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The original Thames beater (top) compared to the replica made by a carpenter (bottom).

Researchers Whack Fake Skulls to Learn About Neolithic Weapons

Was the ‘Thames Beater’ used to kill? Four crushed model skulls say yes

A much older Samuel Clemens, perhaps pondering his next invention.

How Mark Twain’s Hatred of Suspenders Drove Him to Invent

Under his given name, Samuel Clemens, Twain held several patents

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Federal Court Strikes Down Ban on ‘Scandalous’ Trademarks

The game-changing case centered on a clothing brand with a cheek

'The Nutcracker' is performed across North America each Christmas season.

How 1950s America Shaped ‘The Nutcracker’

It took the marketing insight of a Russian choreographer to make it all happen

Partridges, turtledoves, geese... you know the drill.

12 Facts About ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’

Amaze and astound your loved ones with these pieces of carol trivia

This laughing doormouse chuckled its way into the winning spot of the "On the Land" category.

Award Winning Images Capture the Goofiness of the Animal Kingdom

Enjoy these masterpieces in animal silliness

A Falcon 9 launch vehicle takes flight during a resupply mission on June 3, 2017. This was the first time that a Dragon spacecraft has been reused.

SpaceX Successfully Launches a Fully Recycled Mission to the Space Station

A previously flown rocket will launch a previously flown spacecraft to the space station

New Research

Shadows of Saturn's Rings Mess With Its Upper Atmosphere

The Cassini probe's final swoops through the rings found that they impact the planet's ionosphere

New Research

Dinosaurs Were Around Before Saturn Had Rings

Data from the Cassini space probe suggests that the rings may be as young as 150 million years old

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New Research

New Map Reveals What Lies Below Greenland's Ice

This map of 'naked' Greenland is the most detailed yet and can help in refining climate predictions

Salvatore Dali with ocelot friend at St Regis / World Telegram & Sun photo by Roger Higgins.

Dive Through More Than 1,000 Dalí Paintings Online

Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation's complete catalogue raisonné, which spans from 1910 to 1983, is sheer surrealist eye candy

The Cinema Museum, Housed in the Workhouse Where Charlie Chaplin Spent His Formative Years, Is Under Threat

The property will go up for sale in 2018

Ounce for ounce, this bird is worth more than gold.

New Research

How the Arrival of One Bird Brought $223,000 to a Pennsylvanian Town

The rare black-backed oriole showed up outside Reading, Pennsylvania, and birdwatchers flocked to the scene

Monir in her studio in 1975

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Inside the First Museum in Iran Devoted to a Female Artist

The new museum houses 50 works by the acclaimed artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai soon after its formation in 2015

New Research

How the Rapidly Changing Shape of This New Island Could Teach Us About Mars

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai has lasted longer than it should, and the processes that formed the island are of interest to NASA

New Research

The Physics Behind the Layers in Your Latte

Layered lattes are a cool trick, but the science of why it happens could help in manufacturing and even studying the ocean

Birdwatch for Science This Holiday Season

Get outdoors for the Audubon's annual Christmas Bird Count

A federal tea taster at work.

The FDA Used to Have People Whose Job Was to Taste Tea

Literally, that was it

The Southern Pole of Inaccessibility. The thing sticking up in the middle is the bust of Lenin.

These Places Are Actually The Middle of Nowhere

These "poles of inaccessibility" are among the world's most remote places

Pearls have been a symbol of extreme wealth for thousands of years.

Here's Why Pearls No Longer Cost a Fortune

Coming up with ways to lower the price of pearls—either through culturing or by out-right fakery—took centuries

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