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

China’s Air Pollution Is So Bad That One Entrepreneur Is Selling Fresh Air in Cans

It’s a bleak state of affairs indeed when a Mel Brooks schtickfest from the '80s actually predicts the future
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

For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact, Unaware of World War II

In 1978, Soviet geologists prospecting in the wilds of Siberia discovered a family of six, lost in the taiga
January 28, 2013 | By Mike Dash

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

Why Do Flowers Smell Good?

Humans have loved flowers for millennia, for both their looks and their scents
January 07, 2013 | By Rose Eveleth

Hungover? There’s a Cure for That No Matter Where You Live

There are some things that are universal—trade, money, shelter, hangovers
January 03, 2013 | By Rose Eveleth

We’ve Been Celebrating With Booze for 10,000 Years

This ancient social lubricant has been a staple of cultic feasts and gatherings since the dawn of time, archaeological evidence suggests, meaning every time we sip a cold stout or toast with a glass of bubbly, we're taking part in a millennia-old tradition
January 02, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

Antigua’s Disputed Slave Conspiracy of 1736

Does the evidence against these 44 slaves really stack up?
January 02, 2013 | By Mike Dash

« Previous 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Next »