Ancient Cultures
In the Entire History of the Catholic Church, Only a Handful of Popes Have Resigned
Today, Pope Benedict XVI told the world that he would resign
February 11, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
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
Archaeologists Found a Mysterious, Dense Cluster of 35 Pyramids in Sudan
The pyramids hail back to the days of the kingdom of Kush, which occurred around 2,000 years ago
February 08, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
How to Revive a Lost Language
By the year 2100, the human race will have lost about 50% of the languages alive today. Every fourteen days a language dies. There are some success stories though
February 08, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
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
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
Dogs May Have Evolved From the Wolves Who Liked Eating Trash the Most
There may be an evolutionary reason that your dog eats everything, including the trash
January 24, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Sweet Potato Genes Say Polynesians, Not Europeans, Spread the Tubers Across the Pacific
Sweet potato samples preserved in centuries-old herbariums indicate that Polynesian sailors, rather than Spanish or Portuguese explorers, introduced the now-ubiquitous yam across Southeast Asia and the Pacific
January 23, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
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
Inauguration Day 2013
All you need to know for the day: where to eat, rest and what to see
January 21, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Indians Made It to Australia More Than 4,000 Years Before the British
Evidence of substantial gene flow between Australian and Indian populations around 4,000 years ago refutes beliefs that Australia was an isolated continent before Europeans arrived
January 15, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Romans Did All Sorts of Weird Things in The Public Baths—Like Getting Their Teeth Cleaned
For ancient Romans enjoying a day at the bathhouse, the list of items lost to drains includes jewelry, scalpels, teeth, needles and plates
January 14, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
One Man’s Seven-Year March Along Ancient Migration Routes
This past Sunday, journalist Paul Salopek began his walk from Ethiopia to Patagonia
January 11, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
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
