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The Hjortspring boat is displayed at the National Museum of Denmark.

New Research

The Mysterious Hjortspring Boat That Sank in Denmark 2,400 Years Ago Is Still Revealing Its Secrets

New research suggests indicates that Scandinavia’s oldest known example of a wooden plank boat may have sailed to attack the island of Als from the east, indicating a planned effort

Walter Reed Parpart Jr. (right), the radioman on one of the missing planes, poses in front of a Fort Lauderdale sign in 1945.

How the Disappearance of Flight 19, a Navy Squadron Lost in 1945, Fueled the Legend of the Bermuda Triangle

Eighty years ago, five planes vanished during a training run off the Florida coast. A patrol plane sent to search for the men went missing, too, giving rise to a host of conspiracy theories

Navigating based on natural signs, writes Tristan Gooley, “sharpens our powers of observation, deduction and prediction.”

It’s Almost Impossible for Tristan Gooley to Get Lost. That’s One Reason He Has Millions of Followers

The British adventurer has crossed the Atlantic solo in a plane and a boat. Now he reads tree leaves, puddles and moss to get his bearings

The magnetic north pole, distinct from the geographic North Pole, is the point where Earth’s magnetic field lines converge.

Earth’s Magnetic North Pole Is Shifting Toward Siberia and Raising Questions About Unusual Movement

Scientists released an update to a model that maps the ever-moving pole and has significant implications for navigation systems

Jean-Pierre Blanchard ascends in his gas balloon on July 12, 1785, six months after he and John Jeffries crossed the English Channel in a similar flying machine

On This Day in History

On This Day in 1785, Two Men Braved Death When They Flew Across the English Channel in a Balloon

Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries’ harrowing journey was the first aerial crossing between France and Britain

A 1583 portrait of Sir Francis Drake

On This Day in History

In 1577, an English Explorer Set Out to Circumnavigate the World. Here’s What His Groundbreaking Journey Accomplished

Francis Drake’s successful voyage included British sailors’ arrival in California and the plundering of a glut of Spanish riches that sustained Elizabeth I’s empire

Divers observed the HMS Hawke's intact guns at the bottom of the North Sea.

Divers Discover Sunken Warship Torpedoed by Germany in World War I

A German U-boat sank the HMS “Hawke” off the coast of Scotland in the early days of the war

In recent years, many scientists have been able to watch people trying to find their way and measure how well they do.

Why Do Some People Always Get Lost?

Research suggests that experience may matter more than innate ability when it comes to a sense of direction

The rare 14th-century portolan chart is worth $7.5 million.

Cool Finds

Sold for $239,000, This Map Is Actually a Rare 14th-Century Nautical Chart—and Worth $7.5 Million

A San Diego map dealer uncovered the artifact’s true origins through impressive historical sleuthing

New research suggests rats can mentally navigate to locations they've visited before.

Rats Can Use Imagination to Navigate in Virtual Reality, Study Finds

Like humans, the rodents appear to be able to visualize walking through locations they’ve previously visited

In 1984, Ivo Zdarsky fled from communist Czechoslovakia to Vienna in a homemade flying machine.

The Man Who Pierced the Iron Curtain in a Flying Go-Kart—and Left Civilization Forever

Escaping communism in a DIY aircraft wasn’t enough for Ivo Zdarsky. So he invented his own way of life in a Utah desert ghost town

Built in 1919-20, the lighthouse stands 68 feet tall and measures about 1,000 square feet.

You Can Now Buy a Lighthouse of Your Very Own in Michigan

So far, bidding is only up to $16,000 for the historic 68-foot-tall structure in Lake Superior

The Cleveland Harbor West Pierhead Light is one of ten lighthouses the U.S. government is giving away this year.

The U.S. Is Giving Away Lighthouses for Free

While they are no longer a navigational necessity, the guiding lights have histories worth preserving

Examples of computing hardware architecture supporting an AR and IR environment inside a car of the near future are displayed at the Valeo booth at CES 2023 in Las Vegas.

Eight Cool New Technologies From This Year’s Consumer Electronics Show

Flying cars, live-translation eyeglasses, self-driving strollers and more were unveiled at the annual trade show in Las Vegas

The Carnegie under full sail.  Cruise VII, Pacific Ocean.  November 14, 1928.

Inside the Last Journey of the ‘Carnegie’

The groundbreaking ship and its dedicated captain shaped our understanding of the Earth’s magnetic field

Zara Rutherford greets reporters at  Wevelgem International Airport on January 20, 2022 in Kortrijk, Belgium. At age 19, she became the youngest female pilot to circumvent the globe, traveling across five continents in five months while flying in a single-seater sport plane.

Good News

19-Year-Old Woman Completes Around-the-World Solo Flight

Zara Rutherford flew 28,000 nautical miles of five continents to become the youngest woman to finish a solo global flight

Ingenuity releases its first aerial photos of its shadow cast across the Séítah terrain during its ninth flight.

Innovation for Good

NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter Soars 2,000 Feet Through Martian Atmosphere in Its Ninth Successful Test Flight

The aerial trooper set new records for speed and distance, as well as stretched the capabilities of its navigation system

Māori explorers may have reached Antarctica in the seventh century A.D.

Māori May Have Reached Antarctica 1,000 Years Before Europeans

New research draws on oral histories and other traditional records often ignored by Western scholars

Great white sharks travel hundreds of miles to specific locations in the world’s oceans.

New Evidence Suggests Sharks Use Earth’s Magnetic Field to Navigate

Bonnethead sharks swam in the direction of their home waters when placed in a tank charged with an electromagnetic field

A dung beetle rolls its meal in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa.

How Dung Beetles Roll Their Food in a Straight Line

As they craft their humble lives from piles of manure, the insects look to the skies for direction

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