Cool Finds

The NIH, FDA, and VA have policies encouraging labs that conduct animal research to find adopters for healthy animals at the end of studies.

The F.D.A. Will Now Allow Lab Animals to Be Adopted

F.D.A. joins the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Veteran Affairs in adopting a lab animal retirement policy

Every few days, the crew of the Challenger would dredge the ocean floor for sediment and specimens.

Museum’s 150-Year-Old Plankton Have Thicker Shells Than Their Modern Counterparts

The HMS Challenger’s expedition in the 1800s provides a baseline for ocean health as the climate changes

Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 astronaut and geologist, collecting samples of lunar soil in 1972. Along with Eugene Cernan, Schmitt collected about 245 pounds of material for return to Earth.

In a Single Grain of Moon Dust, 'Millions of Years' of Lunar History

Researchers can now analyze precious samples of lunar rock atom by atom

A piece of worked glass unearthed from the English island of Lindisfarne that researchers suspect may have once been a Viking game piece

This Glass Gaming Piece May Hail From First Viking Raids in England

Discovered on the island of Lindisfarne, the artifact was likely once part of a Hnefatafl board game set

The left lobe of Pluto's distinctive heart is called Sputnik Planitia, covered with craterless plains of frozen nitrogen that vaporize each day.

Pluto Has a Nitrogen Heartbeat

Nitrogen on the dwarf planet’s glacial 'heart' becomes vapor each day and freezes each night

Now that's a big bubble.

Here’s How to Blow the Perfect Giant Soap Bubble, According to Physics

Sometimes, science really blows

Bees from the nest structures: A) Head, side, top and bottom views of bees found inside the cells, B) drawing of Eufriesea surinamensis and photograph of the head of a modern bee taken by David Roubik

150-Year-Old Mummified Bee Nests Found in Panama City Cathedral

The nests, covered in gold leaf and paint, act as a time capsule for the surrounding environment circa 1870

This 7,200-year-old well may have once helped early farmers get the most out of their land.

This Czech Well May Be the World's Oldest Wooden Structure

Researchers suspect the 7,200-year-old well stayed intact because it spent several centuries underwater

A satellite view of a region of Buckingham, England where 42 skeletons were recently unearthed on a former farm situated near a cemetery (center)

U.K. Developers Unearth 42 Bizarrely Buried Skeletons

The individuals, buried with their hands tied behind their backs, may be executed Anglo-Saxon prisoners or casualties of the English Civil War

An artist's impression of a pterosaur trying and failing to snag a cephalopod from the ocean

Pterosaur Tooth Found in Rare Ancient Squid Fossil

A tooth embedded in prehistoric cephalopod offers a glimpse into predator-prey interactions from 150 million years ago

Researchers diving amongst the wreckage of the S.S. Cotopaxi, which disappeared almost 95 years ago.

Lost Ship Rediscovered After Disappearing Near Bermuda Triangle 95 Years Ago

Far from falling prey to a paranormal occurrence, the S.S. "Cotopaxi" actually sank during an unfortunate storm

Each finger is made of two layers of hydrogel that react to temperature by contracting and leaking water.

This Robotic Hand Stays Cool by Sweating

The robot is three times more efficient at sweating than the animal kingdom's best, humans and horses

Researchers conducting excavations near Bath Abbey have uncovered the remains of an apse dated to between the late eighth and late tenth centuries.

Newly Unearthed Anglo-Saxon Monastery May Have Hosted England's First Coronation

In the millennia since Edgar the Peaceful's 973 coronation, the content of the royal ceremony has remained largely the same

The Cape coral snake is a venomous species that lives in arid regions of southern Africa.

The Future of Antivenom May Involve Mini Lab-Grown Snake Glands

The antiquated technique used to produce antivenom requires injecting venom into horses and this new method may someday remove that step from the process

A new type of aurora, called auroral dunes, produces horizontal, undulating stripes of green that resemble mounds of sand on a beach.

A New Type of Aurora Ripples Across the Sky in Horizontal Green ‘Dunes’

Originally observed by citizen scientists, the unusual light show might help researchers better understand a poorly studied layer of the atmosphere

The mesmerizing rainbow sheen of jewel beetles Sternocera aequisignata might help camouflage them from predators.

Glitzy Beetles Use Their Sparkle for Camouflage

A new study suggests eye-catching iridescence isn't just for standing out in a crowd—it can conceal, too

The cesspit under the Somerset House is nearly 15 feet deep and contained almost 100 artifacts.

Archaeologists Unearth Trove of Medieval Artifacts in London Cesspit

The precursor to the toilet was probably an easy place to throw away—or lose—small objects

Witch bottles, or talismans designed to ward off evil spirits, were more commonly employed across the pond in the United Kingdom.

Suspected 'Witch Bottle' Full of Nails Found in Virginia

Archaeologists unearthed the blue glass bottle near the hearth of a small fort used during the Civil War

A statue of Pliny the Elder at the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore in Como, Italy

This 2,000-Year-Old Skull May Belong to Pliny the Elder

The Roman statesman launched a rescue mission when Vesuvius erupted but lost his life in the process

The rain brought relief from fire, but coaxed funnel spiders from their hideouts.

Australia Rains Bring Relief From Fires—and a Surge in Deadly Spiders

Encouraged by wet and hot conditions, male funnel-webs spiders are venturing out to find mates

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