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Cool Finds

Did Lager Beer Originate In South America?

Residue from 1,000-year-old pots suggests people in Patagonia were fermenting beverages with lager yeast well before the Bavarians

An engraving from later in the 1880s shows rioters burning an orphanage for black children.

The Civil War Draft Riots Brought Terror to New York’s Streets

This dark event remains the largest civil insurrection—the Civil War itself aside—in American history

A record-breaking gathering of Waldo (known across the pond as 'Wally') impersonators in Dublin, Ireland, in 2011.

The Science Behind Our Search for Waldo

'Where's Waldo' was first published on this day in 1987

A fan art drawing of Smaug atop his horde.

J.R.R. Tolkien Gave the World His Childhood Fascination With Dragons in 'The Hobbit'

The dragon Smaug--who debuted in <I>The Hobbit</I> in 1937, was inspired by his early reading of mythology

Cool Finds

Discovery of Porpoise Bones at Medieval Site Mystifies Archaeologists

The remains were found inside a grave at a religious retreat once occupied by monks

New Research

Barn Owls Do Not Suffer From Age-Related Hearing Loss, Study Shows

Owls ranging in age from two to 23 were able to respond equally well to auditory cues

Trending Today

Intact WWI German U-Boat Found Off the Coast of Belgium

It's possible that 23 bodies remain inside the main cabin of the submarine, which likely hit a mine

An endangered Leadbeaters Possum peers from a research restraint bag.

New Research

The World’s Biggest and Smallest Animals Face Greatest Risk of Extinction

Harvesting and habitat degradation are largely to blame

Upton Sinclair ran a partisan newspaper as part of his campaign for California governor.

The Story of Muckraker Upton Sinclair’s Dramatic Campaign for Governor of California

Sinclair was as famous in his day as any movie-star candidate who came later

New Research

Is Animal Hoarding a Distinct Mental Disorder?

There are many differences between people that hoard objects and those that collect critters

Cool Finds

Researchers Want to Revive These 30 Antique English Words

The public can vote on their favorite from a list including hugger-mugger, rouzy-bouzy, nickum and sillytonian

The three bears whom Goldilocks infamously meets

Celebrate 150 Years of the Illustrator Who Brought Children's Books to Life

Arthur Rackham's work defined the style of his era and beyond

The Sphinx in late August

Trending Today

Scotland's Oldest Remaining Snow Patch Expected to Soon Disappear

Known as 'The Sphinx,' the icy spot on the mountain Braeriach hasn't completely melted for 11 years

Agnostus pisiformes

Cool Finds

Look Into the Creepy-Cute Eyes of This Reconstructed, 500-Million-Year-Old Creature

The depictions of Agnostus pisiformis are part of comprehensive review of the Cambrian-era arthropod

An Enigma machine used during World War II to send coded messages

Family Travel

More Than 5,000 Objects of Espionage Are Coming to the Spy Museum

The trove of cool artifacts comes from the world's largest private collection of spycraft

A man named Georgios Papanicolaou invented the Pap smear, but Elizabeth Stern helped figure out how to interpret it.

Why The Pap Test Could Also Be Called the Stern Test

Elizabeth Stern played a vital role in cervical cancer testing and treatment

A gloomy octopus among piles of discarded shells at Octlantis

New Research

Octopus 'City' Found Off the Coast of Australia

Expected to live as loners, gloomy octopuses may actually live in groups bustling with activity

If you open a warm bottle of bubbly, pay close attention to the cloud that rolls out of the neck of the bottle. Over 68 degrees Fahrenheit, it will turn blue.

New Research

Opening Warm Champagne Leads to a Pop of Blue

This flash of color is caused by the same process that colors the sky with its blue hues

Ancient Space Debris Created Hottest Temperature Yet Recorded on Earth

By studying the minerals at a Canadian crater, researchers learn the rocks were nearly half as hot as the sun

A close-up of the stems and optical fibers used to illuminate Field of Light

Stunning 'Field of Light' Surrounds Iconic Australian Rock

As the Sun sets at Uluru, a landscape of lit glass flowers awakens

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