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Archaeologists initially suspected they'd unearthed a tree root before realizing they'd actually found a wooden spade dating to the Bronze Age.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Unearth ‘Astonishing’ Wooden Spade, Preserved in an English Trench for 3,500 Years

While most wooden artifacts disintegrate after thousands of years, the newly unearthed oak tool has remained in remarkable condition

Grizzly 399, along with one of her cubs, in Grand Teton National Park in 2021.

The ‘World’s Most Famous Grizzly’ Was Killed by a Car. Was Her Death Preventable?

Grizzly 399 became a celebrity of Grand Teton National Park in her lifetime. Now, her death has drawn attention to wildlife-vehicle collisions and how they might be reduced

Titled Comedian, the banana sculpture has sparked heated debates about the value of art.

Maurizio Cattelan’s Perishable Sculpture Drove Some Critics Bananas. Now, It Could Sell for $1.5 Million

The banana duct-taped to a wall was created to be a “reflection on what we value.” An upcoming auction may deliver an answer

Elizabeth Francis received a plaque for being the oldest living Texan at her 114th birthday celebration last year.

America’s Oldest Living Person, Elizabeth Francis, Dies at 115. She Was a Supercentenarian and ‘Houstonian Icon’

Since her birth in 1909, Francis lived through two world wars, segregation, the fall of the Soviet Union, multiple pandemics and the invention of the cellphone

One fresco depicts a satyr and a nymph embracing.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover Breathtaking Wall Paintings Frozen in Time Inside a Modest Home in Ancient Pompeii

Despite its unusually small size, the newly unearthed House of Phaedra is covered in elaborate frescos depicting mythological scenes

Researchers are trying to "bring back" the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, a species that has not been officially recorded since 1936.

A 110-Year-Old Pickled Thylacine Head Helped Build the Most Complete Ancient Genome to Date, Says ‘De-Extinction’ Company

Colossal Biosciences reports it extracted DNA and RNA from the Tasmanian tiger specimen, a key step forward in its effort to create a modern proxy of the extinct species. Other scientists are calling for data to back up the claim

President Joe Biden formally apologized on October 25 for the government's role in sending thousands of Native American children to federal boarding schools.

Biden Issues a ‘Long Overdue’ Formal Apology for Native American Boarding Schools

The president atoned for the federal government’s role in forcing Native American children into boarding schools, where many were abused and more than 900 died

Overall, the findings of a new survey suggest Americans are more scared in general than they have been in recent history.

These Are Americans’ Biggest Fears in 2024, as the Country Is ‘Becoming More Afraid’

Government corruption, loved ones becoming ill or dying, cyberterrorism and nuclear weapons topped the list of Chapman University’s annual survey

This etching of a small face may be one of William Blake's earliest engravings.

Cool Finds

These Tiny Doodles May Be William Blake’s Earliest Engravings, Overlooked for Nearly 250 Years

Using high-res scans, a researcher uncovered scribbled etchings likely made by the British poet and artist while working as a teenage apprentice engraver in the 1770s

A rock layer showing the S2 impact tsunami bed with chunks of ripped-up seafloor

A Giant Meteorite Ripped Up the Seafloor and Boiled Earth’s Oceans 3.26 Billion Years Ago. Then, Life Blossomed in Its Wake

Geologists suggest the catastrophic impact of “S2” delivered key nutrients to the oceans, prompting microorganisms to thrive

Officials unveiled the portal installation in Philadelphia's LOVE Park on October 22.

New ‘Portal’ Opens in Philadelphia, Connecting Residents to Cities Around the World With Identical Installations

The looming sculpture features a small camera above an eight-foot-tall screen, which displays live video from Lithuania, Poland and Ireland

The lack of a sense of smell, called anosmia, can be congenital or acquired at some point in a person's lifetime.

New Research

People Born Without a Sense of Smell Have Different Breathing Patterns, Study Finds

Study participants with lifelong anosmia sniffed less than those with a normal sense of smell. Future research could shed light on whether this has negative implications for their health

A composite image of Tugunbulak created using lidar scans

New Research

Archaeologists Map Two Forgotten Medieval Cities That Flourished Along the Silk Road in the Mountains of Central Asia

The new research could change history’s understanding of the sprawling trade network that connected Europe and the Middle East to East Asia

A group of metal detectorists discovered the hoard of coins in southern England in 2019.

Cool Finds

An Astonishing Trove of Coins Dating to the Norman Conquest Just Became the Most Valuable Treasure Ever Found in Britain

The so-called Chew Valley Hoard, which just sold for a record $5.6 million, includes 2,584 coins featuring the likenesses of Harold II, William the Conqueror and Edward the Confessor

Polar bears are spending more time on land as sea ice shrinks.

Polar Bears Are Exposed to More Parasites, Viruses and Bacteria as the Arctic Heats Up

Pathogens are more common in polar bears living in the Chukchi Sea now than they were three decades ago, a new study suggests—but it’s not yet clear what that means for the mammals’ health

Robert Smalls made headlines when he commandeered a Confederate ship during the Civil War.

Untold Stories of American History

He Escaped Slavery and Became a Civil War Hero. Now, Robert Smalls Is Getting a Statue in South Carolina

A special committee has until January 15 to finalize the design, location and funding for a monument that will be erected on the lawn of the South Carolina State House

Scientists feared the giant salmon carp had gone extinct, but recent discoveries revealed the elusive species is still in the wild.

A Massive, Mysterious ‘Ghost’ Fish, Feared Extinct for Nearly 20 Years, Has Been Rediscovered in Cambodia

The giant salmon carp was formally identified in 1991, and since then, fewer than 30 individuals had been documented

The theme of this year's creepy doll contest at the History Center of Olmsted County is "Circus After Dark."

The Creepy Doll Contest Is Back—and It’s Time to Cast Your Vote for the Most Terrifying Toy

Step right up and see the spooky circus dolls—from creepy clowns to frightening fortune-tellers—in a Minnesota museum’s vintage toy collection

The Upper Klamath River is also part of restoration work. The salmon's return inspires biologists to continue their efforts in the upper basin.

Salmon Make a Long-Awaited Return to the Klamath River for the First Time in 112 Years, After Largest Dam Removal in U.S.

Chinook salmon spark excitement among local Klamath Tribes, who have advocated for decades to restore the flow of the river in California and Oregon

Brian Cleary poses with a newly published copy of Bram Stoker's "Gibbet Hill," illustrated by Irish artist Paul McKinley.

Cool Finds

Amateur Historian Discovers Lost Story by ‘Dracula’ Author Bram Stoker Hiding in Plain Sight at a Dublin Library

History forgot about “Gibbet Hill” for more than a century—until a fan of the Gothic horror writer stumbled upon the haunting tale at the National Library of Ireland

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