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A decade ago, archaeologists made a grisly discovery when they unearthed two Neolithic mass graves at the sites of Bergheim and Achenheim in northeastern France. The pits contained severed limbs and human skeletons, evidence of excessive violence and mutilation that did not match normal Neolithic patterns. Some deceased individuals buried in other nearby graves, however, showed no signs of brutality. A new study has recently analyzed the chilling remains to try and reconstruct the identities of the individuals and determine why some were treated so cruelly, according to a statement released by the University of Oxford. Researchers conducted multi-isotopic analysis...

Türkiye Today reports that a sprawling eighth-century b.c. palace was unearthed at the site of Sardis in western Turkey, which has prompted archaeologists to reevaluate the site's origins and long history. The city served as the capital of Lydia, an Anatolian kingdom whose people flourished in the seventh and sixth century b.c. They are often credited with minting the world's first standardized coinage. Buried 25 feet below ground, the complex was discovered beneath layers belonging to the Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods. The structure's stone walls, which measure between five and eight feet thick, still stand 20 feet high...

According to a statement released by The National Museum of Denmark, a small figurine long-hidden in its collections has recently been rediscovered and is providing new information about Viking Age fashions. The exquisitely carved, one-inch-tall object was whittled out of expensive walrus ivory and likely served as a gaming piece for a Viking Age game resembling chess. It was first discovered in a burial in Viken in 1797 and has been in the National Museum's storerooms for more than 200 years. However, it recently caught the attention of curator Peter Pentz, who was struck by the figurine's realistic features. Although...

These two brooches were part of a small hoard discovered along with a gold arm ring in southwestern Jutland, Denmark. Dated to the Viking Age (A.D. 793 to 1066), the brooches are decorated with ornamental wire bent into delicate shapes.Each gold brooch measures about 3.3 inches (8.5 centimeters) in diameter and weighs between 2.1 to 2.6 ounces (60 to 75 grams), according to a 1994 study by Lene Frandsen, curator at the Varde Museum. The designs on the brooches include examples of both Norse and Christian art, according to the National Museum of Denmark, where the accessories are on display.One...

WASHINGTON — Calls are mounting in both Congress and the Trump administration for the widow of late Arizona Sen. John McCain to resign from or be forced out of her United Nations post overseeing food distribution in the Gaza Strip, following months of botched aid drop-offs and rampant looting by Hamas. UN World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Cindy McCain has been criticized by ex-colleagues, lawmakers and officials for failing to work with Israel’s military and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to provide food, water and other assistance to Palestinians. “If WFP was doing its job,” one senior US official...

This carved relief from Nimrud, a major city of the ancient Assyrian Empire in present-day Iraq, regularly drifts around the internet as purported evidence for scuba diving nearly 3,000 years ago. But the wall panel actually depicts an army crossing a river, and soldiers are navigating the waves with the help of ancient flotation devices.The gypsum panel is one of several excavated in the 1840s from the Northwest Palace, which was built on the Tigris River around 865 B.C. on the orders of King Ashurnasirpal II. Originally located around the interior walls of the throne room and royal apartments, the...

This gold helmet, painstakingly decorated to look like the wavy hairdo and ears of its wearer, was found in 1927 by British archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley during excavations at Ur, an ancient city in Mesopotamia that is now part of Iraq.The artifact was recovered from a tomb in the Royal Cemetery along with alabaster vases, gold daggers and golden bowls -- one of which listed the name Meskalamdug, meaning "hero of the good land." But since the tomb was not as big or as richly furnished as other royal tombs, Woolley suggested the deceased was probably a prince rather than...

Fuel is an essential part of what pilots prioritize, but this controller felt that wasn't anything they cared about.

More than 60 containers toppled off a cargo ship Tuesday morning in the Port of Long Beach, tumbling overboard and floating in the water. The shipping containers fell off a vessel named the Mississippi shortly before 9 a.m., and no injuries have been reported, according to Port of Long Beach spokesperson Art Marroquin. About 67 containers were in the water, the US Coast Guard said on the social platform X. Long Beach, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Los Angeles, is one of the busiest seaports in the country, with 40% of all shipping containers in the United States...

NASA may be preparing to deliver some monumental news about Mars after surprisingly calling for a rare news conference on Wednesday. Officials with the space agency said they plan to discuss a 'new finding' by the Perseverance rover, which has been on the Red Planet since 2021. The discovery involves a rock called 'Sapphire Canyon,' collected by the rover in July 2024 from an ancient river system in a Martian area called Neretva Vallis. Scientists are excited because this rock might contain 'biosignatures,' which are chemical clues that could hint at ancient microbial life on Mars. >>> While NASA has...

La Brújula Verde reports that over the past three years, German archaeologists have made a number of exciting discoveries at the oppidum of Manching that have provided new insight into Celtic life at the end of the first millennium b.c. Founded at the end of the fourth century b.c., the hillfort was one of the most important Iron Age urban centers in central Europe, housing as many as 10,000 people at its height. The team recorded 1,300 new archaeological features and recovered more than 40,000 artifacts. Among them was an exquisite bronze figurine of a Celtic warrior, an example of...

