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A female astronomer peers through Yerkes Observatory's massive refractor telescope in Williams Bay, Wisconsin.
observatories

Uncovering the Forgotten Female Astronomers of Yerkes Observatory

It all started with a photo of Einstein.
April White January 9, 2024
Relampago del Catatumbo is considered the "most electric" spot on Earth.
science

5 of Our Favorite Podcast Episodes Celebrating Earth's Natural Wonders

From everlasting lightning storms to magnificent bioluminescence, these classic episodes will delight and intrigue you.
The Podcast Team January 5, 2024
The Northern bald ibis, 'waldrapp' in German, seen in 2018.
lighthouses

Wonder Is Everywhere: Silk Dress Secret, the Last Lightkeeper, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.
April White January 5, 2024
science

Half a Billion Years Ago, These ‘Terror Beasts’ Ruled the Seas

Spoiler alert: They’re giant worms.
Gemma Tarlach January 4, 2024
One distinction between a snail and a slug: The snail has a shell.
science

Why Are Snails and Slugs So Slow?

These mollusks evolved to mosey along at a particularly ponderous pace—the reasons why may surprise you.
John Tooker, Daniel Bliss, and Jared Adam January 2, 2024
No one has ever solved the mystery of the Bell Witch.
witchcraft

2023 Was a Year Full of Mysteries

Our favorite tales of puzzles and perplexities.
Diana Hubbell December 29, 2023
The squirrel monkey known as Miss Baker helped usher in the wonders of space exploration—and is the topic of one of our favorite classic podcast episodes.
meteorites

5 of Our Favorite Podcast Episodes to Celebrate Winter Wonder

From mysterious explosions to a squirrel monkey in space, these classic episodes will delight and intrigue you.
The Podcast Team December 29, 2023
The pink fairy armadillo is so rarely spotted that scientists know very little about the Argentinian species.
science

A Year of Spectacular, Adorable, Sometimes a Little Scary Animals

From cute death omens to post-nuclear-disaster predators, these animals captivated us in 2023.
Danielle Hallock December 27, 2023
Arctic reindeer deal with weeks of total darkness in the winter and full sun in the summer by overriding their circadian rhythm.
science

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.
Roxanne Hoorn December 22, 2023
High salinity—and the microorganisms that thrive in it—turn part of Utah's Great Salt Lake pink.
science

Wonder Is Everywhere: A Lost Color, a Rare Giant Rat, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.
April White December 22, 2023
Video

This Volcano Won't Stop Erupting | Untold Earth

10:03
science

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.
Roxanne Hoorn December 14, 2023
Manchester, England

Dalton's Entry

An obscure walkway dedicated to a scientist who helped pave the way for the world to sit up and take notice of Manchester.
The parasitic plant <em>Sapria himalayana</em>, also known as the jeweled corpse flower, was one of several rare species found in the Siang Valley by ATREE botanists.
science

The Biodiversity of India's Siang Valley Rediscovered After an Infamous Colonial Expedition

A red velvet worm, jeweled corpse flower, and other rare species were found while retracing the route of the bloody 1911-12 Abor Expedition.
Deepa Padmanaban December 12, 2023
A popular tourist destination since becoming a filming location for Game of Thrones, The Dark Hedges is a road enveloped by beech trees in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
floods

Wonder Is Everywhere: Avian Love, Medieval Myths, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.
April White December 8, 2023
Herds of glacier mice, which are actually moss balls, move in concert across the ice.
science

Herds of Mysterious ‘Glacier Mice’ Baffle Scientists

These moss balls move in unison, and researchers are okay with not knowing why.
Roxanne Hoorn December 7, 2023
A illustration imagines the aftermath of Earth's collision with Theia, and how the material ejected by it slowly began to reform into an orbital body.
science

Theia and the Collision That Gave Birth to the Moon

Evidence deep within the planet suggests that remnants of Earth's catastrophic twin might still lie below.
Robin George Andrews December 4, 2023
A holiday gift guide for wonderfully weird individuals.
science

A Curious Collection of Weird Gift Ideas

May your holidays dazzle and bewilder.
Danielle Hallock December 1, 2023