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History and Society
The underground burial tombs were used at least as far back as 2500 B.C.
AI-generated photos, also known as synthetic media, are being used to create fake experts and journalists to spread disinformation.
After mammoth investments and two decades of anti-aging research, what do immortality proponents have to show for it?
"Immodest Acts" tells the story of Benedetta Carlini, a lesbian nun who claimed to be a mystic visionary but failed to convince the leaders of her faith.
Moments of social anxiety around truth tend to be accompanied by similar “fool the eye” pop culture phenomena.
Satire and an inflated sense of self-importance collide in a series of maps that goes back more than 100 years in American history.
Benjamin Franklin's lightning rod saved countless lives, but some religious leaders denounced his invention.
The recently discovered Oort cloud comet, Bernardinelli–Bernstein, has the largest known nucleus: 119 km. Here's what it could do to Earth.
Theoretical physicist Brian Greene explores the potential particles of time and why we could, in theory, travel forward in time but not back.
John Templeton Foundation
When was the last time you spent some quality time with yourself?
Single objects rarely change the course of an entire scientific field. Distant object GNz7q, a galaxy-quasar hybrid, might do exactly that.
Archaic humans ventured into Eurasia in waves, not always successfully. They may have started their journey in North Africa or West Asia.
Many atheists think of themselves as intellectually gifted individuals, guiding humanity on the path of reason. Scientific data shows otherwise.
John Templeton Foundation
The Assam stone jars were described as early as 1929. Almost a century later, archaeologists still puzzle over their placement and purpose.
This representation of the Bamum kingdom is a rare example of early 20th-century indigenous African cartography.
There may be thousands of undiscovered mammal species in the world. Most are small, like bats and rodents, but there could be primates, too. A lifeline for Bigfoot enthusiasts?
The U.S. economy is creating thousands of new jobs each month–and overwhelmingly, most of them go to people with education beyond high school.
Lumina Foundation
Frank Slater’s book "Practical Portrait Painting" reveals the secrets of masters old and new, from Leonardo da Vinci to Augustus John.
As far as we can tell, there's no limit to how far it goes on; only a limit to how far we can see. Could the Universe truly be infinite?
Catholic sisters outnumber priests and religious on every continent.
Successful romantic relationships require desire, but that desire doesn't have to be sexual.
Scientology, QAnon, and Heaven’s Gate: why do we seek healing from cults?
There is much more to the Kama Sutra than just sex. It's a guide to anyone wanting more pleasure in life, however they take it.
Most cities reeked of death, defecation, and industrial waste. Still, focusing only on stench means turning a blind eye (or nose) to the many other smells that helped shape human history.
Social media distorts the reality of the public sphere.
An optical telescope with a massive 20-foot (6-meter) mirror has an eye-popping price tag of $11 billion.
There have been some 6,000 Great Lakes shipwrecks, which have claimed an estimated 30,000 lives. These maps show some of them.
To Vladimir Putin, a young KGB colonel at the time, the decision was a colossal mistake.
Scientists have known blobs existed for a long time, but how they have behaved over Earth’s history has been an open question.
Many people perceive the struggle to understand our Universe as a battle between science and God. But this is a false dichotomy.