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babies

Baby Sea Stars Are Voracious Predators That Might Just Save an Ecosystem

Along the Pacific Coast, fast and furious sunflower sea stars are vicious hunters as adults—and they're even hungrier when young.
February 27, 2024
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squid

The Weird and Wonderful World of Sex Under the Sea

From penis dueling to pee potions to switching sexes, there’s no one right way of getting it on in the ocean.
February 21, 2024
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noise

Could Fish Sex Be Keeping Floridians Up at Night?

The mating calls of black drum fish might be the source of Tampa's mysterious thumping bass.
February 2, 2024
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outdoor

This Team of Indigenous Women Sculpts Stories in Snow

Team Kwe honors their Anishinaabe roots in the art and sport of snow sculpting.
February 1, 2024
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armor

For Sale: A Mouse-Infested Roman Helmet That's Stumping Historians

Are the mysterious mice adorning this 1,800-year-old helmet part of an ancient joke?
January 31, 2024
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new species

New Species of Octopus Thrives in Deep Sea Nurseries

At warm, deep sea springs off Costa Rica's Pacific Coast, throngs of octopus "balls" gather to tend their brood.
January 16, 2024
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domestication

Do You Speak Chicken?

A new study shows most people can tune into how chickens are feeling based on their clucks alone.
January 9, 2024
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year in wonder 2023

Meet the Black Divers, Bakers, and Truck Drivers Making History in 2023

From New Orleans's unappreciated musical genius to the search for a lost shipwreck off Florida, we highlight our favorite Black History stories of 2023.
December 26, 2023
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reindeer

Reindeer Can Sleep and Chew (Their Cud) at the Same Time

To make it through the long, cold Arctic winters, reindeer can get their beauty sleep while they stock up on calories.
December 22, 2023
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year in wonder 2023

The Year in Weird and Wonderful Sports

From carriage racing to winter surfing to mashed potato wrestling, these competitions captured our imaginations in 2023.
December 21, 2023
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genetics

New Clues Emerge About the Fluffy Dogs Once Bred for Their Wool

The story of these distinctive doggos is emerging from ancestral knowledge of the Coast Salish peoples and a new genetic study of the pelt of a pup named Mutton.
December 14, 2023
Gastro Obscura
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japan

The Woman Putting a West-Coast Spin on Japan’s Traditional Tea Sweets

Wagashi is a way to celebrate the beauty of the seasons.
December 11, 2023
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botany

Herds of Mysterious ‘Glacier Mice’ Baffle Scientists

These moss balls move in unison, and researchers are okay with not knowing why.
December 7, 2023
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poop

The Adventures and Trials of Jack, Scat-Sniffing Superdog

Jack and his handler Collette Yee found challenges, meaning, and each other in their work helping scientists better understand orcas, bats, and more.
December 1, 2023
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penguins

How Polka Dots Help African Penguins Stand Out From the Crowd

A new study shows how the birds identify their mates in a sea of black and white.
November 30, 2023
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exhibit

Scotland's Oldest Tartan Rose From a Peat Bog

The 400-year-old fabric extends the iconic pattern's history in Scotland by over a century.
November 16, 2023
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ornithology collections

North American Birds Will No Longer Be Named After People

Renaming birds isn’t new, but this official change could be the start of something larger.
November 9, 2023
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records

A 500-Year-Old Record of the Aztec Empire Comes to Life

The Digital Florentine Codex’s three languages and thousands of hand-painted illustrations provide a window into culture, war, and daily life.
November 8, 2023
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ominous animals

The Smallest Wild Cat in the Americas Is Also the Cutest Bad Omen

In rural Chile, the kodkod, or güiña, has a bad rep for stealing chickens—and as a portent of death and disaster.
November 1, 2023
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scary stories

For the Love of Fear

In a Swedish amusement park, two volunteers faced their greatest fears—for science.
October 31, 2023
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dolls

Explore the Insidious Secrets of This Haunted Dollhouse

From human-teeth tiles to teeny-tiny taxidermy, this insanely detailed interactive diorama reflects the magic, lore, and history of the Southern Gothic.
October 31, 2023
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appalachia

Explore the United States of Cryptids

Our archives offer a tour of the country's most elusive, mysterious characters.
October 28, 2023
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ominous animals

Does the New Zealand Fantail Connect the Human and Spirit Realms?

The bird is sometimes considered an omen of death, but in Māori tradition, that's just one part of its story.
October 20, 2023
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ominous animals

The Truth Behind the Deathwatch Beetle's Creepy Tap-Tap-Tapping

In the United Kingdom, the insects were once considered omens of death—they're actually much more destructive.
October 11, 2023