Smart News

More than 52 million birds died in the U.S. because of avian flu outbreaks in 2022.

Editing Chicken Genes Could Slow the Spread of Bird Flu, Study Suggests

Using CRISPR technology, researchers edited a protein gene that increased chickens' resistance to the virus. But the process is far from practical use

Eric Clapton's guitar, called the "Fool," features a bright, psychedelic design.

You Can Own Guitars Played by Eric Clapton and Kurt Cobain

Both instruments are expected to sell for between $1 million and $2 million at auction next month

A historic dwelling where enslaved individuals once slept will be on display at the park.

New Alabama Sculpture Park Reflects on Slavery's Enduring Legacy

The Freedom Monument Sculpture Park in Montgomery will feature works from prominent artists, artifacts, immersive experiences and a new monument

California condors are attracted to shiny things and sometimes ingest wrappers, coins and padlock keys.

'Love Locks' at the Grand Canyon Could Be Harming Endangered California Condors

Park service officials urged visitors to stop attaching padlocks to fences and throwing keys into the canyon below, where the birds could eat them

Grazer, also known as 128 Grazer, stands in a river in September 2023, after bulking up for hibernation.

Alaska

Meet Grazer, the Winner of Fat Bear Week 2023

A fiercely aggressive mother and a skilled angler, the massive brown bear has been crowned this year's champion in the annual online popularity contest

With their mating season approaching, two male Nubian ibex fight for supremacy on a cliffside. The photograph won the Animals in their Environment category.

See 12 Winning Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest

The stunning entries showcase the behaviors of ancient and elusive species, from horseshoe crabs to tapirs and orcas—as well as the threats they face

The 36 coins date to between the late 1500s and the 1680s.

Cool Finds

300-Year-Old Coins Found Under Fireplace May Be Connected to the Glencoe Massacre

Archaeologists unearthed a trove of 36 coins at a site linked to Alasdair "Maclain" MacDonald, the clan chief who died in the 1692 attack

Travis Gienger attends the weigh-in for his 2,749-pound gourd at the 2023 World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. 

Minnesota Man Sets World Record With 2,749-Pound Pumpkin

Travis Gienger is a horticulture teacher who grows his award-winning gourds in his backyard

An annular solar eclipse, captured by the solar optical telescope Hinode as the moon passed between it and the sun.

How to Watch the Annular 'Ring of Fire' Solar Eclipse on Saturday

A partial eclipse will be visible from all of the continental U.S., but only those in Oregon and the Southwest will have a chance to see the glowing ring

Experts used X-ray and infrared imaging to determine that Rembrandt painted The Adoration of the Kings (circa 1628).

A Painting Originally Valued at $15,000 Turned Out to Be a Rembrandt. Now, It Could Sell for Millions

The hand behind the brush can make or break a painting's worth—especially when that hand belongs to a legendary Dutch master

Because of their size, cats have relatively short vocal cords—so how are they able to produce such low-frequency sounds when purring?

How Do Cats Purr? Scientists May Now Have an Answer

Domestic cats produce low-frequency vocalizations when purring, an unusual ability for their small size

The mummified remains of James Murphy, known as Stoneman Willie, which lay in a funeral home in Reading, Pennsylvania, for 128 years before being buried last weekend.

Pennsylvania Mummy Gets a Proper Burial After 128 Years in a Funeral Home

Nicknamed "Stoneman Willie," the man visited the town of Reading for a convention of firefighters in 1895

Patients with the 1918 flu at a barracks hospital in Colorado.

The 1918 Flu Hit Frailer People the Hardest, Study Suggests

Skeletons of people who died before and during the 20th-century pandemic counter the narrative that young and healthy people were targeted by the disease

Another supposedly unlucky thing: black cats.

Why Are We So Scared of Friday the 13th?

From the Knights Templar to Norse mythology, here’s how fear of the spooky date crept into popular culture

The Field Museum collects bodies of birds that collide with windows. The birds are processed and cleaned by the museum’s flesh-eating beetle colony.

Almost 1,000 Birds Died in One Night From Striking a Chicago Building

Another 1,000 were killed in window collisions across the downtown area, amid calls for more bird-friendly architecture and reduced light pollution

Though beachgoers are not allowed to go swimming, they can lounge in beach chairs and sit under the shade of umbrellas. 

Manhattan's First Public Beach Opens Along the Hudson River

The new 5.5-acre recreation space includes a sandy shore, sports field, picnic area and boardwalk—but swimming isn't allowed

Researchers are still trying to confirm the cause of death, but they suspect the high water temperatures are to blame.

At Least 125 River Dolphins Have Died Amid Drought and Heat in Brazilian Amazon

Though the pink animals' cause of death is not confirmed, temperatures in the remote Lake Tefé reached 102 degrees Fahrenheit in late September

"The Master's Pupil" is a hand-painted video game that takes place inside Claude Monet's eyeball.

This New Hand-Painted Video Game Takes Place Inside Claude Monet's Eyeball

Australian designer and developer Pat Naoum spent seven years creating "The Master's Pupil"

Jackdaws are social birds that mate for life and breed in colonies.

These Birds Will Switch Companions to Earn Food but Stick With Family, Study Suggests

Jackdaws, cognitively complex relatives of crows, have intricate social dynamics and mate for life

Shakespeare may have performed on floorboards recently discovered at a theater in England in 1592 or 1593.

Cool Finds

Did Shakespeare Perform on These Newly Discovered Floorboards?

A historic theater in England claims to have found the Bard’s only surviving stage

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