Smart News

Pienza's historic city center, which Pope Pius II redesigned in the 15th century, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This Italian Town Silenced a Historic Bell That Kept Tourists Awake. Now, Locals Can't Sleep

The bell battle in Pienza, located in Tuscany, is just the latest example of Italy's tourism troubles

A meteor streaks across the sky during the 2016 Perseid meteor shower in Spruce Knob, West Virginia.

How to Watch the Highly Anticipated Perseid Meteor Shower

This weekend, sky conditions will be almost perfect to catch a glimpse of shooting stars during one of the year's best celestial shows

The young swell shark glows under a blacklight. The swell shark's eyes have adapted to filter out other wavelengths of light so they can better see other sharks.

See the Baby Glow-in-the-Dark Shark Hatched at the Tennessee Aquarium

In coastal waters, swell sharks appear a glowing green color to other members of their species due to a special eye adaptation

Catoctin Furnace in Cunningham Falls State Park, Maryland

DNA Links 42,000 Living People to Enslaved and Free African Americans Buried in Maryland

The research, initiated by the local African American community, could be a roadmap for future genealogy studies

Researchers uncovered this image of a woman under The Fifth Season (1943) using infrared reflectography.

Cool Finds

A Mysterious Portrait Was Discovered Beneath a René Magritte Painting

Researchers found the image using infrared reflectography, and they think it may depict the artist's wife, Georgette

From his home in Ontario, Samuel Peralta displays a sample gold NanoFiche—similar to the smaller, nickel-based NanoFiche that will be traveling to the lunar surface.

The Lunar Codex Will Archive the Work of 30,000 Artists—on the Moon

A series of time capsules will honor and preserve contemporary art from around the globe

Waves along Californa's Central Coast are now a foot taller than they were before 1970.

California’s Waves Are Getting Bigger With Climate Change

Storms that produce massive swells are also occurring more frequently as the planet warms, a new study suggests

The new Orient Express La Dolce Vita train, which is set to launch next year, is one part of Italy's new train tourism strategy.

Grappling With Climate Change and Overtourism, Italy Is Betting Big on Train Travel

New rail routes will help throngs of tourists get around the country in a sustainable way

Firefighters have observed fire whirls on the north side of the York Fire.

Spinning 'Fire Whirls' Tear Through the Mojave Desert Amid California's Largest Wildfire This Year

The dangerous columns of fire can rapidly change direction and spread embers over long distances

Phoenix, Arizona recorded temperatures of 110 degrees Fahrenheit and above for 31 days in a row.

July Was Likely Earth's Hottest Month on Record

With El Niño and human-caused climate change expected to bring more heat in the future, scientists say July's extreme temperatures could soon be surpassed

Captivity, 1974 is a quilted version of a photo taken of Tyler after his initial arrest.

He Was Wrongfully Imprisoned for 41 Years. Now He Has His First Solo Exhibition

In "We Are the Willing," quilter Gary Tyler revisits his time in prison and explores his newfound freedom

A sun bear at the Hangzhou Zoo in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, on August 1, 2023.

Sun Bears Are Not Humans in Disguise, but They Deserve to Go Viral Anyway

Learn five reasons the ursines are so amazing, including their ten-inch-long tongues

An artist's interpretation of what Perucetus colossus would have looked like when it lived some 38 million years ago

This Massive Extinct Whale May Be the Heaviest Animal That Ever Lived

The newly discovered behemoth could unseat the blue whale for the title, but scientists can only make educated guesses about its weight

Inaccessible airplane lavatories are just one of the many challenges travelers with disabilities face while flying.

Airlines Will Be Required to Make Bathrooms More Accessible

Single-aisle planes will face new rules from the U.S. Department of Transportation—but they won’t go into effect for more than a decade

Tupac Shakur designed the gold, ruby and diamond crown ring, which recently sold at auction for a little over $1 million.

Drake Buys the Most Valuable Hip-Hop Artifact Ever Sold: Tupac Shakur's Ring

Shakur designed the piece himself and wore it during his last public appearance before his death in 1996

An aerial view of the city's canal system taken in 2012

UNESCO Recommends Adding Venice to List of World Heritage in Danger

Throngs of tourists and rising water levels are threatening to overwhelm the historic city

The family of Henrietta Lacks pose with a statue of Henrietta Lacks and the artist at an unveiling in the United Kingdom in 2021.

Henrietta Lacks' Family Settles Lawsuit Over the Use of Her Cells Without Consent

Lacks' endlessly replicating cancer cells, collected without her knowledge in 1951, have enabled major medical breakthroughs

Researchers found parts of the original church beneath the cathedral's quire.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover 900-Year-Old English Cathedral's Hidden Medieval Crypt

The team also found the original foundations of Exeter Cathedral's high altar, Roman-era structures and empty graves

The trail measures 1.25 miles long and stands at 32 feet above the ground.

Get a Bird’s-Eye View on the Minnesota Zoo's New Elevated Walkway

Inspired by New York's Highline, the 1.25-mile pedestrian loop repurposes the zoo's shuttered monorail track

Mountaineers came upon the gear and remains of a hiker missing since 1986 last month.

Melting Swiss Glacier Reveals Remains of Climber Who Disappeared in 1986

As climate change warms the planet, more discoveries of human remains and objects in ice are expected to occur

Page 95 of 990