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China's Plastic Ban Will Flood Us With Trash

New study reports China's ban on importing foreign plastic could cripple global recycling programs and lead to 111 million tons of homeless plastic

The Romeo and Juliet statue in Central Park. Only a handful of statues across New York City depict real women.

New York Is Building a New Monument to Women’s History—And It Wants the Public’s Help

A new initiative titled She Built NYC is asking New Yorkers to recommend potential subjects for the monument

River eels exposed to cocaine suffered muscle damage and other health effects.

Cocaine in the Water Is Hurting River Eels

When researchers exposed eels to the illicit drug, the animals became hyperactive and suffered muscle damage

Wealthy Bostonian John Freake who, a new caption reveals, owned a slave.

Cool Finds

Museum Ties Portraits of the Wealthy to Their Slaveholding Pasts

New signs at the Worcester Art Museum illuminate how wealthy New Englanders benefitted from the slave trade

Charleston's City Hall, where Tuesday's vote was held, was built by enslaved people.

Charleston, South Carolina, Formally Apologizes for Its Role in the Slave Trade

Some 40 percent of enslaved Africans entered the country through Charleston

This striped dolphin, photographed in the Gulf of Corinth, may be grieving a relative. A new study examines the evidence.

New Research

Study Suggests Dolphins and Some Whales Grieve Their Dead

An analysis of 78 instances of cetaceans paying attention to their dead suggests grief may be part of being a highly social animal

A Towering, Toxic Plant That Causes Burns and Blindness Has Appeared in Virginia

The giant hogweed, an invasive species, is more typically seen in the Northeast

The early life stages of these oceanic behemoths are a mystery to researchers.

Cool Finds

Teeming Manta Ray Nursery Discovered in the Gulf of Mexico

Almost all of the rays in the area are rarely seen juveniles, which can reach wingspans of 23 feet when they grow up

DNA from this panda skull, found in Cizhutuo cave in southern China, is the oldest panda DNA ever sequenced.

This Ancient Panda Skull Belongs to a Previously Unknown Lineage

The fossilized skull represents a panda line that split from today’s fluffy creatures 183,000 years ago

An authentic copy of a letter written by Christopher Columbus as displayed at the Vatican. The United States is returning to the Vatican Library a letter written by Christopher Columbus in 1493 announcing his discovery of the New World that was stolen and replaced with a forgery.

Stolen Christopher Columbus Letter Returned to Vatican, But Mystery Persists

The letter, which had been printed in 1493, was replaced with a convincing fake—and investigators still don’t know who committed the crime

Prototype of one of the magnets that will be used in the upgraded Large Hadron Collider.

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The Large Hadron Collider Is Getting A Huge Power Boost

A multi-year upgrade will lead to up to 10 times the collisions, and perhaps the discovery of mysterious new particles

This Alpine peak is the new home of a James Bond museum.

Mountaintop Museum Highlights the History of Bond—James Bond

The new 007 Elements museum is built into the top of an Alpine mountain and features a full-size airplane from the movie <i>Spectre</i>

A crab spider spins out fine silk fibers for its aerial dispersal. The image is displayed as a negative to make the silk easier to see.

Before Soaring Through the Air, Tiny Crab Spiders Study the Wind

A recent study sheds new light on spider flight

Say what? Residents of the town of Liberal, Kansas, are developing a new accent thanks to changing demographics in the area.

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This Town In Kansas Has Its Own Unique Accent

Immigration over the last 40 years has all the young people in town speaking English with a slightly Latin feel

Albert Einstein during a lecture in Vienna in 1921

Einstein’s Travel Diaries Reveal His Deeply Troubling Views on Race

“It would be a pity if these Chinese supplant all other races,” the iconic scientist writes

New Research

Where Did the Aztecs Get Their Turquoise?

New analysis shows the blue-green mineral found in Aztec art was likely mined in Mexico, not the American Southwest as previously believed

Double burial of two plague victims in the Samara region, Russia

Bacteria in Ancient Teeth Push Back Origins of the Bubonic Plague

The deadly disease may have been transmitted to humans at least 800 years earlier than previously believed

I can haz more habitats?

New Research

The UK's Hedgehogs (and Other Mammals) Are In Danger

The island nation's mammal populations have seen a steep decline in the last two decades, with hedgehog numbers decreasing by two-thirds

A reporter photographs "Statue of a Victorious Youth" on display at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

The Getty Is Fighting to Keep a Rare Greek Bronze

An Italian magistrate has ordered that the statue, which was discovered in the Adriatic Sea by Italian fishermen, be returned to Italy

Stephen Hawking's memorial stone in Westminster Abbey.

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A Message From Stephen Hawking Is On Its Way to a Black Hole

After his ashes were interred at Westminster Abbey, a musical composition and "message of hope" were broadcast toward 1A 0620-00, the nearest black hole

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