Historians have long suspected that the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, a popular ancient shipping route, is home to numerous shipwrecks. However, seven decades of search by marine archeologists had failed to unveil any traces of the boats. That changed on April 21, 2020, when the Enigma Shipwrecks Project (ESP) team revealed the discovery of a dozen ancient trading vessels in the Levantine Basin, the easternmost part of the Mediterranean Sea....

Nickelodeon's annual Kids Choice Awards show is notorious for dumping buckets of green slime on the heads of unsuspecting hosts and celebrities. Fortunately for the winners, that was not possible during this year's virtual award ceremony, aired on May 2, 2020. To compensate, the popular children's cable channel surprised the millions of online viewers with footage of International Space Station (ISS) astronauts getting "slimed". The video's debut was particularly timely given that May 2, 2020, was National Astronomy Day!...

The COVID-19 pandemic shelter-in-place mandates and the need for social distancing has changed our lives in unprecedented ways and put a damper on everything — from graduations to proms, milestone birthdays and even summer vacations. However, it has also helped raise awareness of the importance of family. Hence, it is not surprising that many Americans plan to go the extra mile to demonstrate their love and appreciation for the real-life superhero in their lives on Mother's Day, which will be celebrated on May 10, 2020....

"Glow in the dark" dolphins may seem like something straight out of a science fiction movie. However, that is precisely what Newport Coastal Adventures' Captain Ryan Lawler and professional videographer Patrick Coyne witnessed on April 22, 2020, when they set out to explore the spectacular neon blue tides that have been lighting up the waters off Southern California's coast since mid-April....

On April 29, 2020, Earth will get an intimidating visitor — a massive asteroid called 1998 OR2. Fortunately for us, the space rock, which experts believe will be the largest one to fly by our planet this year, will be following the strict COVID-19 pandemic regulations. 1998 OR2 will not only be zooming past Earth at a safe "social" space of about 3.9 million miles (6.3 million km), or about 16 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon, but it will also be wearing a "face mask."...

Researchers have long believed that all four-limbed animals or tetrapods, a group that includes amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, evolved from an ancient group of fish known as Elpistostege watsoni, which lived between 416 million and 358 million years ago, during the Devonian Period....

While the novel coronavirus is dangerous for everyone, it is particularly so for the first responders who are being exposed to the illness daily. In the US alone, almost 5,500 nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals have been infected with COVID-19. Of these, dozens have succumbed to the disease. Now, hospital workers worldwide may get some reprieve thanks to Spot, a semi-autonomous four-legged robot developed by Waltham, Massachusetts-based robotics company, Boston Dynamics....

When 99-year-old Tom Moore announced a "walkathon" to help Britain's National Health Service (NHS) staff, he was hoping to collect a modest £1,000 ($1,250). Instead, the World War II veteran has managed to raise millions from donors worldwide in less than two weeks, and the money is still pouring in at unprecedented rates....

Over the years, paleontologists have been able to uncover many mysteries about human ancestors from unearthed skeletal remains. However, not much is known about their development and growth. because most hominin fossils are those of adults, and remains of developmentally young hominins are uncommon. Now, a perfectly-preserved partial skeleton of a Homo Naledi juvenile, who lived on Earth between 335,000 and 226,000 years ago, ​ is providing insights into how our ancient relatives may have aged....

The search for an Earth-like planet that can support life has led to the discovery of many strange worlds, including one with two suns, a lava land, and a shimmering "sapphire" planet. However, none are as extreme or as bizarre as WASP-76b, which boasts 4,352-degree Fahrenheit (2,400-degree Celsius) temperatures, wind gusts of over 10,000 mph, and a steady pelting of iron rain!...

Japan has always been at the forefront of robotic technology. Over the years, the androids have been deployed to work in banks, run hotels, and even serve as personal assistants to the elderly. Now, in what is being hailed as an "industry first," a Tokyo university has used avatar robots to enable students to "attend" their graduation ceremony without leaving home....

