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Stories from Sonja Anderson

Radiocarbon dating requires destroying small samples of the fragile scrolls.

The Dead Sea Scrolls Changed Our Understanding of the Bible. Could Some of Them Be Even Older Than We Thought?

A new study combines A.I., radiocarbon dating and handwriting analysis to estimate new dates for some of the ancient scrolls, thought to be some of the earliest surviving fragments of the Old Testament

The Nazca Lines were made around two millennia ago. 

Nearly Half of the Protected Land Around the Nazca Lines of Peru Is Now Open to Miners

Some environmentalists are concerned about mining operations drawing closer to the ancient landmarks

Frida Kahlo in 1944

A New Museum Dedicated to Frida Kahlo’s Early Years and Family Life Is Coming to Mexico City

The Museo Casa Kahlo will be located beside the popular Museo Frida Kahlo. It will display letters, artworks and mementos that shed light on the Mexican artist’s childhood

The new Banksy mural is on a wall beside a covered street in Marseille, France.

Banksy Unveils New Lighthouse Mural With the Words ‘I Want to Be What You Saw in Me’ in France

The anonymous street artist announced the uncharacteristically personal artwork on May 29. It’s located on a wall in the French city of Marseille

 The Chrysler building was completed in 1930.

The Chrysler Building Has Towered Above New York City for Nearly a Century. Now, the Art Deco Skyscraper Is for Sale

When it was completed in 1930, the 1,046-foot building was briefly the tallest in the world. In recent years, it’s fallen into disrepair

The Brontë children were born near this fireplace, pictured mid-renovation.

You Can Now Visit the Small House Where Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë Were Born

The newly renovated Brontë Birthplace in Bradford, England, was the three sisters’ home until 1820, when the family moved to a nearby parsonage

Experts are concerned about the dome's structural integrity.

Experts Think the Hagia Sophia Is in Danger. They’ve Got a Plan to Protect It From Earthquakes

Turkey is located near two fault lines, leaving the 1,500-year-old structure vulnerable to damage. Architects and engineers will be investigating how to best preserve it

The Aska figurine is the only known depiction of pregnancy from the Viking Age.

How Did Vikings View Pregnant Women? New Research Reveals That They Were Sometimes Depicted With Weapons

Researchers studied Old Norse literature and archaeological evidence to shed new light on women’s experiences of pregnancy during the Viking Age

A photogrammetric reconstruction of the submarine USS F-1, showing the conning tower and collision damage that caused the boat to sink

See a Lost U.S. Navy Submarine, Sunk During a World War I Test Run, in Digital Detail

Researchers descended to the wreck in underwater vehicles to collect data for 3-D models

This ebony figurine was found in a child's grave.

Archaeologists Unearth Two Rare African Figurines in 1,500-Year-Old Christian Burials in Israel

The artifacts were buried in the graves of a young woman and child, who may have converted to Christianity in Africa before traveling to the region, researchers say

An ancient star map (not the document analyzed in the new research) unearthed in Dunhuang, China, in the seventh century C.E.

These Scientists Say They’ve Identified the Oldest Known Star Chart in the World

A new preprint suggests that an ancient Chinese star catalog dates to 355 B.C.E. But other researchers aren’t convinced, arguing that the original coordinates are misaligned by one degree

A still from the Giraffes on Horseback Salad trailer

Salvador Dalí’s Surrealist Screenplay ‘Giraffes on Horseback Salad’ Was Never Made. Can A.I. Bring It to Life?

The Dalí Museum is collaborating with an advertising agency to “reawaken” the Spanish artist’s failed script, which studio executives rejected nearly 90 years ago

A parachute belonging to Broadwick is on display in the Early Flight gallery at the Smithsonian’s newly updated National Air and Space Museum. 

Pioneering Teenage Parachuter Georgia ‘Tiny’ Broadwick Showed That Courage Isn’t Counted in Pounds

The first woman to parachute from an airplane, she will be recognized in an exhibit when part of the newly renovated National Air and Space Museum reopens this year

Historian David Carpenter examines the digitized document.

Harvard Bought This Stained Copy of the Magna Carta for $27.50. It Turned Out to Be an Original

Issued by Edward I in 1300, this version of the historic text is one of only seven known surviving copies. It’s been hiding in plain sight in Harvard Law School’s library since 1946

Researchers found the stone slab broken and buried in an ancient throne room.

Archaeologists Unearth an Ancient Relief Depicting an Assyrian King and Rare Deities

The artifact was found in Mosul, Iraq, buried in the ancient city of Nineveh

The reconstructions show that the Parthenon’s internal appearance was constructed to provoke maximum awe—and even fear.

Step Into a Painstakingly Recreated 3D Model of the Parthenon, Now Restored to Its Ancient Glory

A researcher simulated the Athenian temple’s lighting conditions at different times of the day, discovering that its interior was actually “quite dark and dim”

An artistic rendering of the stone chamber where the tubes were discovered

Archaeologists Say They’ve Discovered a Hidden Chamber Where Elites Used Hallucinogens 2,500 Years Ago

Unearthed in Peru, the small underground room may have been used for rituals involving psychoactive drugs. New research suggests these “exclusive” events were reserved for the elite

The collection includes several portraits of musicians.

When Bob Dylan Isn’t Writing Nobel-Winning Lyrics, He’s Creating Original Paintings and Drawings

Nearly 100 imaginative portraits, still lifes and other artworks by the renowned singer-songwriter are now on view at the Halcyon Gallery in London

Philadelphia children eating a "three-cent dinner" at school, featured in the 1913 book School Feeding: Its History and Practice at Home and Abroad

American Schools Have Been Feeding Children for More Than 100 Years. Here’s How the School Lunch Has Changed

A new exhibition in Philadelphia explores how nutritional science, technological advances and political debates shaped the foods on schoolchildren’s trays

The pipe was found during an archaeological survey ahead of new construction.

Ancient Roman Wooden Water Pipe Made From Hollow Tree Trunks Unearthed Beneath a Street in Belgium

Archaeologists say the muddy soil in the area preserved the artifact, which likely dates to between the second and third centuries C.E.

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