China’s Terracotta Warrior Army Is Deteriorating

If China doesn't take steps to better preserve the relics, they may eventually turn into dust
February 08, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

Timbuktu’s Priceless Manuscripts Are Safe After All

Rebels set fire to the library, but the precious documents were already gone
February 04, 2013 | By Colin Schultz

Scientists Think They’ve Found Richard III’s Body Under a Parking Lot

Researchers announced this morning that the bones found beneath a parking lot in England are likely those of King Richard III
February 04, 2013 | By Rose Eveleth

Most of What You Think You Know About Grammar is Wrong

And ending sentences with a preposition is nothing worth worrying about
February 2013 | By Patricia T. O’Conner and Stewart Kellarman

How to Save a Dying Language

Geoffrey Khan is racing to document Aramaic, the language of Jesus, before its native speakers vanish
February 2013 | By Ariel Sabar

New Research Disproves Prehistoric Killer-Comet Theory (Again)

Maybe the problem here is that other prevailing theories of the Clovis’ decline are just super boring by comparison
January 31, 2013 | By Lauren Kirchner

People Have Been Eating Curry for 4,500 Years

Thanks to new research methods and a pile of (very old) dirty dishes, archaeologists have discovered the very ancient origins of a globally popular cuisine.
January 30, 2013 | By Lauren Kirchner

Here’s What Three Mummies Might Have Looked Like While Alive

For the first time in over 2,000 years, these three mummies' faces now stare back at viewers, much as they might have appeared just before their deaths
January 30, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

Library Full of Precious Manuscripts Burned in Timbuktu

The main library in Timbuktu is full of cultural relics, manuscripts that have survived since the 1200's hidden in wooden trunks, buried in the sand, and finally housed in the small library. But recent reports from the country say that rebels might have burned that history to the ground
January 28, 2013 | By Rose Eveleth

Geneticist Does Not Seek Woman to Give Birth to Cloned Caveman Baby

Geneticist George Church says he's already extracted enough DNA from Neanderthal fossils to create an embryo, but lacking a uterus himself he needs to find the right lady
January 22, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

In Ancient Rome, Children’s Shoes Were a Status Symbol

From a trove of ancient Roman footwear, a rethinking of military life
January 21, 2013 | By Colin Schultz

Hair and Eye Color Can Now Be Determined for Ancient Human Skeletons

A new method based on DNA forensics can tell us about the appearances of those who lived long ago
January 15, 2013 | By Joseph Stromberg

Flores Hobbits Were Sort of Like Humans, Sort of Like Chimps, Sort of Like Tolkien’s Fantasy Beings

Archaeologists are slowly bringing "the Hobbit Human" to light as new bones turn up
January 11, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

In Ancient Egypt, People Paid to Become Temple Servants

Rather than face forced labor, some ancient Egyptians gave up their futures and their coin to become temple servants
January 09, 2013 | By Colin Schultz

What’s Inside a 2,000-Year-Old, Shipwreck-Preserved Roman Pill?

Ancient Roman pills, preserved in sealed tin containers on the seafloor, may have been used as eye medicine
January 07, 2013 | By Joseph Stromberg

Bonobos Offer Banana Bribes for Friendship

Chimpanzees will sooner kill than share food, but bonobos will sacrifice some of their own goods for the pleasure of interacting with strangers
January 02, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

Why Time is a Social Construct

Psychologists and anthropologists debate how different cultures answer the question, “What time is it?”
January 2013 | By Joshua Keating

Will We Be Able to Prevent an Asteroid Strike and More Questions From Our Readers

Does lightning strike ships at sea and why does American English differ from British English?
January 2013 | By Smithsonian Magazine

Remember These Titans of Science Who Died in 2012

From the inventor of the barcode to the discoverer of how cancer spreads, we take a look at the brilliant minds who shaped our culture and modern way of life
December 29, 2012 | By Mohi Kumar

A History of Sequins from King Tut to the King of Pop

As you don your sparkly holiday fashions, think of the trend's start in an Egyptian tomb
December 28, 2012 | By Emily Spivack

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