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Nine counties in California, Oregon and Washington had Air Quality Index values over 500, which is usually the maximum measurement on the scale.

West Coast Cities Experienced World’s Worst Air Quality in September

Minuscule particles in smoke may cause long-term health impacts, which will overlap with flu season and the Covid-19 pandemic

The squalene industry kills around 3 million sharks each year, and if squalene is used in a vaccine to treat everyone in the world, up to half a million sharks will be killed.

500,000 Sharks Could Be Killed in the Race to Produce a Covid-19 Vaccine

Vaccine developers seek a compound called squalene produced in shark livers

Self-Portrait as St. Catherine of Alexandria, Artemisia Gentileschi, circa 1615-1617

Why a Long-Awaited Artemisia Gentileschi Exhibition Is So Significant

The Baroque painter is the subject of the London National Gallery's first major show dedicated to a female artist

This 2016 image shows one of the instruments included in Amnon Weinstein's Violins of Hope collection, which features pre-World War II violins once owned by Jewish musicians and music lovers.

Pandemic Temporarily Silences Violins That Survived the Holocaust

Organizers found ways to make the instruments' voices heard after the cancellation of planned concerts in California

Woodrow Wilson, seen here at the start of the Paris Peace Conference in January 1919, never publicly acknowledged the pandemic's toll on his country.

Trending Today

What Happened When Woodrow Wilson Came Down With the 1918 Flu?

The president contracted influenza while attending peace talks in Paris, but the nation was never told the full, true story

A small-banded kukri snake seen with its head thrust inside the body of an Asian common toad. This snake does this to feed on its prey's internal organs, and, perhaps, to avoid the poisonous milky secretions that can be seen on the toad's back.

New Research

This Snake Slurps Organs of Living Toads in Grisly Feeding Strategy

Researchers say no other snakes are known to feed this way, adding that the snakes may feed this way to avoid toxins secreted from the toads’ backs

Some of the corpses looked newly dead but have actually been preserved in ice for more than 800 years.

New Research

Scientist Unearths a Colony of Mummified Penguins in Antarctica

Melting ice revealed an ancient colony that has never before been recorded

Parliament's halls are lined with art.

How the U.K. Parliament's Art Collection Is Linked to Slavery

An initial review identified 189 works depicting individuals associated with the slave trade

Pollinators perceive the higher levels of UV-absorbing pigments as a darker hue, which could be confusing when they try to scope out colorful flowers to land on.

New Research

Flowers Are Changing Color in Response to Climate Change

As temperatures and ozone levels rise, blossoms are adjusting their UV pigmentation

Bruce Crane, A Winter Sunset c.1880s (top) and Edward Hopper, Old Ice Pond at Nyack, c.1897 (bottom)

Some of Edward Hopper's Earliest Paintings Are Copies of Other Artists' Work

Curator Kim Conaty says a new study "cuts straight through the widely held perception of Hopper as an American original"

So far, there are no cases of pet-to-human transmission of the coronavirus, and human-to-pet transmission seems rare.

New Research

New Study Finds Dogs May Not Spread Covid-19, but Cats Can Pass It to Each Other

A study of ten animals tested their reaction to the viral infection and whether transmission followed

The museum is located in Copenhagen's historic center.

The World's First Happiness Museum Opens in Denmark

The Nordic country is consistently ranked among the planet's happiest

A fossilized feather first unearthed in 1861 in Germany. New research suggests the feather came from the bird-like dinosaur Archaeopteryx.

New Research

New Study Reignites Debate Over Which Species Shed the First Fossil Feather Ever Found

Initially discovered in the 1800s, researchers argue that the 150-million-year-old plume came from the fluttering dinosaur Archaeopteryx

Adult Joshua trees—which can live for 150 years on average—sprouted when temperatures were about 1 degree Celsius cooler than today.

In 'a Huge Victory,' California’s Joshua Tree Becomes the First Plant Protected Due to Climate Change

Experts say that climate change will decimate the population of Joshua trees, but California is taking action

A still from "Curious Alice," which features original artwork by Kristjana S. Williams

Virtual Travel

Venture Down a VR Rabbit Hole With This Free 'Alice in Wonderland' Tour

The Victoria and Albert Museum will host a free, Lewis Carroll-inspired virtual reality experience on October 22

Plastics can take hundreds of years to naturally degrade in the environment, something this new combination of enzymes can accomplish in a matter of days.

New Research

Engineered 'Super Enzyme' Breaks Down Plastic

The new enzyme could allow for infinite recycling of common PET plastic used in water bottles and clothing

These frames may have been the first pair of iconic round glasses worn by John Lennon.

Fifty Years After the Beatles Broke Up, Trove of Memorabilia Goes on Auction

Sotheby's sale includes records, posters and a high school detention sheet decrying John Lennon's "continuous silly behaviour in class"

A 15-year study of scans taken in 2004 revealed unseen details, including a hairpin.

Art Meets Science

Is There a Hidden Drawing Beneath the 'Mona Lisa'?

Newly detailed high-resolution scans show traces of a charcoal underdrawing

Researchers test out Curly, an AI-powered curling robot, in 2018.

Curly the Curling Robot Can Beat the Pros at Their Own Game

An AI-powered robot was able to beat professional curling teams 3-out-of-4 times, a new study shows

When human men mated with Neanderthal women a hundred thousand years ago, Neanderthals inherited the human Y chromosome.

How Human Y Chromosomes Replaced Those of Neanderthals in a Quiet Genetic Takeover

When the two early human species mated, their genomes changed forever

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