Focaccia bread is often credited to the ancient Romans, who baked it about 2,000 years ago. However, new research suggests Neolithic communities were making their own version of the delicious bread as far back as 9,000 years ago....

NASA’s Artemis program aims to establish a sustainable human presence near the Moon's south pole. It began with Artemis I, an uncrewed test flight in 2022. The Artemis II is expected to launch in September 2025. This crewed mission will orbit the Moon to test the spacecraft's capabilities. If all goes well, Artemis III, set for 2026, will land the first humans on the Moon since the 1970s....

Wildlife biologists have discovered the heaviest Florida panther ever recorded. The adult male weighs an impressive 166 pounds (75 kg). This surpasses the typical range of 102 to 154 pounds (46 to 69 kg) for males. Female panthers, which are much smaller, generally weigh between 50 and 108 pounds (22 and 49 kg)....

Max Manow, a member of Red Bull's skydiving team, has redefined the extreme sport with the world’s first mid-air plane hook maneuver. The daring feat involved jumping from a helicopter, catching onto a nosediving plane mid-air, and then free-falling again before landing safely....

Ramadan is the ninth and most sacred month in the Islamic lunar calendar. During this month, archangel Jibril revealed the first five verses of the Quran — Islam's holy text — to Prophet Muhammad. The start of the holy month is determined by the appearance of the new crescent moon. This year, Ramadan is expected to begin at sundown on or around February 28, 2025....

An observant worker at Dewars Farm Quarry in England has helped uncover hundreds of dinosaur footprints. The fossils date back to the Middle Jurassic period (around 166 million years ago). They belong to some of the United Kingdom's largest dinosaurs and offer new insights into their movement patterns....

The Goodyear Blimp is turning 100! On June 3, 2025, the iconic airship will celebrate a century since the first flight of its branded blimp, Pilgrim. This special birthday will be marked with exciting events all year long. They include flyovers in 100 cities across North America and Europe and appearances at cultural events. Three lucky fans, selected by lottery, will also get the rare chance to fly aboard one of the four blimps currently in use....

A kayaker in Chile had the fright of his lifetime when he briefly found himself inside the mouth of a humpback whale. Luckily, the mammal had no interest in eating a human and quickly spat him out....

Plastic pollution is one of the world's most pressing environmental challenges. A large portion of the 400 million tons of plastic produced annually ends up in landfills or the ocean. Unlike organic waste, plastic never decomposes. Instead, it breaks down into tiny pieces called microplastics. These particles contaminate water, soil, and air, harming marine life, livestock, and even humans....

A treasure trove of original Winnie-the-Pooh manuscripts, drawings, and letters sold for $108,000 on January 16, 2025. This price was much higher than the $18,600 estimated by UK-based Fieldings Auctioneers. Two-thirds of the 1920s-era collection was purchased by British fans. The rest went to buyers in the United States....

On January 28, 2025, XB-1, an experimental aircraft built by US company Boom Supersonic, became the first privately built jet to fly faster than the speed of sound. To prove this was not a fluke, test pilot Tristan Brandenburg flew around for two more supersonic runs over California’s Mojave Desert before returning to land....

Ocean shipping moves about 90 percent of global trade, from oranges to televisions. But the industry also produces over 3 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions. If nothing changes, its carbon footprint could reach 10 percent by 2050. UK-based startup Seabound aims to tackle this with a device that can capture up to 95 percent of a ship’s emissions....

Valentine's Day, celebrated on February 14, is observed worldwide, but not always in the same way. While many in the US exchange candy, flowers, and gifts, other countries have their own unique traditions. Some even celebrate on a completely different date. Here are some interesting Valentine's Day customs from around the world....

California's Yosemite National Park is known for its ancient giant sequoia trees and massive rock formations. These include El Capitan and Half Dome. However, from mid-to-late February, the park's main draw is the Horsetail Fall. Under the right conditions, this winter waterfall, takes on a fiery orange glow. This makes it look like lava flowing down El Capitan, giving it the name "firefall."...

After spending months spinning in the Antarctic waters, A23a, the world’s largest iceberg, is on the move again. This massive chunk of ice covers 1,418 square miles (3,673 sq. km). This is more than twice the size of the city of London. It weighs over a trillion tons and is about 1,312 feet (400 m) thick....

On February 9, 2025, over 200 million Americans will tune in to see defending champions Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League's (NFL) championship game. With the Chiefs aiming for a historic third consecutive title, Super Bowl LIX promises to be thrilling. But Super Bowl Sunday is about more than football....

Swedish artist Mikael Genberg has been hoping to put a toy red house on the Moon for 25 years. His dream moved a step closer to reality on January 15, 2025. On that day, his "Moonhouse" set off for the Moon aboard a SpaceX rocket with the Resilience lunar lander built by the Japanese company ispace....

Every year on February 2, thousands of people gather in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, for one of the most unique US traditions — Groundhog Day. At the heart of the event is Punxsutawney Phil, the famous weather-predicting groundhog. According to custom, if Phil sees his shadow, winter will last six more weeks. If he does not, spring will arrive early....

Mount Everest, Earth's highest peak, is growing faster than expected. Recent GPS measurements indicate it is adding up to 2 millimeters annually. This is nearly twice the previously estimated rate. This growth is mainly due to the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates over the past 50 million years. However, a new study by the China University of Geosciences suggests that a river capture event may also be helping the growth of the 29,032-foot (8,849-meter) mountain....

Giant pandas are back at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC, after 15 months! Three-year-olds Bao Li and Qing Bao made their debut to an excited crowd on January 24, 2025. The cubs arrived from China on October 15, 2024. But they had to complete a three-month quarantine before being introduced to the public....

Israel and Hamas signed a ceasefire agreement on January 15, 2025. It marks the first step in ending the 15-month conflict, which has killed thousands and caused widespread devastation in Gaza. The United Nations estimates that 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents have been displaced by the war....

On January 29, 2025, over two billion people worldwide will celebrate the Lunar New Year. Also known as the Chinese New Year, the ancient festival lasts two weeks and is China's biggest holiday. Most businesses are closed for at least seven days. This allows millions of city dwellers to visit family and friends. The festival travel rush is known as Chunyun. It is the world's largest seasonal human migration....

Since January 21, 2025, six planets have been visibly aligned across the night sky. Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn can be seen with the naked eye, while Uranus and Neptune require a powerful telescope. This "planetary parade" is expected to get even more spectacular in February....

When a giant, dolphin-like animal washed ashore a beach in Otago, New Zealand, locals alerted the Department of Conservation (DOC). Upon arrival, the experts realized the 16-foot (5-meter) mammal was no dolphin. It was a spade-toothed whale, the rarest whale species known to science....