San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences is mourning the loss of one of its most beloved residents. Claude, an alligator with striking white skin and red eyes, died on December 2, 2025, from liver cancer....

A tiny traveler has joined Earth in its journey around the Sun. The object, named 2025 PN7, is a quasi-moon, an asteroid whose orbit closely matches Earth’s. This makes it look like it follows our planet. The quasi-moon's discovery, revealed on October 22, 2025, offers scientists a rare chance to study near-Earth asteroids....

On the morning of November 23, 2025, the residents of Ethiopia's remote Afar region were jolted awake by an unexpected event. The nearby Hayli Gubbi volcano erupted for the first time in recorded history!...

On November 12, 2025, the United States (US) Mint made its final penny at the Philadelphia facility, ending more than 230 years of production. This landmark moment closed an era that began with the first cent in 1793 and continued through the Lincoln cent in use today. The decision to halt production was driven primarily by cost. By 2024, each penny cost nearly four cents to make. This resulted in substantial annual losses for the Mint....

Researchers have found the largest spider web ever recorded inside a sulfur-rich cave along the Greece–Albania border. The "spider megacity" covers an astounding 1,140 sq ft (105 sq m). This is about the size of a small apartment. This remarkable discovery was revealed by biologist István Urák and his team on October 17, 2025....

The Radio City Rockettes are one of the world's most popular dance groups. Every year, their high-energy routines thrill audiences of all ages at New York City's Radio City Music Hall. The 2025 season promises to be even more spectacular. It marks the all-female group's 100th anniversary!...

A hoard of 15th and 16th-century coins found in a Southern England backyard sold for over $440,000 to multiple bidders at a Swiss auction on November 5, 2025. The final price far exceeded the auctioneer’s estimate of about $300,000....

On November 27, 2025, more than 46 million turkeys will end up on Thanksgiving dinner tables across the US. However, Gobble and Waddle will not be among them. President Trump pardoned the two lucky turkeys in an elaborate ceremony held at the White House Rose Garden on November 25, 2025....

The next time you grumble about short winter days, think of Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska, the northernmost town in the United States. On November 18, 2025, its residents witnessed their final sunset of the year. They will not see the Sun again until around January 22, 2026. That is about 64 consecutive days, or 1,536 hours, of darkness!...

Thousands of elk, deer, and other large animals move across Colorado each year. They graze in the lowlands during winter and return to the mountains in summer. But their paths often cross busy highways. This can make their migrations very dangerous. One of the most hazardous spots is Interstate 25 between the towns of Larkspur and Monument. More than 100,000 vehicles pass there every day. With six lanes cutting through thousands of acres of wildlife habitat, collisions between animals and cars are all too common....

Uranus and Neptune are often called "ice giants." This is based on the theory that they were made from materials that easily freeze in space, like water and ammonia. However, this label does not come from direct observations, since no spacecraft has visited the two giants since Voyager 2 in the 1980s. Instead, it is drawn from computer models built using the planets’ sizes, masses, densities, and gravity fields. Now, a new study by scientists at the University of Zurich is challenging this idea. It suggests that the two planets may contain more rock than ice....

Thanksgiving, celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November, is one of the most anticipated holidays in the United States. The tradition dates back to a harvest feast shared by early European settlers and Native Americans in 1621. The holiday, observed on November 27 this year, centers on delicious food and fun traditions. Here is a brief history of how some of these customs began....

On October 15, 2025, American mountaineer Jim Morrison became the first person to ski down Mount Everest’s Hornbein Couloir. The deep, narrow chute begins at roughly 26,000 feet (8,000 m) on the mountain’s north face, west of the summit. Most of it is extremely steep, with slopes that reach about 60 degrees near the top. Morrison’s party was only the sixth expedition to climb that route and the first successful one since 1991....

The Karowe Mine in Botswana, Southern Africa, is famous for producing large, high-quality diamonds. Previous notable finds include the 1,758-carat Sewelô and the 2,492-carat Motswedi, the second-largest diamond ever found. However, the diamond revealed on October 15, 2025, has captured the attention of gem experts and collectors worldwide. Weighing 37.41 carats, it is half pink and half clear!...

The federal government reopened on November 13, 2025, ending a 43-day shutdown, the longest in US history. This followed President Donald Trump’s signing of a temporary funding bill late on November 12, which let federal employees return to work and allowed government services to resume....

On November 27, 2025, most Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving with big feasts, parades, and "Turkey Trot" races. Many other countries also have celebrations that honor gratitude, family, and the harvest. Here are four Thanksgiving-like festivities from around the world....

The pachycephalosaurs are among the most mysterious dinosaurs of the Cretaceous period. Aside from their famous dome-shaped skulls, very little is known about these two-legged plant-eaters. That is because most fossils found so far consisted only of skull fragments. That changed on September 17, 2025, when scientists revealed the discovery of the most complete — and oldest — specimen of this dome-headed dinosaur....

Honey bees are vital to our food supply. They pollinate the flowers of many fruits and vegetables, supporting about 35 percent of the world's crops. In the US alone, the tiny insects help produce $15 billion worth of food each year....

Sanae Takaichi made history on October 21, 2025, when she became Japan's first female prime minister. Just weeks earlier, on October 4, she was elected as the first woman to lead the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Japan's most powerful political party. Her rise is a major milestone in a country where women are still rare in politics....

Veterans Day is celebrated annually on November 11. It honors the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces. This includes members of the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, National Guard, Air Force, and Coast Guard....

Isabella Orduna was paddling out for an evening surf at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, California, on October 15, 2025, when something nipped at her foot. Startled, she rolled into the water. To her surprise, a sea otter was perched on her surfboard!...

The Los Angeles Dodgers made baseball history on November 1, 2025, by winning their second straight World Series title. They defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in a thrilling seven-game series....

Every fall, Americans buy tens of millions of pumpkins for Halloween. Some are transformed into jack-o'-lanterns, while others are left whole for display. Sadly, interest in these festive gourds fades quickly once the holiday ends. Experts estimate that 80 percent of the over 1.3 billion pounds (5.8 billion kg) of pumpkins purchased every year end up in the trash....

Planning to stay up late on Halloween? Then you will be pleased to know that November 2, 2025, marks the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST). On this day, most North Americans will set their clocks back by an hour, gaining extra time to sleep or play. This simple change will also shift daylight into the morning, making it a little easier to wake up for school or work during the shorter winter days....