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three white 3D printed animal skulls
Engineering

3D printed skulls make mounting antlers less of a bloody mess

The fake skulls can take up to 50 hours to print.

NASA’s SPHEREx has mapped the entire sky in 102 infrared colors, which are invisible to the human eye but can be used to reveal different features of the cosmos. This image features a selection of colors emitted primarily by stars (blue, green, and white), hot hydrogen gas (blue), and cosmic dust (red). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Space Telescope

Explore NASA’s most detailed map of the night sky yet

'We essentially have 102 new maps of the entire sky.'

A person bundled up in a hooded jacket and covered in snow is looking toward the camera in a snowy, blurry outdoor environment. The person's face is mostly obscured by a thick layer of snow and frost, with only the area around the eyes and nose showing exposed skin.
Ask Us Anything

The coldest body temperatures humans have survived

In some remarkable cases, people have survived after their core temperature has plummeted into the 50s.

roman ruins in northern england
Archaeology

Diarrhea slowed down Roman soldiers

Intestinal parasites that still plague us today were all over Roman Britain.

3D printed Christmas tree made from ice
Physics

Physicists 3D-printed a Christmas tree made of ice particles

The three-inch-tall tree is more than just a holiday novelty.

Artistic representation of the collision of two planetesimals in the circumstellar disc of the star Fomalhaut.
Exoplanets

First-of-its-kind cosmic collision spotted 25 light-years from Earth

Astronomers initially thought the dramatic burst of light was a new exoplanet.

Swearing and smiling emojis side by side on blue background
Mental Health

Go ahead and swear—it’s good for your health

Cursing can boost your workout, mood, and even confidence.

Anthracite Black Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 headphones on a grey background
Headphones

Our top wireless headphones of 2025 are on sale and arrive before Christmas if you order ASAP

Holiday Gift Guide practical gifts header
Gear

The practical gift guide: 35 boring-but-useful presents anyone would love

A big part of maturing is realizing that sometimes a good pair of socks, a fancy charging cable, or a pair of pliers can be a really great gift.

A taxidermied squirrel named Tommy Tucker standing upright inside a glass display case. The squirrel is dressed in a miniature pink pleated dress with puffy sleeves and a white ribbon tied around the waist, paired with a small pearl necklace. The display case is secured with a brass knob and a black padlock. In the blurred background, papers and a water bottle are visible on a desk.
Animals

During WWII, a dress-wearing squirrel sold war bonds alongside FDR

US bomber crews even carried photos of Tommy Tucker on missions.

several cheeses on a wooden board
Diseases

Brie, cheddar, and other high-fat cheeses linked to lower dementia risk

But don’t load up that cheese plate just yet.

This artist's concepts shows a hypothesized event known as a superkilonova. A massive star explodes in a supernova (left), which generates elements like carbon and iron. In the aftermath, two neutron stars are born (middle), at least one of which is believed to be less massive than our Sun. The neutron stars spiral together, sending gravitational waves rippling through the cosmos, before merging in a dramatic kilonova (right). Kilonovae seed the universe with the heaviest elements, such as gold at platinum, which glow with red light.
Space Telescope

Two neutron stars may have formed the first known ‘superkilonova’

The historic explosion was 1.3 billion light-years away from Earth.

Water flowing through the Hamlin Lake Dam in Ludington Michigan.
Engineering

2,500 ‘high-risk’ U.S. dams are sinking into the ground

Radar shows that the damage may be out of sight for inspectors.

a mother polar bear walking on ice with two cubs behind her
Bears

Rare polar bear adoption could save cub’s life

The cubs were born into a well-studied 'celebration' of polar bears in Canada.

People visit an impression in a sidewalk in the Roscoe Village neighborhood known as the Chicago Rat Hole on January 24, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The decades-old impression in the the shape of a rat (or squirrel) began attracting a regular stream of visitors after a post on X garnered more than 5 million views.
The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week

Chicago’s rat hole wasn’t made by a rat

Plus a retirement home for penguins and other weird things we learned this week.

‘Mr. Fezziwig's Ball,’ an 1843 illustration by John Leech for ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. This novella was the earliest and most popular of Dickens' Christmas stories. The kissing under mistletoe (left) and evergreen decoration hanging from the ceiling are vestiges of pre-Christian winter rites.
Biology

A history of mistletoe: The parasitic ‘dung on a twig’

From its role in kissing to mythological healing powers, mistletoe’s roots run deep.

A part of a fossilized mammal skull, with sediment in a tooth socket that turned out to be a nest built by a prehistoric bee.
Science

Ancient bees laid eggs inside bones

A 20,000 year old fossil uncovered in a tarantula-filled cave has paleontologists stunned.

2025 last minute gift guide header
Gear

Last-minute holiday gift guide: 30 editor-approved gadgets for everyone on your list

Is someone on your list hard to shop for? We've got a ton of great options for just about anyone. And grab a little something for yourself. You earned it.

Cricut machines on sale at Amazon
Gear

Amazon has Cricut machines, accessories, and supplies for their lowest prices of the year for a limited time

These are the lowest prices we have seen in months and they'll arrive in time to work as holiday gifts.

This view of a region called Syrtis Major is from the 100,000th image captured by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter using its HiRISE camera. Over nearly 20 years, HiRISE has helped scientists understand how the Red Planet’s surface is constantly changing.
Mars

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter snaps 100,000th image

A high school student suggested the steep sand dunes of Syrtis Major for the milestone image.