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World's oldest star chart may be 2,300 years old and from China — but not everyone agrees
By Joanna Thompson published
Is the Star Manual of Master Shi the oldest known astronomical catalog? Experts are divided.

Humans reached southern South America by 14,500 years ago, genomes from 139 Indigenous groups reveal
By Kristina Killgrove published
A large-scale genome study shows that Indigenous peoples in the Americas split off several times, resulting in loss of important genetic diversity.

'Quite enigmatic': Rare stone carving of Assyrian king surrounded by gods discovered in Iraq
By Kristina Killgrove published
A massive stone carving featuring an Assyrian ruler and several deities has been found in Iraq.

4,000-year-old stone-lined burial discovered in Morocco
By Owen Jarus published
Archaeologists working in the Tangier Peninsula, in northwest Morocco, have discovered ancient cemeteries, rock art and standing stones.

'Ultimate adventure story': Submerged stone circles reveal perilous migration of prehistoric people to far northern Scotland 11,000 years ago
By Kristina Killgrove published
Stone tools and stone circles discovered in coastal Scotland show that prehistoric people settled farther north than anyone previously believed.

Viking DNA helps reveal when HIV-fighting gene mutation emerged: 9,000 years ago near the Black Sea
By Kristina Killgrove published
A study of more than 3,000 genomes has traced a gene mutation that confers HIV resistance to a person who lived near the Black Sea around 7000 B.C.

Famous tomb said to hold Alexander the Great's father actually contains younger man, a woman and 6 babies, study finds
By Owen Jarus published
Ancient human remains in a famous Greek tomb can't be Alexander the Great's father after all, a scientific analysis reveals.

Was it a stone tool or just a rock? An archaeologist explains how scientists can tell the difference
By John K. Murray published
Opinion With a little guidance and a lot of practice, even you can make stone tools the way our oldest ancestors did — and learn to recognize the signs of a deliberately made tool.

Hatnefer's heart scarab: An exquisite ancient Egyptian gold necklace inscribed with the Book of the Dead
By Kristina Killgrove published
A scarab beetle set in gold shows that ancient Egyptians thought the heart was the most important organ in the human body.

'If it was a man, we would say that's a warrior's grave': Weapon-filled burials are shaking up what we know about women's role in Viking society
By Laura Geggel published
New research is finding that some women in Viking Age Scandinavia were buried with war-grade weapons. Experts are divided about what that means.
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