World Records

The tail, or fluke, of a humpback whale is identifiable, like a fingerprint is for a human.

Humpback Whale Makes Record-Breaking 8,000-Mile Migration Across Three Oceans, but the Reason Is Still a Mystery

Biologists say mating, climate change or simply being confused might have driven the creature to swim great distances, between Colombia and Zanzibar

Researchers found that in 2023, a decrease in low-altitude clouds, specifically over the Atlantic Ocean, drove an increase in the planet's temperature.

Scientists Find Another Reason Why 2023 Was So Hot: a Decline in Low-Lying Clouds

According to new research, Earth might have reflected less solar radiation last year than in any other year since 1940, a trend that adds to the planet's warming

More than 3,000 known dragonfly species exist.

14 Fun Facts About Dragonflies, From Their Lethal Hunting Prowess to Incredible Migratory Feats

The colorful insects can help humans by eating mosquitoes and will gather in mysterious swarms

The sun sets over Death Valley, California, on July 7, 2024, a day when its temperature reached 129 degrees Fahrenheit.

Climate Scientists Project 2024 Will Be the Hottest Year on Record—and the First to Pass 1.5 Degrees Celsius of Warming

After November 2024 was the second warmest November in the books, experts say the year is "effectively certain" to break the heat record set by 2023

The Stegosaurus named Apex is on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

You Can Now See Apex, the World's Most Expensive Dinosaur Fossil, on Display at a New York City Museum

The largest and most complete Stegosaurus specimen sold for a record-setting price in July, and it is currently on loan to the American Museum of Natural History for four years

Known as the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius, the violin was once owned by the renowned Hungarian musician Joseph Joachim.

This 300-Year-Old Stradivarius Violin Could Become the Most Expensive Musical Instrument Ever Sold at Auction

Crafted by the renowned violin maker Antonio Stradivari in 1714, the rare instrument is expected to sell for between $12 million and $18 million

A diver swims alongside the world’s largest coral colony, located in the Solomon Islands.

See Staggering Photos of the World's Largest Coral, Newly Discovered by Scientists in the Pacific Ocean

The enormous organism is bigger than a blue whale and made up of millions of genetically identical, tiny animals called polyps

Cassius held the title of the largest crocodile in captivity for much of his life. His age? That's harder to know.

After the Death of Cassius, the World's Largest Captive Crocodile, Scientists Are Trying to Solve the Mystery of His Age

The beloved reptile in Australia died last weekend and was thought to be up to 120 years old, though that age is only an estimate. Research on his bones might reveal a more exact number

Elizabeth Francis received a plaque for being the oldest living Texan at her 114th birthday celebration last year.

America's Oldest Living Person, Elizabeth Francis, Dies at 115. She Was a Supercentenarian and 'Houstonian Icon'

Since her birth in 1909, Francis lived through two world wars, segregation, the fall of the Soviet Union, multiple pandemics and the invention of the cellphone

Travis Gienger nicknamed his pumpkin "Rudy" for the Notre Dame football player who inspired the movie Rudy.

Minnesota Teacher's 2,471-Pound Gourd Triumphs in Annual Pumpkin-Weighing Competition

Travis Gienger, who nicknamed his prize-winning pumpkin "Rudy," has been growing gourds for nearly 30 years

John Kunst (left), Ambassador Robert Neumann (center) and David Kunst (right) in Kabul, Afghanistan, on September 30, 1972

Why a Minnesota Man Walked Around the World, Traversing 13 Countries and 14,450 Miles in Four Years

Fifty years ago, on October 5, 1974, David Kunst completed the first verified circumnavigation of the globe on foot. Along the way, he met Princess Grace of Monaco, raised money for UNICEF and lost a brother to bandits

The Prometheus tree once stood in this grove on a mountain in Nevada.

How One Researcher Accidentally Killed One of the Oldest Trees in the World

In 1964, a graduate student cut down a bristlecone pine in Nevada. The tree, now known as Prometheus, turned out to be nearly 5,000 years old

The 200-year-old message was found inside a glass salt bottle.

Students Stumble Upon a Message in a Bottle Written by a French Archaeologist 200 Years Ago

The mysterious missive was written by P.J. Féret, who conducted an archaeological dig at the same site in northern France in 1825

This "everlasting" crystal contains the entire human genome, recorded using ultra-fast lasers, and is meant to instruct future species on how to create humans.

In Case Humans Go Extinct, This Memory Crystal Will Store Our Genome for Billions of Years

Scientists have created "a form of information immortality" meant to instruct future species on how to recreate humans. But who, or what, will find it?

Jared Isaacman takes the first commercial spacewalk.

Astronauts Achieve First-Ever Private Spacewalk on Polaris Dawn Mission

This morning, tech billionaire Jared Isaacman opened the hatch on a SpaceX Dragon capsule in Earth orbit, as cheering erupted on a livestream

Phoenix, Arizona, has experienced a record 100 days in a row over 100 degrees Fahrenheit as of Tuesday. Forecasters say no relief is in sight.

Phoenix Shatters Heat Record With 100 Consecutive Days Above 100 Degrees

Forecasts show no relief from the extreme heat over the next few weeks, which promises to extend the streak far beyond the previous high of 76 days set in 1993

The South American lungfish (Lepidosiren paradoxa) has the largest known genome of the animal kingdom at 91 billion base pairs of DNA.

The World's Largest Animal Genome Belongs to an Odd, Air-Breathing Fish

Scientists sequenced the 91 billion base pairs in the South American lungfish’s genome, setting a record and revealing insights into vertebrate evolution

Fe (pictured with her mate) hatched two chicks this breeding season, bringing the total number of her known offspring to 42.

She's the Oldest Common Loon in the World. She Just Had Her 42nd Chick

Fe, who is at least 38 years old, initially rose to fame as one half of the "resident power couple" at Michigan's Seney National Wildlife Refuge

A cyclist in Uttenweiler, Germany, rides toward the rising sun on July 21, 2024, which briefly held the title of the hottest day on record, until it was broken again one day later.

Earth Reached Its Hottest Day on Record Twice in a Row This Week

The global average surface temperature soared to 17.15 degrees Celsius on Monday, or 62.87 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking a short-lived record set on Sunday

The Wolfe family met Kevin as a puppy, but he grew to be three feet and two inches tall.

The World's Tallest Male Dog Dies Days After Receiving the Record

Kevin, a Great Dane, measured over three feet tall—about the same size as an average 3-year-old child

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