Depictions of plague doctors in the bird mask and floor-length cloak first developed in France during the early 17th century.

The Iron Curtain went to infinity and beyond.

Under layers of dirt, pinpricked with animal burrows and shrubs, archeologists found a circle of mammoth bones — evidence of a dwelling built between 25,063 to 24,490 years ago.

The purpose of such an elaborate structure remains a big open question

It destroyed the trust the people felt for their leaders

Take chemistry, add energy, get life. The first tests of Jeremy England’s provocative origin-of-life hypothesis are in, and they appear to show how order can arise from nothing.

First comes denial. Then panic.

We need to strike a new balance between our private pleasures and our collective survival.

It could be tried again if the city of Hilo comes under threat, although many object to such airstrikes.

The bicycle, as we know it today, was not invented until the late 1800s. Yet it was a simple mechanical invention. It would seem to require no brilliant inventive insight, and certainly no scientific background.

For hundreds of years, enslaved people were bought and sold in America. Today most of the sites of this trade are forgotten. As part of The 1619 Project, we photographed 12 of them.

A humanoid figure dressed as a maid holds a jug in its right hand and, as hidden...

Alex Lunney was a victim of cyberbullying before the word existed.

From poisoned monks and nuclear bombs to the “transfermium wars,” mapping the atomic world hasn’t been easy.

Pandemics have killed millions and toppled empires. They have also brought about social change. Several played roles in the emergence of capitalism.

It's not a myth: William Shakespeare really did write 'King Lear' during the plague. From Edvard Munch to Isaac Newton, here are a few more people who made the most of being isolated.

Its history is as political as it is delicious. Dive into the history of this not-so-Thai noodle dish that was born of politics and nationalism almost 80 years ago.

Not so long ago, people had no idea what would happen to them – and what they would see – once they ascended into the clouds.

A 2003 rape accusation changed how many saw the Lakers star, but it did not change the trajectory of his career.

How on Earth do you patch the software on a computer orbiting the Moon? Very carefully.