(Credit: NASA/JPL)
The surface of the far side of the moon is far from familiar since it isn’t fully visible from the surface of our own planet. 

Image of the Far Side of the Moon from the Galileo Solid State Imaging System

There’s a swath of our natural satellite that always faces away from our planet. The reason relates to the nature of the moon’s movement. 

Why We See Only One Side of the Moon’s Surface

The “Eye of Providence,” a single eye inside a swirl of light or a triangle, is an iconic symbol of several secret societies, including the Illuminati and the Freemasons. (Credit: GeorgePeters/Getty Images)

Illustration of the Eye of Providence

Secret societies fuel our imaginations, from the Illuminati to the Freemasons to the Odd Fellows. But what is it that they actually do, and why are they as fascinating as they are frightening? 

Why the Illuminati and Other Secret Societies Are So Intriguing

A Eurasian Red Squirrel Sitting Atop Autumn Leaves

Acorns weren’t the only thing that medieval squirrels stashed away. They also hoarded strains of leprosy. 

Medieval Squirrels Served as First Ancient Hosts of Leprosy

Similar to Titanoboa, pictured in the artist illustration above, this new species of snake was probably an ambush predator. (Credit: Jason Bourque/Florida Museum of Natural History)

Illustration of Vasuki indicus near water

A new study suggests that Titanoboa wasn’t the only snake that loomed large in antiquity. 

Slither Aside, Titanoboa, This Ancient Snake Was Also a 50-Footer

Following a few days after the new moon, the crescent moon signifies the start of Ramadan. (Credit: Om Rathore/Shutterstock)

A waxing crescent moon, around three days into the cycle of moon phases.

What is the Intersection of Ramadan and astronomy? Dive into the timing of Ramadan and discover the ties between Islam’s most devout month and astronomy. 

The Beginning of Ramadan Is Signaled by Observations of the Moon

(Credit: Bart Bus) Around 67 million years ago, teams of triceratops moved through the Cretaceous terrain. 

A heard of triceratops walking through a Cretaceous swamp. 

A decade-long dig found five fossilized dinosaurs in the same location, a likely sign of socialization.

Fierce but Friendly, These Fossil Triceratops Stuck Together

(Credit: George Poinar)
Representing the newly named Myrmarachne colombiana species, the spider is the first species of ant-mimicking spider found in fossilized resin. 

A close-up image of Myrmarachne colombiana

The specimen, a rare resin fossil from an ambiguous age, stole the look of a less tasty meal. 

To Avoid Predators, This Fossil Spider Posed As An Ant

(Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech, NASA/JPL-Caltech Photojournal)
An artist’s rendering of the Voyager 1 spacecraft, recently plagued with problems with its communication systems. 


An artist’s rendering of the Voyager 1 spacecraft.

People aren’t the only ones subjected to the aches and pains of aging. Spacecraft are too, as Voyager 1’s trip through space suggests.

Voyager 1’s Communication Malfunctions May Show the Spacecraft’s Age

woman suffering psychological hallucinations doppelganger

Once a trope of folktales and literature, the doppelgänger is now a subject of scientific study. Dive into the tradition and science of lookalikes and discover your odds of finding one yourself.

Are Doppelgängers Real? Revealing The Strange Science of Seeing Double

NASA’s Juno spacecraft took this image Io, showing the Jovian moon illuminated in sunlight reflected off of Jupiter’s surface. (Credit: Image Data by NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS; Image Processing by Emma Wälimäki)

Io illuminated in sunlight reflected from Jupiter. 

Signs of volcanoes abound in new images of Io, the most active moon in our solar system. But the moon wasn’t always famous for its plumes and lava lakes.

Jupiter’s Moon Io Is Alive With Volcanic Activity, Despite Its Initial ‘Dead Moon’ Image

Charlotte is a Urolophus halleri, or round ray, a species of stingray native to the tropical and subtropical seas of the coastal Pacific. (Credit: Iliuta Goean/Shutterstock)

A round ray (Urolophus halleri) sitting above the sand. 

Though the pregnancy of Charlotte, a captive round ray in North Carolina, seems to suggest that stingrays and sharks are capable of mating, scientists say otherwise.

Stingray-Shark Mating Isn't Possible, Even if a Lone Stingray Ends up Pregnant

A native to Africa, a tailed vervet monkey walks across a wet lawn. (Credit: Nwdph/Shutterstock)

Sam Walters