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Category-4 Hurricane Laura hit Cameron, Louisiana on August 27, 2020 with winds up to 150 mph and storm surge in excess of 15 feet. The storm caused costly destruction along the coast and inland to the city of Lake Charles and was one of seven storms that caused more than $1 billion in damages.

U.S. Breaks Record for Billion-Dollar Climate Disasters in 2020

A total of 22 disasters caused $95 billion in total damage, reflecting climate change’s growing cost

On New Year's Day, farmers in Mexico uncovered a sculpture dated to between roughly 1450 and 1521 A.D.

Cool Finds

Farmers Discover Rare Statue of Pre-Hispanic Woman in Mexican Citrus Grove

The sculpture may depict an elite ruler or a fusion of a goddess and a female leader

The Making of a Fresco Showing the Building of a City, a 1931 mural by Mexican artist Diego Rivera, resides in an exhibition space in the San Francisco Art Institute. In a precarious financial position, the school has reportedly considered selling the mural for an estimated $50 million.

Why a California School's Potential Sale of Diego Rivera Mural Is So Controversial

Local officials are seeking landmark designation for the 1931 artwork, likely blocking the San Francisco Art Institute's plan

Toxoplasma gondii grows in tissue cysts which can stick around in the body after illness has passed

New Research

Parasite Found in Undercooked Meat and Cat Poop May Be Linked to Rare Brain Cancer

The U.S. sees about 24,000 brain cancer cases annually, compared to 30 million cases of Toxoplasma gondii, so an individual’s cancer risk is low

A manatee seen underwater. These slow-moving, sea grass-munching marine mammals are incredibly docile, which leaves them vulnerable to harassment and boat propellers.

Florida Manatee Found With 'Trump' Written on Its Back

The threatened species faces other serious threats, including boat collisions, habitat loss and toxic algae blooms

The gardens, which will go on view this spring in a subterranean museum, featured intricate marble designs.

Cool Finds

Caligula's Gardens, Long Hidden Beneath Italian Apartment Building, to Go on View

The infamous Roman emperor's extravagant tastes included opulent marble and exotic animals

Three of eight gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park show mild symptoms of a coronavirus infection

Gorillas at California Zoo Test Positive for Covid-19

Three iconic primates at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park show mild symptoms, including lethargy and runny noses

Authorities recovered thousands of ancient artifacts, including these stone Roman statues.

Authorities in Israel Seize Thousands of Artifacts Looted From Ancient Graves

Thieves stole most of the objects—including coins and pottery—from tombs across the Mediterranean, Africa and South America

Out of 381 pairs of identical twins involved in the new study, 39 had more than 100 differences in their DNA.

New Research

Many Identical Twins Actually Have Slightly Different DNA

In a new study of over 300 pairs of identical twins, only 38 had perfectly identical DNA

“A key tenet of ... constitutional democracy is the peaceful transfer of power following U.S. presidential elections, dating back to the republic’s first presidential election,” said Anthea Hartig, director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, in a statement. “This week, that core belief was shaken.”

History of Now

How the Smithsonian and Other Museums Are Responding to the U.S. Capitol Riot

Leading institutions have started collecting artifacts and working to contextualize last week's violent attack

These huntsman spiders—their full scientific title is Sparassidae, Damastes sp.—prefer to sit and wait in traps they built for the kill.

Huntsman Spider Weaves Leaves Together to Trap Unsuspecting Frogs

Researchers have observed four arachnids hiding in retreats made from binding leaves together with silk

The new plan creates more space for pedestrians and trees.

Paris' Champs-Élysées to Be Transformed Into an 'Extraordinary Garden'

The French avenue's "green makeover" won’t be finished until after the city's 2024 Summer Olympics

If the platypus looks like a mixture of bird and mammal features, it's because it is.

New Research

Platypus Genes Are Just as Odd as the Creature Itself

These egg-laying, lactating animals have genes in common with mammals as well as birds

Activists toppled and defaced Edward Valentine's statue of Jefferson Davis during Black Lives Matter protests in Richmond last summer.

Why a Virginia Museum Wants to Display a Defaced Sculpture of Jefferson Davis

"Actually bringing that statue back to the spot where it was created has a unique power to it," says the Valentine's director

An 1843 aquatint by Jean-Pierre-Marie Jazet, after a painting by Carl von Steuben, depicts Napoleon Bonaparte in his final moments.

Rare Doctor's Note Offers Glimpse Into Napoleon's Agonized Final Years

The 1818 missive, which describes the French statesman's failing health, recently sold at auction for $2,000

The baths featured both male and female pools, as well as laundry facilities.

Cool Finds

'Stunning' Victorian Bathhouse Unearthed Beneath Manchester Parking Lot

The facility offered laundry and bathing services for 19th-century textile workers and their families

The basking shark's scientific name, Cetorhinus maximus, approximately translates to "big-nosed marine monster."

Twenty-Six-Foot-Long Basking Shark Washes Up on Maine Beach

Though often mistaken for great whites, these sea creatures are filter feeders and gentle giants of the sea

Lawmakers voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act for 2021 (NDAA), which includes legislation that will change how the antiquities market in the US is regulated.

How a New Law Will Impact the U.S. Antiquities Trade

In the name of cracking down on money laundering, a new law passed by Congress will increase federal oversight of the art market and limit secrecy

When plants became scarce in the winter, hunter-gatherers tweaked their diets to consume more fats and oils, such as from an animal's lower limbs, brain and organs, leaving plenty of lean meat as leftovers.

Ancient Humans May Have Tossed Meaty Scraps to Wild Wolves, Boosting Domestication

Both species competed for similar prey, but sharing their kills may have eased the competition

Los Angeles County is the most at risk for climate-related disasters out of 3,000 counties analyzed in the United States.

Los Angeles Rated Most Susceptible to Natural Disasters, According to FEMA Data

The report explains how damaging hypothetical, extreme weather scenarios would be and does not represent how frequently devastation actually occurs

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