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Insect With ‘Wacky Fashion Sense’ Named After Lady Gaga

It’s not quite a meat dress, but Kaikaia gaga does boast some impressive horn-like appendages




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Where Predators Are Scarce, Mongooses May Transmit More Disease

New research hints at how different environments impact animal behavior and the spread of infection




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After a Lifetime of Donkey Polo, This Chinese Noblewoman Asked to Be Buried With Her Steeds

New research reveals a Tang Dynasty woman's love for sports—and big-eared, braying equids




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These Graphics Help Explain Why Social Distancing Is Critical

The positive outcomes won’t be immediately apparent, but will help reduce the strain on our healthcare system




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Notre-Dame Restoration Pauses Amid France's Two-Week Lockdown

Lead decontamination policies enacted in August are now in conflict with measures to prevent spread of COVID-19




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A Detroit Gallery Is Providing Kids With Coloring Books—and Meals—Amid COVID-19

The Library Street Collective's "We All Rise" coloring book features drawings by around 30 contemporary artists




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Remnants of 13th-Century Town Walls Unearthed in Wales

Caernarfon, where the discovery was made, was key to Edward I's conquest of the Welsh




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In a First, Researchers Record Penguins Vocalizing Under Water

But the scientists still aren’t sure what the birds are saying




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How Australia’s Wilderness Is Recovering From Wildfires

Greenery is sprouting from scorched tree trunks as the forests regrow their canopies




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New Analysis Refutes Nazareth Inscription's Ties to Jesus' Death

The marble slab appears to be Greek in origin and may have been written in response to the death of a tyrant on the island of Kos




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NASA Projects Slowed by COVID-19, but New Mars Rover Perseveres

If Perseverance doesn’t launch this year, it will have to wait until 2022




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How COVID-19 Is Affecting the United States' National Parks

Some sites have closed completely, while others are making modifications to promote social distancing




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Two Men Arrested After Trying to Steal Stones From Notre-Dame

The suspects were found drunk and hiding under a tarpaulin, reportedly in possession of small stones from the fire-ravaged cathedral




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Take a Free Virtual Tour of the Winchester Mystery House

The California landmark is closed, but you can explore its bizarre architectural features from afar




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COVID-19 Could Threaten Great Ape Populations, Researchers Warn

No SARS-CoV-2 infections have yet been detected in our closest living relatives. But there is precedent for viruses jumping from people to other great apes




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China Plans to Lift Lockdown on Wuhan, Where COVID-19 Was First Detected

With no new infections reported in Hubei province in recent days, restrictions are easing up—but experts worry about possible 'second wave' of cases




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Japan's Experiment to Calculate an Asteroid's Age Was a Smashing Success

The spacecraft Hayabusa2 hurled a four-pound copper ball toward the asteroid's surface at about 4,500 miles an hour to create an artificial crater




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Researcher Identifies the Last Known Survivor of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Matilda McCrear was just 2 when she was captured and brought to Alabama on the "Clotilda"




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How—and When—Will the COVID-19 Pandemic End?

Americans have some time before social distancing measures can let up—and every day counts




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Wreck of Cold War-Era Submarine Found Off the Coast of Oahu

After 62 years underwater, the USS "Stickleback"—the casualty of an accidental friendly collision—has finally been found




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April’s Super 'Pink' Moon Will Be the Brightest Full Moon of 2020

Despite the name, moon won’t have a rosy hue. The name alludes to flowers that bloom in April




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Shuttered Museums Use Social Media to Share Bouquets of Floral Artwork

Hundreds of museums are participating in an online attempt to spread joy as COVID-19 keeps their galleries empty




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Watch Seven Medieval Castles' Digital Reconstruction

Architects and designers restored royal ruins across Europe to their former glory




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Scientists Discover Plastic-Munching Microbe in Waste Site

The bacterial strain can break down some of the toxic components of polyurethane plastic




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This Museum Is Asking People to Remake Famous Artworks With Household Items

The Getty Museum hopes its social media challenge will spark inspiration amid the COVID-19 pandemic




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Maine Shipwreck Identified as Colonial-Era Cargo Vessel

