Latest articles by Kristina Killgrove
Newly discovered 'ghost' lineage linked to ancient mystery population in Tibet, DNA study finds
A study of more than 100 genomes from people who lived in ancient China has unmasked a "ghost" in their midst.
2.2 million-year-old teeth reveal secrets of human relatives found in a South African cave
A cutting-edge technique for analyzing fossil tooth enamel is revealing remarkable new information about 2 million-year-old human relatives.
Genomes from ancient Maya people reveal collapse of population and civilization 1,200 years ago
Ancient DNA from people buried up to 1,600 years ago in Honduras have revealed clues to the rise and fall of the Maya.
'Trash' found deep inside a Mexican cave turns out to be 500-year-old artifacts from a little-known culture
When two spelunkers investigated what they thought was trash in a cave in Mexico, they discovered more than a dozen artifacts dating back centuries.
Ram in the Thicket: A 4,500-year-old gold statue from the royal cemetery at Ur
This statue covered in gold leaf and semiprecious stones may have been used in ancient Mesopotamian sunrise rituals.
Archaeologist sailed a Viking replica boat for 3 years to discover unknown ancient harbors
Archaeologist Greer Jarrett spent three years piloting a small sailboat along the coast of Norway to understand Viking trade routes.
Ancient Maya quiz: What do you know about the civilization that built pyramids across Mesoamerica?
Is your knowledge of the ancient Maya as extraordinary as their pyramids?
Rare face tattoos on 800-year-old mystery mummy baffle archaeologists
Analysis of a mummy kept for a century at the University of Turin in Italy has revealed rare face tattoos made with a special black ink.
Our teeth evolved from fish 'body armor' over 460 million years, scientists discover
Teeth are sensitive because they evolved from sensory tissue in both ancient vertebrates and ancient arthropods.
'It epitomises the strangeness of Sutton Hoo': 6th-century bucket found at Anglo-Saxon ship burial holds human cremation
Archaeologists found a cremation burial while examining the inside of a bucket from Sutton Hoo, a 1,400-year-old boat burial site in England.
Oseberg tapestry: Viking Age artwork from a boat burial that may depict the Norse tree of life
This tapestry also contains one of the only known depictions of a horned Viking helmet.
Humans reached southern South America by 14,500 years ago, genomes from 139 Indigenous groups reveal
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
A massive stone carving featuring an Assyrian ruler and several deities has been found in Iraq.
'Ultimate adventure story': Submerged stone circles reveal perilous migration of prehistoric people to far northern Scotland 11,000 years ago
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
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.
Hatnefer's heart scarab: An exquisite ancient Egyptian gold necklace inscribed with the Book of the Dead
A scarab beetle set in gold shows that ancient Egyptians thought the heart was the most important organ in the human body.
How do archaeologists figure out the sex of a skeleton?
Archaeologists can estimate a person's sex with 95% accuracy, but many experts are focused on what can be learned about humans outside the male/female gender binary.
Ancient Maya 'blood cave' discovered in Guatemala baffles archaeologists
Archaeologists working at the Cueva de Sangre site in Guatemala have discovered an unusual ancient Maya ritual.
Metal detectorists unearth dazzling Anglo-Saxon gold-and-garnet raven head and ring: 'It's unbelievable — I'm a bit emotional'
Metal detectorists in southwest England unearthed the two gold-and-garnet objects from the Anglo-Saxon period in January.
Secret of ancient Maya blue pigment revealed from cracks and clues on a dozen bowls from Chichén Itzá
The question of how the super-blue paint was made now has a second answer.
Ancient jawbone dredged off Taiwan seafloor belongs to mysterious Denisovan, study finds
Researchers have determined that a mysterious jawbone discovered on the seafloor off the coast of Taiwan was Denisovan, proving that the archaic humans were distributed widely over Asia.
Secret 'drug room' full of psychedelic 'snuff tubes' discovered at pre-Inca site in Peru
Archaeologists have found conclusive evidence of psychedelic drug use more than 2,500 years ago in Peru.
