Cool Finds

Perhaps it's best that this comet is billions of miles away from Earth.

This Perfume Smells Like a Comet

Yum?

Watch Scientists Make Their Own Lava

Basaltic rock and a lot of heat equals a homegrown brew that’s as beautiful as it is dangerous

A squash seedling (though not one of the ancient squash)

An Ancient Squash Dodges Extinction Thanks to the Efforts of Native Americans

Indigenous people carefully tended an ancient squash for thousands of years and now the seeds are seeing a resurgence in popularity

Fossilized teeth from an ancient sperm whale

Landfill Surprises Scientists With 12-Million-Year-Old Whale Fossils

The fossilized remains of a sperm whale were discovered in a newly cleared area of an Orange County landfill

"Dance at Molenbeek," a painting by Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1564-1638) depicts pilgrims dancing to the church at Molenbeek.

A Strange Case of Dancing Mania Struck Germany Six Centuries Ago Today

Modern experts still don't agree on what caused plagues of compulsive dancing in the streets

By Augustus Koch (1840–?) - Amon Carter Museum Texas Bird's-Eye Views [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9140425

Solving a Neighborhood Mystery Reveals Forgotten African-American History

An abandoned lot in San Antonio turned out to be an important part of the city's story

The lighthouse on Loggerhead Key in the Dry Tortugas

A Lucky Artist Will Be Marooned on a Deserted Island

An artist-in-residence program invites applicants to consider spending a month alone in paradise

The library's current location isn't where Hamilton and Burr read books, but the membership library still owns books that they checked out.

This Library Has Books Checked Out by Hamilton and Burr

The New York Society Library was wide enough for both men

The Contentious History of the Cherry Tomato

The salad topper has a long and fraught history

Hemingway made this airy estate his Cuban home away from home—and wrote some of his most famous novels here.

As U.S.-Cuba Relations Warm, This Long-Dead Author Benefits

A new conservation facility is on its way to Hemingway’s home near Havana

That's one big pile of crabs.

Watch a Horde of Giant Crabs Amass Off of the Australian Coast

Hundreds. Of thousands. Of crabs.

Japan Honors the Creator of the California Roll

Some may see it as an affront against sushi, others see an ambassador for culture

The 'Andrea Doria' in its last hours

New Footage Shows Rapid Breakdown of Shipwreck 'Andrea Doria'

Researchers visited the remains of the Italian luxury liner in a submersible to figure out how quickly wrecks deteriorate

Tolkien relied on maps to write his books—and cared a lot about how his fans saw Middle-earth.

One Day Only: A Chance to View One Map to Rule Them All

A rare Tolkien-annotated map goes on display June 23

The supernova designated SN 2016cok can be spotted at the edge of the Messier 66 galaxy, marked by the two rectangular crosshairs.

Spy Two Supernovae in June's Night Sky

After millions of years, their light is finally bright enough to see from Earth

This New York Project Wants You to Write on the Walls

Writing On It All gives voice—and a pen—to one and all

Robot librarians might one day help human librarians track down misplaced books.

This Robot Librarian Locates Haphazardly Placed Books

It's the next best thing since the Dewey Decimal System

Preah Khan of Kompong Svay as seen by Lidar

Laser Scans Reveal Massive Khmer Cities Hidden in the Cambodian Jungle

Using Lidar technology, researchers are discovering the extent of the medieval Khmer empire

One of the World's Most Colorful Places Is in Taiwan

Rainbow Family Village shows there's nothing a man with a paintbrush can't do

Bronze Buckle Shows Ancient Trade Between Eurasia and North America

Metal objects found on Alaska's Seward Peninsula indicate that local people received trade goods from Asia almost 1,000 years ago

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