the Andromeda Galaxy

The rusted metal casket that holds the preserved heart of Pierre David (1771-1839), former mayor of Verviers

Renovations Reveal 19th-Century Mayor's Heart Entombed in Belgian Fountain

Workers unearthed a metal box thought to contain the local leader's organ last month

The Siesta after Millet, Vincent Van Gogh, 1890

Sleep Experts Make the Case Against Daylight Saving Time

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine called for the abolishment of seasonal time changes last week

A musical instrument made out a human thigh bone

Bronze Age Britons Crafted Instruments, Decorations Out of Relatives' Bones

Ancient humans "treated and interacted with the dead in ways which are inconceivably macabre to us today," says researcher Tom Booth

Head of a Bearded Man is believed to have been painted by a member of Dutch master Rembrandt's studio. Further research is necessary to determine if the work was painted by the artist himself.

Painting Deemed Fake, Consigned to Storage May Be Genuine Rembrandt

New analysis confirms the famed Dutch painter’s studio—and perhaps even the artist himself—created "Head of a Bearded Man"

The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, pictured in 2012

A Cable Snapped, and the Arecibo Observatory Went Dark. Here’s Why That Matters

An accident in the middle of the night damaged one of the world’s most important observatories—and scientists still don’t know what caused it

This global map indicates the temperature differences between now and preindustrial times, where dark blue translates to cooler temperatures.

Scientists Project Precisely How Cold the Last Ice Age Was

Researchers used models and data from fossilized plankton to determine the global average temperature at the time

Critics argue that moving the bust does little to address more commonly cited complaints, including the repatriation of looted artifacts and a need to diversify curatorial staff.

British Museum Moves Bust of Founder, Who Profited From Slavery

The London institution, which reopened this week, is reckoning with its colonialist history in the wake of global protests against racism

An illustration of the poliovirus, which causes polio

Wild Polio Eradicated in 47 African Countries

Experts announced Tuesday that the disease, which can cause paralysis and death in young children, has been virtually eliminated from the continent

A photo from the statue's unveiling in Central Park on Wednesday, August 26

Why the First Monument of Real Women in Central Park Matters—and Why It's Controversial

Today, New York City welcomed a public artwork honoring three suffragists. But some scholars argue that the statue obscures more than it celebrates

In the background, an image taken from the Northern Hemisphere of Comet NEOWISE on July 18, 2020. Inset, the Hubble Space Telescope's most recent snapshot of NEOWISE, taken on August 8 as it careens away from Earth.

Hubble Snapshots Reveal That Comet Neowise Survived Its Trip Around the Sun

A close-up taken in August shows the 11,000-mile-wide cloud of dust and gas that shrouds the comet

El Greco, The Assumption of the Virgin, 1577–79

A History of El Greco's Masterful—and Often Litigious—Artistic Career

A 57-work retrospective at the Art Institute of Chicago charts the evolution of the 16th-century painter's distinctive style

Geologist Allan Krill spotted these markings on a boulder the side of the Bright Angel Trail in 2016. The boulder weighs several hundred pounds.

Fallen Boulder at the Grand Canyon Reveals Prehistoric Reptile Footprints

313 million years ago, two reptilian creatures crept over this boulder's surface

An artist's rendering of the mosaic, which is on view at Union Station in Washington, D.C. through August 28

A 1,000-Square-Foot Mosaic of Ida B. Wells Welcomes Visitors to D.C.'s Union Station

The artwork, installed in honor of the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage, celebrates the pioneering civil rights leader and journalist

This mural from the collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture comprises 12 painted plywood panels. It was originally created and displayed in the Resurrection City encampment on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. during the summer of 1968. Resurrection City activists filled the boards of the 32-foot-long wall with slogans, quotes and art.

Taking a Closer Look at a Mural From 1968's Resurrection City

A makeshift wall in Washington, D.C. speaks to a heroic struggle to overcome inequality

The Reclaim Her Name campaign centers on 25 books published by authors who wrote under male pseudonyms.

Why a Campaign to 'Reclaim' Women Writers' Names Is So Controversial

Critics say Reclaim Her Name fails to reflect the array of reasons authors chose to publish under male pseudonyms

Here, scientists at the Goddard Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory use the visible, green wavelength of light to shoot lasers at the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The laser facility at the Université Côte d’Azur in Grasse, France, developed a new technique that uses infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye, to beam laser light to the Moon.

Scientists Shot Lasers at a Lunar Orbiter for a Decade. Then, One Bounced Back

The success might help scientists troubleshoot problems with a data-collection project that dates back to the Apollo era

A visitor walks on the Badwater Basin salt flats on August 18, 2020 in Death Valley National Park, California.

Death Valley Hits a Blistering 130 Degrees, Potentially Setting New Record

If confirmed, this scorcher would be the hottest temperature recorded on Earth since at least 1931

Susan B. Anthony (seen here in 1898) was fined $100 for casting her vote in the 1872 presidential election.

In 1872, Susan B. Anthony Was Arrested for Voting 'Unlawfully'

President Donald Trump posthumously pardoned the pioneering activist on the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage

Oxburgh Hall, a moated Tudor manor house in Norfolk, England, is currently undergoing a major renovation project to fix its roof.

Thousands of Rare Artifacts Discovered Beneath Tudor Manor's Attic Floorboards

Among the finds are manuscripts possibly used to perform illegal Catholic masses, silk fragments and handwritten music

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