On April 23, 2025, the Philadelphia Zoo introduced
four female hatchlings of the critically endangered
Western Santa Cruz Galápagos tortoises to the
public. The new arrivals were named Dorothy, Rose,
Blanche, and Sophia — after characters from the
iconic television series The Golden Girls. They are
the first of their kind to be born at the zoo in its 15...
Just when it seemed every color under the sun had
been named, researchers at the University of
California, Berkeley, have identified a new one.
Called “olo,” this shade lies outside the normal
range of human vision. It can only be seen under
specific conditions using a laser. The five people who
have seen "olo" describe it as a "blue-green of unp...
Sharks have always been considered silent
swimmers. Unlike most fish, these top ocean
predators lack sound-producing organs. But recent
research suggests this might not be true for all
sharks. At least one species produces noise,
challenging our understanding of these stealthy
hunters.
The Vatican announced that Pope Francis died in the
early hours of April 21, 2025. The 88-year-old leader
of the Roman Catholic Church suffered a stroke and
heart failure. The pope had faced several health
challenges in the past few years. Most recently, he
was hospitalized for five weeks with double
pneumonia. Fittingly, his final public address came...
Passover, or "Pesach" in Hebrew, is one of the most
important Jewish holidays. It celebrates the freedom
of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt over 3,000
years ago. The holiday lasts for seven or eight days
and usually occurs in March or April. In 2025,
Passover will be observed from April 12 to April 20.
A glowing green comet is captivating skywatchers
across the Northern Hemisphere. Comet C/2025 F2
(SWAN) was first spotted by amateur astronomer
Michael Mattiazzo on March 29, 2025. He discovered
it while looking through images from the Solar Wind
Anisotropies camera aboard NASA's Solar
Heliospheric Observatory. Since then, the comet h...
Spanish archeologists have recovered a largely
intact shipwreck dating back nearly 2,600 years.
The 27-foot (8 m) long trading vessel was carrying
lead ingots to an unknown destination when it sank
off the coast of Mazarrón, Spain. It remained hidden
in the sand just six feet (1.8 m) below the ocean
surface until divers finally found it in 1994.
A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar on March
28, 2025. The magnitude 7.7 tremor devastated
Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city. As of
March 31, officials have confirmed more than 1,700
deaths. Over 3,400 are injured, and 139 people are
still missing.
