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.
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Neanderthals could be brought back within 20 years — but is it a good idea?With today's technology, we cannot bring back Neanderthals. But even if future advances allow it, should we?
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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1,300-year-old poop reveals pathogens plagued prehistoric people in Mexico's 'Cave of the Dead Children'Scientists studied ancient poop and found loads of intestinal diseases.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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'It's really an extraordinary story,' historian Steven Tuck says of the Romans he tracked who survived the AD 79 eruption of Mount VesuviusINTERVIEW "I have found two or three rich guys, but I found a couple hundred middle class and even some desperately poor people who made it out and left records. And that shocked me."
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Roos Carr figures: Creepy 2,600-year-old carvings with 'removable genitalia' and eyes that may have symbolized Odin's soothsayer powersSpooky-looking wooden figurines with quartzite eyes are 2,600 years old and may be linked to a Norse god.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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5,000-year-old skeleton masks and skull cups made from human bones discovered in ChinaArchaeologists in China found a collection of human bones that showed signs of being "worked" like any other natural material.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Skeleton-filled well in Croatia likely holds remains of Roman soldiers, study findsArchaeologists have discovered a mass grave of Roman soldiers hidden inside an ancient well in Croatia.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Human skeleton quiz: What do you know about the bones in your body?Do you have what it takes to be a bone-ified quiz champion?
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Miniature Skeleton: A ghostly 2,000-year-old party favor from a Roman banquetThis spooky skeleton was likely made to remind Roman banqueters that life is short.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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750-year-old grass shoe discovered in a vulture's nest in SpainBearded vultures in medieval Spain stole various things from humans to feather their nests.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Corleck Head: A spooky three-faced Celtic sculpture found on the 'Hill of Death' in Ireland — and it may have been connected to human sacrifice 1,900 years agoThe meaning of the three-faced Corleck Head has puzzled experts for centuries.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Anthropologists make 'ant yogurt' from centuries-old recipe, serve it as an 'ant-wich' at Michelin-star restaurantResearchers have revealed how adding a handful of live ants to warm milk can create yogurt.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Scientists convert a kidney from blood type A to universal type O and implant it in a brain-dead recipientScientists move one step closer to "universal" donor organs with a successful kidney transplant in a brain-dead patient.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Divers recover more than 1,000 gold and silver coins from 1715 'Treasure Fleet' shipwreck in FloridaSalvage work on the 1715 shipwrecks brought over 1,000 coins to the surface this summer.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Jane Goodall, famed primatologist who discovered chimpanzee tool use, dies at 91Dame Jane Goodall, the world's preeminent chimpanzee expert, died of natural causes.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Vlad the Impaler: The medieval prince who inspired DraculaVlad the Impaler was a medieval prince whose bloodthirsty acts inspired the world's most famous vampire, Bram Stoker's Dracula.
By Marc Lallanilla Last updated
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Eagle brooches: 1,500-year-old pins filled with dazzling gems and glass — and worn by powerful Visigoth womenVisigoth women may have worn eagle-shaped pins as a symbol of power.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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How long does DNA last?The world's oldest DNA comes from a 2.4 million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland. Will scientists eventually sequence even older DNA?
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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1 million-year-old skull from China holds clues to the origins of Neanderthals, Denisovans and humansReconstruction of a 1 million-year-old skull shows that early human groups split and diversified quickly.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Mystery creature found in 'forbidden cloud forest' of Peru is new species of marsupialThe newly described mouse opossum was discovered at a surprisingly high altitude in the Andes.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Statuette of a Comic Actor: A 2,000-year-old depiction of a Roman actor letting one ripThe ancient Romans had a soft spot for physical comedy (aka fart jokes), as exemplified by a bronze figurine of a comic actor.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Ötzi quiz: What do you know about the Iceman mummy who was murdered 5,300 years ago in the Alps?Think you know a lot about Ötzi the Iceman? Don't get left in the cold — take our quiz!
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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World's oldest mummies were smoke-dried 10,000 years ago in China and Southeast Asia, researchers findThe world's oldest evidence for purposeful human mummification comes from Southeast Asia, where people smoke-dried their ancestors' corpses 10,000 years ago.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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1,900-year-old oil lamp that provided 'light in the journey to the afterlife' found in Roman cemetery in the NetherlandsArchaeologists excavating in a Roman cemetery in the Netherlands have uncovered a unique oil lamp dating to the second century A.D.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Pawnee Star Chart: A precontact elk-skin map used by Indigenous priests to tell an origin storyThe unique map depicts patterns of stars in the night sky, but its meaning is debated.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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