NASA's X-plane program, established in 1946 to test and evaluate new technologies and aerodynamic concepts, began with the launch of the X-1 — the first plane to break the sound barrier. Since then, the endeavor has led to numerous industry breakthroughs, including the first supersonic and hypersonic flights, and the first crewed suborbital flight....

Easter, which will be celebrated on April 12, 2020, is one of the most important holidays in the Christian religion. The springtime holiday, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, is usually observed with special worship services, family gatherings, and community-hosted egg hunts....

After an extensive 14-year, $6.6 million restoration, Egypt's oldest pyramid was reopened to the public on March 5, 2020. Located in the Saqqara necropolis, northwest of the city of Memphis, the Pyramid of Djoser was built 4,700 years ago as a tomb for Pharaoh Djoser, the first king of the 3rd dynasty (2650–2575 BCE). The massive pyramidal funerary complex was neglected for centuries and almost on the verge of collapse before Egyptian officials finally decided to take action in 2006 and bring it back to its former glory....

With over three-quarters of the country under mandatory shutdown orders, and more joining daily, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced hundreds of businesses to shutter and led to widespread layoffs. To mitigate the coronavirus outbreak's economic impact, US lawmakers have passed a $2.2 trillion emergency relief bill, the largest economic rescue package in the nation's history....

Looking for a fun idea to pass time during this COVID-19 pandemic hiatus? Then you will be thrilled to know that Wednesday is April Fools' Day, which means that you can play a light-hearted prank, or two, without getting into trouble!...

Drones have come a long way since their first iteration, which was unsteerable and lifted a mere two feet off the ground during its first flight, was unveiled by French inventor brothers Jacques and Louis Bréguet in 1907. Modern-day quadcopters can be programmed to fly autonomously at high altitudes for long distances, swim underwater, and now, thanks to some University of Zurich researchers, even play dodgeball!...

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed life as we knew it just a few weeks ago. Millions of people worldwide are now under mandatory or voluntary lockdowns. All public attractions, including museums and aquariums, are shuttered, and the usually crowded streets of popular tourist destinations are desolate. An unanticipated silver lining during these challenging times for humans is that many of the Earth's other inhabitants are finally getting a chance to leave their normal habitats and roam freely....

For most birds, nest-building entails creating a bowl-shaped receptacle of twigs and dry leaves. However, don't tell that to the common tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius). The tiny birds, found in urban gardens across tropical ecosystems worldwide, go through extraordinary lengths to sew together a comfortable and safe home for their offspring....

Texas, the biggest of the contiguous US states, prides itself on being larger than life. Everything, from hairstyles to boot heels to food portions to mascots to convenience stores (the largest one boasts 80 soda fountains), is exaggerated. Hence, it should come as no surprise that the Lone Star State is also home to the largest signature on Earth....

Though many single-celled lifeforms have evolved to survive without oxygen, multicellular organisms have always been believed to need it to live. Now, scientists in Tel Aviv, Israel, have found that Henneguya salminicola, a parasite, which spends its life attached to the muscle tissue of fish, has adapted to living without oxygen....

Paleontologists have long determined that modern-day birds evolved from smaller members of the two-legged, meat-eating theropods, such as velociraptors. However, for many years, the only transitional fossil linking the two had been that of the archaeopteryx — a bird-dinosaur hybrid that lived on Earth about 150 million years ago, during the late Jurassic period....

And in the blink of an eye, winter is over — at least when it comes to the clocks. On March 8, 2020, most Americans will "spring forward" by moving their clocks an hour ahead. Though the start of Daylight Saving Time (DST) means sacrificing sixty minutes of precious sleep or playtime on Sunday, it provides for longer spring and summer days....

Though India is home to numerous fun festivals, few are as revered or as widely celebrated as Holi, the festival of colors. Commemorated annually on the last full moon day of the Hindu calendar month Phalguna, this year, the joyous holiday will take place on March 10, 2020....