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A closeup of Bernini's "The Elephant and the Obelisk" before it was damaged.

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One of Rome’s Most Famous Sculptures Has Been Vandalized

Bernini’s “Elephant and Obelisk” is missing part of its tusk

Wernher von Braun, one of the architects of the Apollo program, was a Nazi scientist brought to the U.S. in secret in 1945.

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Why the U.S. Government Brought Nazi Scientists to America After World War II

As the war came to a close, the U.S. government was itching to get ahold of the German wartime technology

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The Colosseum Waits on Funding for Critical Repairs in the Fight Over Rome’s Subway System

Caretakers fear the row over the metro's overspending could endanger the ancient arena

New Research

What Cell Phone Grime Reveals About Lifestyle

Chemical traces left on cell phones show what people eat, what drugs they take and even what cosmetics they use

Electron escaping a helium atom

New Research

Meet the Zeptosecond, the Smallest Slice of Time Yet Recorded

Using an two types of lasers, researchers measured the ejection of helium electrons with previously unheard of precision

Spotted: one adventurous female panther.

Cool Finds

Why Scientists Are Psyched About a River-Crossing Panther

This big cat is the first female thought to enter the area in over 40 years

American soldiers in Nimrud in 2008, with the Ziggurat in the background.

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ISIS Has Destroyed a Nearly 3,000-Year-Old Assyrian Ziggurat

The ziggurat of Nimrud was the ancient city’s central temple

An original Western Union stock ticker from the Oakland Museum of California.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

The Physical Stock Ticker Is a Relic, But Its Influence Reverberates Loudly Today

On this day 149 years ago, the first digital transmitter debuted

Gwen Ifill died today. She was 61.

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Five Things to Know About Gwen Ifill

The late, great reporter turned curiosity into a career that changed journalism

These bikes won't just make it easier to get around Marrakech—they could also send a message to world leaders about ways to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Cool Finds

Africa Just Got Its First Bike Share Program

Now you can get around Marrakech on a fleet of bicycles—no air pollution needed

The Birmingham Central Mosque in the United Kingdom.

New Research

How Astronomy Cameras Are Helping British Muslims Schedule Morning Prayers

The cameras would help track exactly when the sun rises

Little People meant big fun for generations of imaginative kids.

Cool Finds

These Childhood Delights Just Made It Into the National Toy Hall of Fame

<i>Dungeons & Dragons</i>, Little People and the humble swing are this year’s toy honorees

New animal research could one day mean that a scene like this doesn't freak out hikers.

New Research

Scientists May Have Figured Out How to Make Poison Ivy Itch Less

Researchers identify a protein associated with itchy rash in mice

Cool Finds

New Underpass Helps New Zealand Penguins Cross Busy Road

The blue penguin colony in Oamaru can now cross between their nesting area and the ocean without dodging traffic

A selection of items from the Papers of Tom Brokaw, including a Pan Am flight bag filled with press passes to historic events, a reporter’s notebook, candid snapshots from NBC News productions, Brokaw’s personal copy of the transcript of taped Nixon conversations, with Brokaw’s handwritten notes.

Cool Finds

Tom Brokaw’s Historic Cache of Papers Will Be Preserved

The broadcaster just donated his personal archive to the University of Iowa

"Wedding Dance in the Open Air"
Pieter Brueghel the Younger
1607-1614, oil on oak panel.

Cool Finds

A Brueghel Painting Long Thought to Be Made by a Copyist Is Going on Display

Vindication for Pieter Brueghel the Younger

An archaeologist studies remains of the Curtain theater's foundations.

New Research

Shakespeare May Have Tailored "Henry V" for a Specific Theater

Archaeological digs at the Curtain theater suggest it looked very different from the Bard’s usual venues

Blue petrel, one of the seabird species that mistakes the smell of algae on plastic as food

New Research

Why Seabirds Eat So Much Plastic

A new study suggests that algae growing on plastic in the oceans makes it smell like dinner

"Ginzer"
Kiki Smith, 2000
Aquatint, drypoint, and burnishing etching on paper.

Smith placed the corpse of her cat on the plate and traced the outline to produce the image of the etching before burying him to create the etching.

Cool Finds

A Massive Collection of Cat Art Is up for Auction

The results of an art teacher’s passion project are for sale

A NOAA illustration shows how La Niña usually affects winter weather.

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It’s Back: La Niña Has Returned

What the phenomenon may mean for winter weather

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