Latest articles by Kristina Killgrove
Tiny spoons could have measured out ancient Roman drugs, researchers suggest — but evidence is sparse
Spoon-like metal objects attached to Roman-era belts may represent drug dosing equipment, researchers suggest.
Rare gold 'Brutus' coin minted after Julius Caesar's murder is up for auction
An extremely rare gold coin featuring Brutus, who helped spearhead Julius Caesar's assassination, is up for auction in December.
Strange pile of Stone Age skulls unearthed in Italian village baffles archaeologists
At least 15 human skulls at a Neolithic site in Italy may represent the group's collective ancestors, although archaeologists aren't certain.
New, big-headed archaic humans discovered: Who is Homo juluensis?
Researchers have named a new species in the Homo genus. What do we know about these "big headed" people?
Babylonian tablet preserves student's 4,000-year-old geometry mistake
A small clay tablet from the site of Kish in Iraq reveals a student calculated the area of a triangle incorrectly 4,000 years ago.
1.5 million-year-old footprints reveal our Homo erectus ancestors lived with a 2nd proto-human species
A set of footprints found at the site of Koobi Fora in Kenya reveals that our ancestor Homo erectus coexisted with a now-extinct bipedal hominin, Paranthropus boisei, 1.5 million years ago.
Coins worth over $1 million recovered from 1715 Spanish treasure shipwrecks in Florida
Authorities in Florida have recovered 37 coins worth over $1 million stolen from an 18th-century Spanish shipwreck.
From 'Lucy' to the 'Hobbits': The most famous fossils of human relatives
Countdown Lucy may be the best-known prehuman fossil in the world. But other famous fossils have given us important insight into our evolutionary history.
Mask of Xiuhtecuhtli: A 600-year-old mask of the Aztec fire god taken as treasure by conquistadors
This stunning blue mask may represent the Aztec cycle of death and renewal.
Aztec 'death whistles,' used to prepare sacrifice victims to descend to the underworld, scramble your brain, scans reveal
Brain scans of modern listeners suggest that Aztec whistles sound like human screams, which may have prepared sacrifice victims for their journey to the underworld.
Lucy's last day: What the iconic fossil reveals about our ancient ancestor's last hours
Feature Fifty years after a fossil skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis was unearthed in Ethiopia, we know so much more about how this iconic species lived and died.
Ancient human ancestor Lucy was not alone — she lived alongside at least 4 other proto-human species, emerging research suggests
Lucy lived in a wide range of habitats from northern Ethiopia to northern Kenya. Researchers now believe she wasn't the only australopithecine species there.
Our ancestor Lucy may have used tools more than 3 million years ago
An analysis looking at the hand bones of australopithecines, apes and humans reveals that tool use likely evolved before the Homo genus arose.
Humans' big brains may not be the reason for difficult childbirth, chimp study suggests
Complicated births may not have arisen in humans as a trade-off between our need for big brains and pelvises suitable for upright walking, new research in chimps suggests.
Puzzling patchwork skeleton in Belgium contains bones from 5 people spanning 2,500 years
A skeleton buried in a fetal position is actually made of bones from at least five people who lived across a span of 2,500 years.
Iron Age woman was buried with a knife stuck into her grave. Archaeologists aren't sure why.
At an Iron Age cemetery in Sweden, archaeologists discovered an unusual grave of a woman interred with an iron folding knife stuck into her burial.
1,200-year-old Viking cemetery with 'stone ship' burials discovered in Sweden
Archaeologists in Sweden were expecting to find an ancient settlement, but they were surprised to discover a Viking Age cemetery with boat-shaped burial outlines.
1st wheel was invented 6,000 years ago in the Carpathian Mountains, modeling study suggests
It's possible that the wheel was invented by copper miners in the Carpathian Mountains up to 6,000 years ago, according to a modeling study that uses techniques from structural mechanics.
2,000-year-old temple from 'Indiana Jones civilization' found submerged off Italy
An ancient temple made by Arabian immigrants from the Nabataean culture has finally been found off the Italian coast near Naples.
Remains of 1,600-year-old Roman fort unearthed in Turkey
Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of a Roman military structure in Turkey dating to the fourth century, when Emperor Constantius II ruled.
Neanderthals and modern humans interbred 'at the crossroads of human migrations' in Iran, study finds
A new ecological model suggests Neanderthals and modern humans interbred in the Zagros Mountains in what is now Iran before going their separate ways 80,000 years ago.
Did Neanderthals wear clothes?
Braving the cold weather required Neanderthals to have robust bodies and to know how to make fire. But did they wear clothes?
Who was the last Neanderthal?
We don't know when the last Neanderthal died, but many archaeologists think some of the last lineages lived in southern Iberia.
