Archaeology
- Humans
Ancient people and Neandertals were extreme travelers
Stone Age folk were built for journeying farther than even the most active individuals today.
- Humans
Radial routes ran outside Mesopotamia
Cold War–era imagery reveals transportation networks extended throughout Middle East.
- Archaeology
A king’s final hours, told by his mortal remains
The skeleton of Richard III reveals a violent and chaotic end for a controversial English monarch.
- Humans
Pots bear oldest signs of cheese making
Some of Europe’s first farmers created perforated vessels to separate curds from whey.
- Earth
Mexican silver made it into English coins
Chemical tests of currency help reveal where New World riches flowed.
- Humans
Oldest examples of hunting weapon uncovered in South Africa
A common ancestor of people and Neandertals may have flung stone-tipped shafts at animal prey.
- Humans
An ancient civilization’s wet ascent, dry demise
Cave data suggest that ancient rainfall patterns swayed the course of Classic Maya societies.
- Humans
Ancient blades served as early weapons
African find reveals complex toolmaking 71,000 years ago.
- Humans
Feather finds hint at Neandertal art
Plumage found at ancient sites may indicate capability for abstract thought among humans’ Stone Age cousins.
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- Humans
Herders, not farmers, built Stonehenge
Farming’s temporary demise in ancient Britain may have spurred the creation of the iconic stone circle.
- Humans
Good times led to grisly custom
Ancient Chileans developed artificial mummification after an increase in the numbers of living and dead people made naturally preserved bodies hard to ignore.