Storms reveal, then hide, the ship's sand-covered remains every decade or so




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See Seven New Dazzling, Dancing Peacock Spiders

Hailing from all over Australia, the spiders were identified by a scientist who used to fear them




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Why the National Emergency Library Is So Controversial

The Internet Archive describes the downloadable collection of more than one million books as a library, but critics call it piracy




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Why This Rare, Huge Ozone Hole Over the Arctic Is Puzzling Scientists

The new wound further diminishes Earth’s protective shield against damaging solar radiation




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Dolphin Boy Bands Sing 'Pop' Songs in Sync—and the Ladies Want It That Way

Female dolphins, it seems, aren’t immune to the allure of a harmonizing boy band




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New Tool for Biomedical Research Was Invented in Ancient Egypt

The bright blue pigment that adorns the Bust of Nefertiti’s crown can now be used to study molecular biology




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This Art Campaign Wants You to Participate in the 2020 Census

Due to COVID-19, Art + Action's "Come to Your Census" project has pivoted from posters and events to social media and online outreach




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Hollywood's 'Golden Age' Saw Massive Dip in Female Film Representation

A new study ties the ousting of women directors, actors, producers and screenwriters to the rise of entertainment studios




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This Parasitic Worm Is Thriving in Nature, but May Affect Your Sushi Dinner

The worms are 283-times more abundant than they were in the 1970s, which might be a sign of healthy marine ecosystems




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196-Foot Section of the Berlin Wall Demolished to Make Way for Condos

Angry historians say the stretch of concrete was one of the largest remaining sections of the inner wall




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Four New Species of Prehistoric Flying Reptiles Unearthed in Morocco

These flying reptiles patrolled the African skies some 100 million years ago




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With Many Countries Under Shelter-in-Place Orders, the World Shakes a Little Less

Geoscientists noticed the normal rumbles of human activity picked up by their instruments have died down as much of the world ground to a halt




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The World's Oldest Leavened Bread Is Rising Again

This is the story behind the breads you might be baking in lockdown




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Explore the World Virtually With These Rare, Centuries-Old Globes

Visitors can get up close and personal with augmented reality versions of historic globes recently digitized by the British Library




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Researchers Find Two Fornicating Flies Enshrined in 41-Million-Year-Old Amber

A treasure trove of new fossils unearthed in Australia reveals some raunchily-positioned bugs




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What Experts Know About Masks and COVID-19

The CDC recommends wearing a fabric mask in public where social distancing is difficult, like at the grocery store




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As COVID-19 Reshapes the World, Cultural Institutions Collect Oral Histories

Universities, libraries and museums are among the organizations seeking personal stories about the pandemic's effects on daily life




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Hear Daily Shakespeare Sonnets Recited by Patrick Stewart

The classically trained actor is reading a sonnet a day on Instagram




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The Plague Has Been Quietly Killing Yellowstone Cougars for a Decade

Researchers found that almost half of the mountain lions they tested showed signs of plague infection




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Researchers Calculated a Whale Shark’s Age Based on Cold War-Era Bomb Tests

Nuclear bomb tests caused a spike in a radioactive form of carbon that accumulated in living things




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Microbes Living in Deep Sea Rocks Spawn More Hope for Life on Mars

Starved of resources, these hardy bacteria still eke out a living, suggesting life forms could survive in the harsh habitats on other planets




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Saturn's Auroras Could Help Explain the Weird Amounts of Heat in Its Atmosphere

The planet's temperatures spike around the latitudes where auroras show up




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Newly Discovered Portrait Depicts Woman Who May Have Inspired Jane Austen Character

Mary Pearson, who was briefly engaged to the writer's brother, may be the real-life counterpart of Lydia Bennet from "Pride and Prejudice"




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Take a Virtual Tour of Tate Modern's Andy Warhol Exhibition

The show ran for just five days before the London museum closed due to COVID-19




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The Great Barrier Reef Is Now Facing Most Widespread Bleaching Event Yet

The severity of this year's bleaching is second only to 2016, during which a third of the reef’s corals died