These Cambodian cultural heritage artifacts, once held in the collection of controversial collector Douglas Latchford, will soon be returned to their home country. From left to right: Ardhanarishvara, a half-male, half-female deity from the Angkor period, 10th century; a bronze boat prow from the late 12th century; and a bronze male deity from the 11th-century Angkor period

Collection of Antiquities Dealer Accused of Looting Will Return to Cambodia

The $50 million trove represents one of the most significant repositories of Cambodian cultural heritage outside of the country

New analysis of the fossilized tooth plaque of 16 ancient Mediterraneans reveals that they consumed foods imported from Asia—like turmeric and banana, pictured—a thousand years earlier than researchers previously thought.

Ancient Mediterranean People Ate Bananas and Turmeric From Asia 3,700 Years Ago

Fossilized tooth plaque reveals a diverse and exotic palette reflected in the region’s modern cuisine

Litter, much of it plastic, dots a beach in Santa Monica, CA, the morning after a beach cleanup.

New Research

The U.S. Is the World’s Number One Source of Plastic Waste

In 2016, the average American produced 286 pounds of plastic waste, the highest rate per capita of any country on Earth

This diagram shows the different kinds of animal bones used to make the 48,000-year-old tools.

Cool Finds

Evidence of Early Bow-and-Arrow Hunting Discovered in Sri Lanka

If confirmed, the 48,000-year-old find will be the oldest known instance of bowhunting outside of Africa

Ecologist and Smithsonian associate Aung Myo Chit soothes an elephant in Myanmar after it was fitted with a collar.

Planet Positive

Researchers Are Learning How Asian Elephants Think—in Order to Save Them

As the pachyderms increasingly clash with farmers and villagers over disappearing land, scientists study the way the animals’ minds work

This concretion, recovered from the Hoi An shipwreck, alludes to the fate of artifacts left underwater.

Who Owns the Art Recovered From Shipwrecks?

A thought-provoking exhibit at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco draws on artifacts from two centuries-old shipwrecks

Cool Finds

Tiny Stone Tools Show Humans Hunted in the Rainforest 45,000 Years Ago

A ‘toolkit’ found in Sri Lanka adds to growing evidence that early humans inhabited many ecosystems, not just open grasslands

The 8.5-millimeter millipede had five-unit compound eyes and an unusually hairless rear end

Cool Finds

This Petite, 99-Million-Year-Old Millipede Was Entrapped in Amber

The diminutive arthropod represents not only a previously unknown species, but an entirely separate Callipodida suborder

St. Anthony's Shrine photographed the day after multiple deadly explosions targeted churches and hotels across Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan Government Pledges to Rebuild 175-Year-Old Church Damaged in Deadly Easter Bombings

St. Anthony’s Shrine has long served as a symbol of unity and religious tolerance

Cool Finds

This Is the World’s Tallest Tropical Tree

The yellow meranti in Malaysia’s Sabah state is 330 feet tall and weighs more than a jetliner

This is why we can't have nice things.

Trending Today

Indonesia Considers Closing Komodo Island Because Poachers Keep Stealing the Dragons

Komodo National Park may put the island off limits to restore degraded habitat and help its iconic giant lizards and their prey recover

Turtles, bound in duct-tape, that were discovered in luggage at Manila's Ninoy Aquino international airport.

1,500 Turtles and Tortoises Found Stuffed Into Luggage at Manila Airport

It is believed that the animals, some of which are considered vulnerable, were being trafficked as part of a multi-million dollar wildlife trade

As glaciers melt, the Himalayan region will face extreme weather ranging from floods to drought and unpredictable monsoon rains

The Himalayas Could Lose Two-Thirds of Its Glaciers by 2100

Even if the most ambitious global climate targets are met, the Asian mountain range is poised to lose at least one-third of its glaciers

Rice terraces in Yunnan, China.

Trending Today

136,000 Varieties of Rice Are Now Protected in Perpetuity

An annual $1.4 million funding grant will allow the International Rice Research Institute to help develop drought, heat- and flood-resistant rice varieties

Liang Bua cave on Flores Island, where Homo floresiensis remains were discovered in 2003. Nearby is a village where the pygmies live.

New Research

A New Genetic Study Suggests Modern Flores Island Pygmies and Ancient Hobbits Are Unrelated

The island dwarfism effect seems to have occurred independently in each population, thousands of years apart

Trending Today

Pakistan’s Searing April Temperatures Set New Global Record

On Monday, the city of Nawabshah reached 122.4 degrees Fahrenheit, causing heatstroke, power outages and general misery

In Asia, the biggest threat to elephant survival isn't ivory poaching but habitat loss. Here, men ride Asian elephants in Thailand.

New Research

In a Horrifying New Twist, Myanmar Elephants Are Being Poached For Their Skin

In Asia, the biggest threat to elephant survival has long been habitat loss. That may be changing

The Club in Yerevan serves up Trinifish, a signature dish that marries ingredients from the Armenian Highlands with French cooking techniques.

Armenia

Four Restaurants Bringing Traditional Dishes into Contemporary Cuisine

These chefs are putting modern spins on ancient recipes

Jedek speakers

Cool Finds

Unknown Language Discovered in Malaysia

About 280 people north of the Malay Peninsula speak the language, which is called Jedek

A spirit medium pauses to light a cigarette.

Photos Celebrate the Lives of Gender Non-Conforming Spirit Mediums in Southeast Asia

The pioneering photographer’s latest book documents the welcoming community of transgender individuals who serve as spirit mediums in Burma and Thailand

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