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

A World of New Year’s Resolutions, Mapped by Google

What do people all around the world want to change this year?
January 02, 2013 | By Colin Schultz

The Last Working Copyist in Mali Is Trying To Save Timbuktu’s Manuscripts

180,000 medieval manuscripts are housed in Timbuktu, and only 23,000 of those ancient writings have ever been catalogued
December 27, 2012 | By Rachel Nuwer

Think Apple Maps Are Bad? These Cartographics Blunders Were Way Worse

If you think Apple messed up big time, think again. The history of map making is full of far worse blunders
December 26, 2012 | By Rose Eveleth

An Edible White House, and the Long History of Gingerbread

The history of gingerbread starts as early as the 11th century
December 24, 2012 | By Colin Schultz

Santa Could Totally Deliver All Those Presents Using Worm Holes Or Relativity Clouds

Have you ever wondered just how Santa delivers presents to every nice kid on Earth in just one night
December 24, 2012 | By Rose Eveleth

Was Yasser Arafat Poisoned by Polonium?

In November, the body of Yasser Arafat was exhumed from beneath several feet of concrete to determine whether or not the leader had been poisoned by polonium 210
December 24, 2012 | By Rose Eveleth

All of Zeus’s Affairs, Visualized

If you remember nothing else from Roman and Green mythology it's probably that Zeus got around. Many stories involve the god of gods running about with women, mortal or otherwise
December 21, 2012 | By Rose Eveleth

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