When the curators at the National Gallery in London, England, applied imaging technology to Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, The Virgin of the Rocks, they fully expected to see a sketch underneath. What they had not anticipated, however, was a drawing that was substantially different from the final masterpiece....

Swimming across the English Channel — the 21-mile-long body of water separating southern England from northern France — is no easy feat. In addition to the strong ocean currents, swimmers also have to endure temperatures that can range from a chilly 64 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius) to a near-freezing 42 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius). However, don't tell that to Sarah Thomas. The 37-year-old American recently became the first person ever to swim across the length of the treacherous stretch of water, which links the southern part of the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, not once, but four times non-stop!...

Though famous American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift may consider 13 her lucky number, millions of people worldwide do not share the sentiment. Things get even worse for the superstitious when the date, as is going to happen this week, coincides with a Friday. While no one knows for sure how Friday the 13th got its fearful reputation, experts have some theories....

On normal days, Buñol, located 30 miles from Valencia, Spain has a population of about 9,000. However, that changes on the last Wednesday of August, when tens of thousands of revelers descend upon the charming town to participate in the world's largest food fight. Called La Tomatina, it entails party-goers throwing tomatoes at each other for an entire hour!...

Russia's Soyuz spacecraft, which has been ferrying all astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS) since NASA retired the space shuttle in 2011, typically carries a crew of three. However, the MS-14 capsule that blasted off from a Russian spaceport in southern Kazakhstan on August 22, 2019, had just one passenger — a humanoid robot named Skybot F-850....

When Leigh Love stumbled upon a bird's leg bone at the Waipara Greensand fossil site in New Zealand's South Island in 2018, he suspected that they might be those of an ancient penguin. With four other species discovered there, the area has been a hotbed for penguin remains from the Paleocene Epoch, which spanned between 66 million and 55 million years ago. What the amateur paleontologist did not realize was that the fossil belonged to the largest, hitherto unknown, penguin species ever found....

Once considered America's national pastime, baseball is on a decline, especially among young Americans who seem to prefer more active sports such as football and basketball. But in Finland, the game's popularity is at an all-time high, especially in rural areas, where it is a favorite in schools and fans in stadiums often outnumber the local population. The reason? Pesäpallo, the Finnish version of baseball, is a faster-paced game that is exciting enough to keep fans of all ages at the edge of their seats!...

Artists are continually striving to find innovative ways to showcase their talent. Some, like Jackson Pollock, produce masterpieces by flinging pigments across the canvas, while others, like Iris Scott, paint with their bare fingers. Turkish artist Garip Ay has gained worldwide fame by adopting Ebru, an ancient technique that allows him to create stunning paintings on water....

If you have spent any time observing seals at the zoo or in the wild, you may have seen the mammals swimming, walking, clapping, and even "barking" at one another. Now, scientists in Scotland have proved that with some vocal training, and the right incentive, the talented animals are also capable of mimicking the human language, accomplishing impressive tasks such as "singing" popular tunes like "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."...

Always wished you could savor your ice cream slowly, without the treat turning into a sticky, melted mess? Then you may want to stop by the Republic of Booza in Brooklyn, New York, for a scoop or two of booza — a stretchy, taffy-like ice-cream that not only lasts longer but is also best consumed twirled around a fork!...

In addition to their myriad other responsibilities, the brave Mars pioneers will also have to be ready to deal with all kinds of medical emergencies. Some ailments, such as common colds and headaches, may be easy to tackle with medication. To help them with more serious issues, like severe skin burns or bone fractures, scientists from the Dresden University of Technology (TUD) have developed a 3-D bioprinter capable of producing human tissue in space....

It is common knowledge that the droplets spread from sneezing are one of the key culprits responsible for transmitting infectious diseases between humans. Now it turns out that some plants have a similar ability to share the "love" and spread pathogens to each other. However, while sneezing in humans is an involuntary response to irritants along the lining of the nose, plants "sneeze" due to a quirk in fluid dynamics....

A charming stray puppy has become an internet darling thanks to her prominent "handlebar mustache" skin pigmentation, which closely resembles the iconic facial hair of the late Spanish artist, Salvador Dali. Five-week-old "Salvador Dolly," along with her brown shepherd mother and ten siblings, were found on the streets of Dallas, Texas, by Hearts & Bones Rescue volunteers on July 10, 2019. The non-profit's director of marketing, Allison Seelig, told Good Morning America, "We were definitely in disbelief — how does a puppy end up looking like this?"...

