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Cool Finds

The Short History of the Invention of Writing

Writing was invented, but by whom?

Cool Finds

Conservationist Are Resorting to Branding Endangered Tortoises

If the tortoises' shells are marred with numbers and letters, they'll be less appealing to poachers

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Fresh From 1849: The First Animated Gif of the Moon

A series of exposures shows the oldest surviving photo of the Moon

Cool Finds

Archaeologists in Egypt Just Unearthed a Previously Unknown Pharaoh's Tomb

Ancient Egypt's King Senebkay just arose after a 3,650 year slumber

New Research

School Really Should Start Later

Pushing start times back just 25 minutes can increase how much sleep teens get and how productive they are

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The Extreme Dakar Rally Is Tearing Up the Inca Empire

500 drivers in an extreme off-road race, and plenty of damage to historic sites

The Franklin Papers includes 4,522 documents, including angry letters the founding father never sent.

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It’s Ben Franklin’s Birthday—Want to Rummage Through His Papers?

4,522 documents, letters and notes that Franklin wrote or received

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The Sochi Olympics Are Turning Into the Security Olympics

Russian authorities have far-reaching plans to spy on guests

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20 Years Ago Today, the Northridge Earthquake Rocked L.A.

Sixty people died and thousands were left homeless in one of the most deadly earthquakes in American history

People bake in the heat at this year's Australian Open.

Trending Today

It’s So Hot They Had to Suspend the Australian Open Because Players Were Passing Out

Australia is getting hotter, creating dangerous conditions for everyone

A couple extra calories isn't going to kill you.

New Research

Diet Soda Makes Breathalyzers Think You’re Drunk

Maybe because you are

A New Way to Find Out If Your Chocolate Is Legit

You no longer have to be expert chocolate-taster to tell whether your cacao beans are as fancy as advertised

From an illuminated manuscript circa 1350s

Cool Finds

Not All the Knights of the Round Table Were White

The storytellers assumed we’d be sharp enough to pick up on their hints that Sir Morien was black. Turns out, we’re not

New Research

To Boost Your Chances of Kickstarter Success, Use These Key Phrases

Some phrases shows up time and again in successful Kickstarters, while others are associated with failure

New Research

Do Babies Fake Cry?

Babies can be evil little creatures: they can even fake cry

New Research

We’ve Got 1.5 Billion Years Left With a Habitable Earth

And then we need to get off this rock

Trending Today

Here's the Paper That Popularized Net Neutrality

Net neutrality might be done for. Here's a look at where it came from

Part of the primary mirror for the James Webb Space Telescope. Imagine this, but... more.

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No One Trusts Geoengineering—But Pretty Soon It's Not Going To Be a Choice

We're very quickly running out of time to deal with rising carbon emissions

Icelanders still hold strong to their belief in fairies

Cool Finds

Icelanders Protest a Road That Would Disturb Fairies

Nepal has the Yeti. The South has Bigfoot. Iceland has fairies

Cool Finds

How Scientists Recorded the Music Inside One Woman's Head

A patient was hallucinating musical scores, and researchers have managed to record it

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