Kristina Killgrove is a staff writer at Live Science with a focus on archaeology and paleoanthropology news. Her articles have also appeared in venues such as Forbes, Smithsonian, and Mental Floss. Kristina holds a Ph.D. in biological anthropology and an M.A. in classical archaeology from the University of North Carolina, as well as a B.A. in Latin from the University of Virginia, and she was formerly a university professor and researcher. She has received awards from the Society for American Archaeology and the American Anthropological Association for her science writing.
-
In a 'race against time,' archaeologists uncovered Roman-era footprints from a Scottish beach before the tide washed them awayArchaeologists raced against the tide to record a unique set of footprints made 2,000 years ago on a Scottish beach.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
5 Comments -
2,500-year-old 'primitive prosthetic' found on jaw of mummified Scythian woman who survived complex jaw surgeryResearchers used CT scans to peer inside a partially mummified skull and discovered the woman survived jaw surgery 2,500 years ago.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
3 Comments -
Research group claims preeclampsia doomed the Neanderthals, but experts say it's just a 'thought experiment'Preeclampsia, a complication of pregnancy that involves high blood pressure, could have led to a decline in Neanderthals' fertility, a new study suggests.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
6 Comments -
5,500 years ago, a teenage girl was buried with her father's bones on her chest, new DNA study revealsA novel DNA analysis of skeletons excavated from a Neolithic hunter-gatherer cemetery in Sweden has revealed surprising family relationships.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
9 Comments -
Tumaco-Tolita Seated Elder: This 2,000-year-old depiction of an aged man with wrinkles struck fear in people because it held 'the power'Tumaco-Tolita artists were known for their intense realism in sculpting clay representations of humans.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
13 Comments -
Did modern humans wipe out the Neanderthals? New evidence may finally provide answers.A complex picture of how Neanderthals died out, and the role that modern humans played in their disappearance, is emerging.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
20 Comments -
Subterranean tunnel, possibly used for medieval cult rituals, discovered in Stone Age tomb in GermanyA tunnel system discovered in a Stone Age tomb in Germany suggests medieval people created hiding places for their cultic rituals.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
-
Medieval gold ring with dazzling blue gemstone discovered in Norway is a 'fantastically beautiful and rare specimen'The delicate gold ring was made sometime in the Middle Ages and may have belonged to a high-status woman.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
3 Comments -
Viking Age mass grave holds mysterious mix of dismembered human remains and complete skeletons, including a 'giant' who'd had brain surgeryArchaeologists and student excavators uncovered a Viking Age pit full of dismembered remains near Cambridge, England.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
4 Comments -
Sandals of Tutankhamun: 3,300-year-old footwear that let King Tut walk all over his enemiesAmong the sandals discovered in Tut's tomb is a pair whose insoles were decorated with images of the boy king's enemies.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
-
Paleo-Inuit people braved icy seas to reach remote Greenland islands 4,500 years ago, archaeologists discoverArchaeological remains on the Kitsissut islands off the coast of Greenland reveal that whole communities regularly journeyed across the dangerous Arctic waters.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
7 Comments -
'There's no reason to ban us from playing': Analysis debunks notion that transgender women have inherent physical advantages in sportsA meta-analysis of 52 studies that included over 5,000 transgender people suggests that transgender women's physical fitness after hormone therapy is comparable to that of cisgender women.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
-
Remote region in Greece has one of the most genetically distinct populations in EuropeA genetic analysis of the Deep Maniots living in Greece's southern Peloponnese region has revealed a close-knit, patriarchal community with roots in the Bronze Age.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
6 Comments -
Preserved hair reveals just how bad lead exposure was in the 20th centuryA new study reveals the dramatic decrease in lead exposure in the U.S. following the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency 55 years ago.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
-
Ribchester Helmet: A rare 'face mask' helmet worn by a Roman cavalry officer 1,900 years agoThe helmet has been a powerful symbol of Roman Britain since it was discovered over 200 years ago.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
-
Rare medieval seal discovered in UK is inscribed with 'Richard's secret' and bears a Roman-period gemstoneThe Gosfield seal is made of a medieval silver seal bezel surrounding an ancient Roman gemstone.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
3 Comments -
Stone Age teenager was mauled by a bear 28,000 years ago, skeletal analysis confirmsThe mystery of a Stone Age teenager's death has been solved — 80 years after he was found in an ancient burial ground in Italy.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
-
Romans used human feces as medicine 1,900 years ago — and used thyme to mask the smellA new study shows that organic residues from a Roman-era glass medicinal vial came from human feces.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
-
1,400-year-old Zapotec tomb discovered in Mexico features enormous owl sculpture symbolizing deathThe president of Mexico called the discovery of a 1,400-year-old Zapotec tomb in Oaxaca the "most significant archaeological discovery in a decade."
By Kristina Killgrove Published
3 Comments -
Varna Gold: Humanity's first gold jewelry was found in a cemetery with a gold 'penis sheath'Archaeologists found hundreds of burials in the Copper Age cemetery in Varna, Bulgaria, some of which were littered with gold artifacts.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
8 Comments -
2,500 years ago, people in Bulgaria ate dog meat at feasts and as a delicacy, archaeological study findsA study of dog bones across several Iron Age sites in Bulgaria has shown that people ate dog meat.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
-
5,500-year-old human skeleton discovered in Colombia holds the oldest evidence yet that syphilis came from the AmericasAn ancient DNA analysis of a 5,500-year-old human skeleton reveals that an ancestor of the bacterium that causes syphilis was present in the Americas at least 3,000 years earlier than previously thought.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
4 Comments -
2.6 million-year-old jaw from extinct 'Nutcracker Man' is found where we didn't expect itA fossil jaw of a distant human relative was discovered much farther north than previously thought possible, revealing new information about diversity in human evolution.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
-
Remnants of spills on Renaissance-era textbook reveal recipes for 'curing' ailments with lizard heads and human fecesA novel biochemical analysis of a Renaissance medical text has successfully recovered centuries-old proteins that might be from lizards and hippos.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
3 Comments

