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Stories from Meilan Solly

Last year, archaeologists unearthed two unusual Bronze Age graves at Siberia's Ust-Tartas site

Bronze Age ‘Birdman’ Had a Headdress Made of Dozens of Bird Beaks, Skulls

Researchers suspect that the unusual accessory served a protective ritual purpose

The warder is the first of five missing pieces to materialize since the remaining chessmen’s discovery in 1831

A Medieval Chess Piece Potentially Worth $1.2 Million Languished in a Drawer for Decades

The Lewis warder, part of a larger trove of 12th-century ivory chessmen, was purchased for £5 in 1964

The latest findings suggest that separate groups of early humans invented stone tools on multiple occasions

Humans May Have Been Crafting Stone Tools for 2.6 Million Years

A new study pushes the origins of early human tool-making back by some 10,000 years earlier than previously believed

From L to R: Kanlitas rock painting, enhanced version, isolated rendering of markings

Rock Art and Footprints Reveal How Ancient Humans Responded to Volcanic Eruption

New study dates the preserved footprints to 4,700 years ago, a full 245,000 years later than previously suggested

Unlike modern beavers, which use their sharp-edged teeth to chop up trees and build dams, mega-sized ones were unable to alter their environment to fit their needs

Why Did These Human-Sized Beavers Go Extinct During the Last Ice Age?

A new study suggests the giant beavers disappeared after their wetland habitats dried up, depriving the species of its aquatic plant-based diet

From left to right: Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson, Jane Vercaine, Barbara Deming, Kady Vandeurs, Carol Grosberg and others lead a protest at City Hall

New York City Monument Will Honor Transgender Activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera

The two women were instrumental in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising and spent their lives advocating for marginalized groups

Megacities tend to have up to 10 percent more cloud cover than surrounding rural areas

Megacities Like Paris and London Can Produce Their Own Clouds

The phenomenon appears to be linked with the vast amount of heat produced by urban centers

The prehistoric school seems to adhere to the laws of attraction and repulsion, with members maintaining enough distance between neighbors without straying too far from the group

Did This Fossil Freeze a Swimming School of Fish in Time?

The 50-million-year-old slab of limestone suggests that fish have been swimming in unison for far longer than previously realized

The laptop is infected with six viruses: WannaCry, BlackEnergy, ILOVEYOU, MyDoom, SoBig and DarkTequila.

A Laptop Infected With the World’s Most Dangerous Viruses Sold for $1.3 Million

The computer is a work of art designed to provide a physical manifestation of abstract digital threats

A police boat cruises along the River Seine past the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, which was badly damaged by a huge fire on April 15, and which is under repair, on May 20, 2019.

France’s Senate Requires That Notre-Dame’s Iconic Spire Be Rebuilt ‘Exactly as It Was’

The bill contradicts an earlier call for proposals to replace the fallen tower with a more modern aesthetic

Experts believe as few as 20 unrelated Sumatran rhinos could hold enough genetic diversity to save their species from extinction

Malaysia’s Last Male Sumatran Rhinoceros Has Died

There are fewer than 80 Sumatran rhinos living in the wild

Anne Frank wrote the letters between 1936 and 1941, a period predating the events of her famed diary.

Letters Anne Frank Wrote to Her Grandmother Will Be Published for the First Time

The notes are featured in a soon-to-be released volume of Frank’s collected works

The fungus picks up gold from its surroundings, oxidizes it, and then transforms the dissolved element back into a solid state

Scientists Discover Fungus That Collects Gold From Its Environment

The Australian fungus could help miners find the next generation of underground gold deposits

An elephant at Moremi Game Reserve in Maun, Botswana.

Five Things to Know About Botswana’s Decision to Lift Ban on Hunting Elephants

The move has been criticized by conservationists but lauded by locals who say wild elephants are ruining their livelihoods

It's safe to assume Mr. Rogers would've approved of 1-4-3 Day.

Pennsylvania Honors Mister Rogers With First Annual Day of Kindness

The holiday is dubbed 1-4-3 Day in a nod to the TV personality’s favorite phrase, “I love you”

An artist's rendering of the recomposition facility

Washington Becomes First State to Allow ‘Human Composting’ as a Burial Method

The accelerated decomposition method transforms remains into soil and uses just an eighth of the energy required for cremation

France outlawed ortolan hunting in 1999, but the ban was rarely enforced until 2007 and remains unevenly implemented

Ortolans, Songbirds Enjoyed as French Delicacy, Are Being Eaten Into Extinction

Hunters illegally catch some 30,000 of the 300,000 ortolans that pass through southwestern France every migration season

Michelangelo likely sketched "The Seated Man" while working as an apprentice in Domenico Ghirlandaio's studio

Art Historian Says He Has Identified the Earliest Known Michelangelo Drawing

The sketch, now on view in Budapest, likely dates to between 1487 and 1490

Tiger sharks appear to prey on migrating songbirds that fall into the ocean during autumnal storms

Baby Sharks Do (Do, Do, Do, Do, Do) Eat Songbirds

A survey of 105 tiger sharks’ stomach contents revealed the remains of 11 land-based bird species

The shift will be funded by a $10 million donation from MOCA's Board of Trustees president, Carolyn Powers

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles Will Soon Offer Free Admission

The move will be funded by a $10 million donation

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