Most 12-year-olds dream of a big party or a fun
sleepover to celebrate their birthday. But Mia
DaPonte, from East Greenwich, Rhode Island, had a
different goal in mind. She wanted to celebrate by
becoming New England’s first 12-year-old — and the
youngest female in the US — to earn the title of PADI
Master Scuba Diver. This is the highest recreationa...
The papal conclave has ended. Just one day after
entering seclusion, the 133 cardinals inside the
Sistine Chapel elected Cardinal Robert Prevost as the
new leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The
69-year-old, now known as Pope Leo XIV, is the first
American-born pope.
The nine-day mourning period for Pope Francis, who
was laid to rest on April 26, 2025, ended on May 4.
On May 7, cardinals from six continents gathered in
Vatican City, Italy, to elect the 267th pope. This
tradition, known as the papal conclave, is steeped in
history.
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...
