Art Meets Science

The team used DNA analysis to determine the brothers' hair and eye color. Top: Spytihněv I and bottom: Vratislav I

3-D Reconstructions Reveal the Faces of Two Medieval Dukes

Researchers used a variety of techniques to visualize what Czech rulers Spytihněv I and Vratislav I might have looked like

The insect, which is barely visible to the naked eye, was probably dead by the time it landed on van Gogh's canvas.

How Did This Grasshopper End Up Trapped in a Vincent van Gogh Painting?

New research offers insights on "Olive Trees" (1889), including the story of the hapless insect trapped on its thickly painted surface

Beeple's Everydays: The First 5000 Days, a non-fungible token, or an entirely digital work, will go up for auction at Christie's later this month.

Entirely Digital Artwork Sells for Record-Breaking $69 Million

The sale marks the third-highest auction price achieved by a living artist

The researchers virtually opened the letters with an advanced X-ray machine. They then used computers to analyze the folds and create a readable, digital model of the unfolded message.

How Researchers Are Reading Centuries-Old Letters Without Opening Them

A new technique enables scholars to unlock the secrets of long-sealed missives

The Bayeux Tapestry dramatizes William the Conqueror's victory over Harold Godwinson in 1066.

Explore Every Stitch of the Famed Bayeux Tapestry Online

Viewers can peruse a high-resolution image of the 224-foot medieval masterpiece, which chronicles the 1066 conquest of England

Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring, c. 1665

Ten-Billion-Pixel Image Shows Every Inch of Vermeer's 'Girl With a Pearl Earring'

A new tool from the Mauritshuis offers viewers a close-up look at every fine crack and brushstroke

"Yellowknife Flurry," a photograph by Nathan Myhrvold, captures the intricate structure of snowflakes.

These Are the Highest-Resolution Photos Ever Taken of Snowflakes

Photographer and scientist Nathan Myhrvold has developed a camera that captures snowflakes at a microscopic level never seen before

Soil samples collected throughout the western United States show the wide variety of minerals and colors belowground.

Meet the Soil Scientists Using Dirt to Make Stunning Paints

Professors in California and Wyoming use the unique palettes to teach geology

YInMn Blue derives its name from its chemical components: yttrium, indium and manganese.

For the First Time in 200 Years, a New Blue Pigment Is Up for Sale

Researchers discovered YInMn Blue in 2009. Now, you can purchase a tiny tube of the bright blue paint for $179.40

This 3D version of Schröder's staircase was crowned the best illusion of 2020.

See the Most Mind-Bending Optical Illusions of 2020

You can create your own version of the winning design with a free, printable kit

Kazumasa Ogawa, Chrysanthemum from Some Japanese Flowers. ca. 1894

How Has Photography's Relationship With Nature Evolved Over the Past 200 Years?

A new exhibition at London's Dulwich Picture Gallery features more than 100 works documenting the natural world

Researchers analyze the microbiome of Leonardo's Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk (circa 1490). Housed at the Royal Library of Turin, the detailed sketch is considered by some scholars to be a self-portrait.

Hidden Microbes and Fungi Found on the Surface of Leonardo da Vinci Drawings

Researchers used new DNA sequencing technology to examine the "bio-archives" of seven of the Renaissance master's sketches

Skeleton preparation of a short-tailed fruit bat embryo (Carollia perspicillata) photographed by Dr. Dorit Hockman & Dr. Vanessa Chong-Morrison of the University of Cape Town.

From a Zebrafish to Nylon Stockings, See This Year's Small World Photography Winners

The 46th annual Nikon Small World photography competition honors the best 88 images out of over 2,000 entries

Peter Paul Rubens' sketch of The Battle of Anghiari, c. 1603

Does Leonardo da Vinci's Missing Masterpiece Actually Exist?

New research suggests the artist completed preparatory work for "The Battle of Anghiari" but failed to finish the painting

Ken Jennings, known to millions as a game show champion, is also is a fan of Alexander von Humboldt, a Prussian naturalist with an endless curiosity.

'Jeopardy!' Champion Ken Jennings on Lessons Learned From Alexander von Humboldt

“I’ll take Alexander von Humboldt for $500, Alex”

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

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

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

A "mummy portrait" affixed to a 3- to 4-year-old Egyptian boy's mummy (left) and a 3-D facial reconstruction based on the child's bone structure (right)

3-D Reconstruction Reveals the Face of an Ancient Egyptian Toddler

The digital likeness bears a striking similarity to a portrait attached to the front of the boy's mummy

A mid-1970s painting by illustrator Rick Guidice depicts an extraterrestrial colony designed by Princeton University physicist Gerard O'Neill.

How NASA Marketed Its Space Program With Fantastical Depictions of the Future

When it came to exploring the stars, Americans had to see it to believe in it

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Alexander von Humboldt: The Man History Forgot

Rediscover the 19th-century naturalist who traveled on four continents, wrote 2,500 letters, 36 books and hugely influenced early America

New digital reconstruction of Abbot John of Wheathampstead

Facial Reconstruction Reveals Medieval Monk's 'Impish' Features

Researchers digitally revived Abbot John of Wheathampstead 555 years after his death

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