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Isaac Newton.

Sold: Isaac Newton's Notes on the Philosopher's Stone

The famous physicist's interest in alchemy was hidden until the 1930s.

Sarah Laskow March 13, 2018

Thousands of years ago, Aboriginal people followed water sources across the country, bringing their languages with them.

Climate Change May Have Helped Spread a Language Family Across Australia

When food and water were in short supply, people moved, taking their languages with them.

Natasha Frost March 13, 2018

Millions of Europeans now have a fail-safe reason for why they were up to six minutes late.

Millions of European Clocks Are Running Up to 6 Minutes Slow

How tensions between Kosovo and Serbia caused a wrinkle in time.

Natasha Frost March 12, 2018

Accordions were popular across the Atlantic, too, with the blind musician Joe Mooney playing across the United States throughout the 1940s.

How a Craze for Accordion Music Gave Us 'NME'

The British music magazine focused on the squeezebox before the axe.

Natasha Frost March 7, 2018

Three of the rediscovered apple varieties, identified from old watercolors held by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection, Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library.

The Rediscovery of 5 'Extinct' Types of Heritage Apple

A fruit sleuth digs deep.

Natasha Frost March 6, 2018

Eratap beach, on the island of Efate in Vanuatu.

What Ancient DNA Can Tell Us About the Settlement of Vanuatu

A mismatch between genetics and language has baffled researchers for decades.

Natasha Frost March 5, 2018

The Loch Ness Monster appears on one of the 26 new 10 pence pieces.

The Loch Ness Monster Is the Latest Cryptid to Have Its Own Coin

Scotland's most lovable lake creature has been commemorated on a new ten-pence piece.

Natasha Frost March 2, 2018

The new tardigrade (its head is on the left).

A New Species of Tardigrade Has Been Found in a Japanese Parking Lot

Greetings, Macrobiotus shonaicus!

Natasha Frost March 1, 2018

The silicon skeleton of a glass sponge.

A 10-Foot Long, 11,000-Year-Old Sponge Skeleton Has a Hidden Use

The "sponge record" can tell scientists about the climate of the past.

Sarah Laskow March 1, 2018

Venus of Willendorf customarily lives in the Viennese Museum of Natural History.

The Online Censorship of a 30,000-Year-Old Statuette

Facebook puts the kibosh on the Venus of Willendorf.

Natasha Frost February 28, 2018

The 1885 model of Benz's Motorwagen.

An 1888 Road Trip Sparked Germany's Romance With Cars

But now diesel models, at least, could be banned in city centers.

Sarah Laskow February 28, 2018

A group of bonobos.

The Common Language of Gesture Between Bonobos and Chimps

If a bonobo presented you its arm, would you know what it meant?

Natasha Frost February 27, 2018

Marian Anderson in 1940.

An Incredible Collection of Marian Anderson's Life Is Getting Digitized

The famous singer's archive includes performances, diaries, and scrapbooks.

Sarah Laskow February 26, 2018

The entrance to the now iconic Seed Vault at dusk, with its illuminated artwork over the door.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault Awaits Its Millionth Crop Deposit

Bambara groundnuts, black-eyed peas, and Estonian onion potato seeds are headed to the bank.

Natasha Frost February 26, 2018

The ladder shape composed of red horizontal and vertical lines (center left) dates to older than 64,000 years and was made by Neanderthals.

The Earliest European Cave Art Was Made by Neanderthals

A new study suggests that they had the capacity for symbolic behavior.

Natasha Frost February 23, 2018

A fog hole over Delhi.

The Mystery of the Fog Holes That Form Over Cities

Satellites captured a strange phenomenon in foggy places across the world.

Sarah Laskow February 23, 2018

A wild bee forages for pollen.

Why Bees Prefer the Countryside

Summer in the city can spell danger for some wild bees.

Natasha Frost February 22, 2018

Constructing the nuclear reactor.

America's Secret Ice Base Won't Stay Frozen Forever

Climate change is turning a Cold War project into an environmental hazard.

Sarah Laskow February 22, 2018