Art is one of the defining characteristics of the human species because nearly all cultures practice it worldwide. From early humans adorning cave walls or painting the body, humans' appreciation of color goes way back. Iconic paintings like Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People, are renowned for their use of color and details. But how were these color pigments made? Some of the world's most iconic brushstrokes and sought-after pigments were made w ...read more

Hippos are the spring breakers of the animal world – follow them, and you’ll find warmth and water. Today, they reside primarily in the lakes and rivers of Africa, where they splash around as the second-largest land animal on Earth. But according to a new study, these sizable creatures once ventured north into Europe and contended with fluctuations in the continent’s glaciers.The fact that modern hippos, Hippopotamus amphibius, once lived in Europe is well-established science. What scienti ...read more

It was the early 1980s on the Hastings family's ranch in Uruguay. The land, called El Baron Ranch, is made up of nearly 3,000 acres of soft rolling hills, meandering streams, and indigenous trees, where today, the family raises free-range cattle. At the time, the family was building a 1,600-foot dam on the land to irrigate rice. And in order to construct the dam, workers sliced off part of a hill. Hidden within the hill, in an outcrop of rock, was a group of fossils nearly 280 million years in ...read more

There are more than 3,000 different species of snakes in the world. As members of the wilderness, they play a crucial role in ecosystems by keeping food webs in check and contributing to them. Snakes are natural predators that control pest populations like insects and small rodents but are also food for raptors and mammals.While many snakes have menacing features or are venomous, some are harmless, look goofy, make excellent pets, or become the subject of memes on the internet. Here are seven ...read more

You likely don’t get much more remote than the South Sandwich Islands. This chain of volcanic islands sits on the boundary of the Southern and Atlantic Oceans, closer to Antarctica or the southern tip of South America than pretty much any other landmass. They are one of the few island chains in the world that weren’t populated (to our knowledge) before European explorers and merchants found them starting in the mid 17th century. Yet, in our increasingly connected world, even remote volcanoes ...read more

Our pets' inability to communicate through words gives us the upper hand in the relationship. This includes assuming a caretaker position where we're responsible for everything from food, water, and shelter to caring for them when sick. While our pets deserve the best care, it can be hard to determine the severity of their injuries or ailments, especially if your pet is known to be a little dramatic. For example, some dogs have pretended to cough because they know they'll get attention for ...read more

One of the great “scientific” endeavors of the Middle Ages was the study of Chrysopoeia, the process of turning base metals such as lead into gold. Most practitioners were doomed to failure but one German alchemist named Sebalt Schwarzer made a single contribution that has stood the test of time. In his 1585 tome, Chrysopoeia Schwaertzeriana, he describes the synthesis of the world’s first high explosive, a substance known as fulminating gold. This crystalline substance turns almost instan ...read more

Snot is slimy, and for most, it's gross and not pleasant. But, for all the reactions that slime can provoke — disgust, pleasure, or fascination — we depend on our slimy secretions. We have snot for a reason, and that slime can protect us from cells and surfaces. For some, watching slime can even provoke feelings of relaxation.Here are five things about snot that you probably didn’t know.1. What Is Snot?Snot, commonly referred to as mucus, is a substance found in the nose and sinuses. It pl ...read more

If you drove on the winding road up the Chilean Andes, you’d spot the white specks of distant telescopes peppering the hills. Sometime by the end of this decade, one of those specks will tower above the rest, visible even miles away.Up close, it resembles a rotating luxury apartment complex. Vents taller than a garage door let in air or shut out desert dust. Though the enclosure stands 22 stories tall, it houses no humans. Instead, when the building splits open each night, you’ll see seven o ...read more

According to the tales of Norse mythology, a sea serpent surrounds the world, circling its waters in a continuous cycle, by biting onto its own tail. When the creature eventually releases its bite, the stories say, a world-ending battle will ensue, destroying the old and ushering in the new.In a similar narrative of rebirth and revival, the name of this sea serpent, Jörmungandr, has recently taken on a new meaning. This year, a team of researchers gave the name to a specimen of mosasaur — a m ...read more