A perfectly-preserved wreck that has lain unnoticed in the icy waters of the Baltic Sea, between Sweden and Estonia, for over 500 years, has finally been discovered. The European vessel was first detected in 2009, when a sonar survey by the Swedish Maritime Administration indicated a large object in the area. However, it was not until early 2019 that maritime archeologists from the University of Southampton in England and Sweden-based marine survey specialists MMT found evidence of the sunken ship using underwater robotic cameras....

Though there are over 30 meteor showers annually, none are as anticipated as the Perseids, the biggest and most spectacular of them all. The "shooting stars" have been streaking across the skies at a rate of about a dozen an hour, since mid-July. However, the meteors' pace will sharply escalate over the next few weeks, reaching a high of between fifty to a hundred an hour, on August 11, 12, and 13, 2019....

Japan, the host country of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, has promised to deliver "the most innovative Games ever organized." On July 24, 2019, a year before the competition begins in Tokyo on July 24, 2020, the Olympic Committee unveiled its first ingenious idea — medals made using precious metals extracted from discarded electronics....

On July 23, 2019, Boris Johnson resoundingly defeated rival Jeremy Hunt, to become the leader of the United Kingdom's (UK) Conservative Party and the country's 77th prime minister. The nation's highest government seat became vacant after Theresa May, who served the role from 2016 to 2019, tendered her resignation on June 7, 2019. The 62-year-old leader stepped down after failing to garner parliamentary support for her proposal to end the UK's four-decade-long economic and political partnership with the European Union (EU) with as little disruption as possible....

BBC Earth host Lizzie Daly and underwater photographer Dan Abbott released several videos of exciting encounters with marine animals off the English coast from July 7 to July 13, 2019. The pair swam alongside gray seals off the coast of Northumberland, minke whales off the northwest coast of Scotland, and seabirds near Wales. However, the highlight came on the final day of the tour, when the underwater adventurers stumbled upon a massive barrel jellyfish off the coast of Falmouth, Cornwall. The sighting of the mesmerizing animal was a fitting way to end Daly's "Wild Ocean Week" campaign to raise ocean awareness and funds for the UK's Marine Conservation Society....

If the rising summer temperatures have you craving a scoop or two of ice cream, you are in luck: July happens to be National Ice Cream Month. The fun tradition was started in 1984 by former US president Ronald Reagan, in recognition of the treat's "nutritious and wholesome qualities." Proclamation 5219 urges citizens to observe the entire month, or at least the third Sunday of July — designated National Ice Cream Day — “with appropriate ceremonies and activities." As you go about performing your civic duty, here is some fun trivia about the delicious treat to keep you entertained....

Researchers have long envisioned deploying armies of tiny flying robots to tackle vital tasks. The versatile machines could be used as first responders to trace gas or pollutant seepage during natural disasters, to survey crops in large farms, to help astronauts on space missions, and even to assist bees with plant pollination. However, fitting the heavy electronics required to power and control the wings into the robot's tiny frame has been challenging. Now, there is hope, thanks to RoboBee X-Wing — the world's lightest aerial vehicle that can fly without being tethered to a power source....

Though Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, has ferried seven tourists to the International Space Station (ISS) since 2001, America's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been opposed to the idea of commercializing the space lab. That changed on June 7, 2019, when the US space agency announced it will soon allow private-sector "astronauts" to spend up to 30 consecutive days aboard the space lab....

Since late March 2019, local fishers and sightseers on whale watching excursions along the Southern California Coast have been treated to a rare sight — dozens of school bus-sized basking sharks lumbering through the water. This is the first time the "gentle giants of the sea" have frequented the area in such large numbers in over thirty years....

With fewer than 2,000 giant pandas left in the wild, the sighting of one of the cuddly animals is a cause for celebration. However, the one recently spotted trampling through a bamboo forest in China's Sichuan Province is even more so given that it is the world's first known albino panda!...

Fictional British detective Sherlock Holmes is probably one of the most popular and well-known detectives in literary history. Known for his brilliant analytical skills and ability to decipher complicated clues, the consulting sleuth has been depicted on screen 254 times and even holds the Guinness World Record for the most portrayed literary human character in film & TV. Hence, it is not surprising to hear that the Royal Mint, responsible for producing coins in the United Kingdom, has honored the iconic detective with a commemorative coin....