The town where death is not allowedThe town of Lanjaron where the villagers were not allowed to die. Photo credit: Saiko3P/Shutterstock Situated 659 m above sea level at the foot of the Sierra Nevada in Granada, the village of Lanjaron is famed for its mineral-rich water sources, which have long been believed to promote youth and good health. The town also has historical and cultural significance, having attracted visitors for centuries, including the renowned poet Federico García Lorca, who visited the village annually from 1917 until 1934. The people of Lanjaron are affectionately known as the Cañoneros (Gunners), a nickname...

...Excavations at the site of Vounous-Bellapais in the 1930s revealed dozens of tombs from a large prehistoric cemetery. Although many of the tombs had previously been looted, archaeologists recovered a large number of intricately decorated ceramics, including the Vounous Bowl, which had broken into many pieces over the ages.The Vounous Bowl, which is now in the Cyprus Museum, is shallow with a flat base measuring 14.6 inches (37 centimeters) in diameter and 3.1 inches (8 cm) tall, Louise Steel, an archaeologist at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, wrote in a 2013 study.One side of the bowl has a...

The world's first pandemic, known as the Plague of Justinian after the sitting Byzantine emperor, killed an estimated 25 to 100 million people between a.d. 541 and 750... historical sources from the period suggest that it may have begun around Pelusium, Egypt, before spreading rapidly throughout the Middle East and the Mediterranean world. According to a statement released by the University of South Florida (USF), researchers participated in an interdisciplinary study that has uncovered -- for the first time -- direct genomic evidence pinpointing the bacterium Yersinia pestis as the cause of the plague. The team sequenced genetic material from...

This AI parody song takes aim at Greta Thunberg’s endless lectures, photo ops, and political adventures — from blocking oil pipelines to sailing off on flotillas. If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at the drama, this one’s for you. 👉 Title: Ode To Greta Thunberg – How Dare You! 👉 Genre: Comedy / Satire / AI Music 👉 Audience: People tired of being told the world ends tomorrow. Highlights: Greta vs. Sydney Sweeney (because apparently looking like He-Man saves the planet). Scolding leaders, boat trips, and dramatic stares that could melt pipelines. Flotilla adventures where the West is always guilty...

This delicate stone vessel was discovered in 1936 in the tomb of Sabu, an ancient Egyptian official buried in the Saqqara necropolis during the first dynasty period. When it was found, the disk was in pieces. It has since been reconstructed and is in the collection of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.Sabu's mastaba, a rectangular tomb with sloping walls and a flat roof, was excavated by British Egyptologist Walter Emery. In his publication describing the Saqqara tombs, Emery wrote that the burial chamber had been looted for its jewelry and precious metals. But Sabu's skeleton was intact inside a wooden...

OREFIELD, Pa. (AP) — In a romance and adventure worthy of the big screen, a Pennsylvania couple is preserving the past and forging a future as the owners of the world’s oldest operating drive-in movie theater. Lauren McChesney got more than admission to a double feature when she handed her ticket to Matt McClanahan at a different drive-in he managed in 2018. They started dating a year later, and, in August, got engaged. In between, they purchased Shankweiler’s Drive-In Theatre, which was Pennsylvania’s first drive-in and only the nation’s second when it opened in 1934. The couple began brainstorming about...

As the country experiences record tourism in 2025, Greece is taking stronger measures to protect its natural and cultural treasures. With millions of visitors flocking to its beaches and islands, authorities have decided to crack down on practices that threaten fragile ecosystems and historic landmarks. Tourists who remove pebbles, shells, or other items from protected beaches will now face up to €1,000 in fines. These elements are a vital part of the ecosystem, helping prevent erosion and supporting local marine life. While collecting a few seashells as souvenirs might seem harmless, over time, the practice can significantly damage delicate coastal...

A live camera at Hawaiʻi’s Kīlauea volcano captured a rare sight this week — a swirling “volnado” forming next to a fountain of lava, the latest dramatic reminder of the mountain’s restless nature. The video released by the US Geological Survey (USGS) shows a column of ash sucked into a whirling vortex as molten rock bursts skyward. The spinning cloud resembled a tornado — but with volcanic heat fueling its rise. “We know you’ve heard of a volcano … but how about a volnado?” the USGS joked in a social media post that quickly spread across science and nature forums....

Nobody really knows the right time to take the key away from their elderly parents, and now General Motors seems to be developing technology to help inform that awkward decision. Engineers at the automaker applied for a patent on a system that would help determine whether or not older motorists can still safely operate a car. It'll use both vehicle and driver data to make the determination and come up with a "driver retirement score." It'll notify motorists of their performance, which sounds pretty brutal if I'm honest, but the way some people drive, it's also wholly necessary. Engineers say...