A team of scientists looking for dinosaur fossils in 2020 made a rare discovery. They found a well-preserved tadpole dating back 161 million years to the middle Jurassic period. This discovery breaks the record for the oldest known tadpole fossil by about 20 million years!...

Since early January 2025, multiple large wildfires have erupted in and around Los Angeles (LA), California, tearing through dry vegetation and destroying entire neighborhoods. As of January 15, 2025, more than 12,000 homes, businesses, schools, and other structures have been destroyed. At least 25 people have died, and more than 100,000 have been forced to flee their homes. Many of these fires are still uncontained. Here is what we know so far....

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, observed annually on the third Monday of January, honors the life and legacy of the American civil rights leader. The federal holiday, which falls on January 20 this year, is designated as a national day of service. It encourages Americans to volunteer and help improve their communities....

Since 1967, the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has wowed Americans with innovative — and sometimes wacky — gadgets. This year’s event, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, from January 7 to 10, 2025, was no exception. Here are some standout products that caught our attention....

When Gu​kesh Dommaraju realized he had a clear path to victory in the World Chess Championship, he could barely contain his excitement. The 18-year-old got the unexpected opportunity, after the reigning champion, China's Ding Liren, made a critical mistake in the final game of their best-of-14 match....

Boris and Svetlaya, a pair of rescued Amur tigers in Siberia, Russia, have reunited as mates after being separated for more than a year and over 100 miles. Their heartwarming love story began in 2014 when they were just cubs, brought together by fate....

NASA is preparing to launch one of its most exciting missions yet. In 2028, the Dragonfly lander will embark on a journey to Titan, Saturn's largest moon. The primary objective of this $3.35 billion mission is to find evidence of early life....

A severe winter storm blanketed the Central and Eastern US with snow and ice. The intense system triggered a state of emergency across several states, from Kansas and Missouri to New Jersey. The Midwest was hit the hardest....

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died peacefully at his home in Plains, Georgia, on December 29, 2024. The former American leader, who turned 100 on October 1, 2024, was the longest-living president in US history. Mr. Carter will be laid to rest at the family's residence on January 9, 2025. He will be buried alongside his wife, Rosalynn, who died in 2023 at age 96. In his honor, President Joe Biden has declared January 9 a federal holiday....

Kasanka National Park in Zambia, Africa, is home to an unlikely natural phenomenon — the world’s largest mammal migration. Each year, from October to December, millions of straw-colored fruit bats from across Africa converge on this evergreen swamp forest. These nocturnal mammals spend their nights feasting on wild fruits in the surrounding farmlands and their days resting in the forest. This cycle continues daily until January when the bats disperse and return to their respective habitats across the continent....

As the clock struck midnight, cities across the globe erupted in a dazzling display of light and color to welcome 2025. These stunning pyrotechnic spectacles lit up landmarks and brought communities together in a shared moment of joy and anticipation for the year ahead. Here is a look at some of this year’s most spectacular displays worldwide....

Canada's WestJet Airlines is well-known for its annual "Christmas Miracle." Now in its 12th year, the heartwarming tradition spreads holiday cheer to unsuspecting individuals. Past "miracles" include delivering care packages to those in need and helping families reunite for the holidays. In 2024, the company focused its efforts on parents....

As days grow shorter and temperatures drop, it might seem like winter has already arrived. However, the astronomical start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere will not occur until December 21, 2024. This date, known as the winter solstice, marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. Meanwhile, residents of the Southern Hemisphere will celebrate the summer solstice on the same day. They will enjoy the longest day and shortest night of 2024....

For many in the United States, Christmas is a time for baking and decorating cookies, finding the perfect gifts for loved ones, and rewatching beloved classics like Elf and Home Alone. However, Christmas traditions vary greatly from country to country. Here are some unique and fascinating holiday customs from around the world....

For Taylor Swift fans, December 13, which falls on a Friday this year, will be a day of celebration. It is, after all, their beloved singer's 34th birthday. But for the millions who suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia — the fear of Friday the 13th — it will be the unluckiest day of the year. The origins of this superstition remain unclear. However, experts have some theories....

"Comedian," a conceptual artwork featuring a banana duct-taped to a wall, fetched an astounding $6.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction on November 20, 2024. Bidding began at $800,000 and quickly surged to $4 million and then $5.2 million, plus $1 million in auction fees. The final price surpassed the $1.2 million pre-auction estimate for the artwork....

A rocket built by students at the University of Southern California (USC) Rocket Propulsion Lab (RPL) has shattered a 20-year record. Aftershock II, launched from Nevada's Black Rock Desert on October 20, 2024, reached an altitude of 470,000 feet (143.3 km). This was 90,000 feet (27.4 km) higher than the previous amateur rocket altitude record of 380,000 feet (115.8 km). It was set by the Civilian Space eXploration Team’s GoFast rocket in 2004....

Hanukkah, one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays, is a joyous eight-day winter festival. It begins on the 25th day of Kislev, the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar. This usually falls between late November and late December. In 2024, Hanukkah celebrations will start at sundown on December 25, coinciding with Christmas Day, and conclude on January 2, 2025. This overlap of the two holidays last occurred in 2005 and will not happen again until 2035....

With Christmas just around the corner, your neighborhood is likely aglow with beautiful lights. But those displays pale in comparison to nature's dazzling light show — the Geminids. Nicknamed the "900-pound gorilla of meteor showers" by NASA, the Geminids outshine others with dust streams that are 5 to 500 times more massive. The "shooting stars" are also easier to spot because they travel through the skies at about 22 miles (35 km) per second. This is about half the speed of the Perseid meteors, which zip by at about 37 miles (60 km) per second every year in August....

On September 21, 2024, Tara Dower set a new speed record on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in the Eastern United States. The 31-year-old American ultrarunner completed the 2,189-mile (3,522 km) trail, which runs from Georgia to Maine, in an incredible 40 days, 18 hours, and 5 minutes. Before Dower’s trek, the record was held by Karel Sabbe. It took the Belgian runner 41 days, 7 hours, and 38 minutes, or about 13 hours more, to finish the trail in 2018....

LignoSat, the world’s first satellite made mostly from wood, reached the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX cargo capsule on November 5, 2024. The palm-sized satellite, named after the Latin word for “wood," will be launched from the ISS into Earth’s orbit later this month. Its mission is to determine if wood can withstand the harsh conditions of space. If successful, LignoSat could pave the way for more environmentally friendly spacecraft designs....

The days following Thanksgiving — Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday — are filled with deals to jump-start the holiday shopping season. However, GivingTuesday, which falls on December 3 this year, has a more altruistic purpose. The "Global Day of Giving" encourages individuals and businesses to give back in meaningful ways. This can include charitable donations, volunteer work, or simple acts of kindness....

An estimated 46 million unlucky turkeys will be the centerpiece of Thanksgiving dinner tables across the US on November 28, 2024. However, Peach and Blossom, two gorgeous white toms from Minnesota, will not be among them....

In January 2019, Adam Staples and his friends traveled to Chew Valley in Somerset, England, to test a new metal detector. While exploring a farmer's field, the device found a trove of silver coins buried in the soil. Staples, an auctioneer specializing in ancient coins, immediately knew they had found something extraordinary....