
Laura Geggel
Laura is the archaeology and Life's Little Mysteries editor at Live Science. She also reports on general science, including paleontology. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Scholastic, Popular Science and Spectrum, a site on autism research. She has won multiple awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association for her reporting at a weekly newspaper near Seattle. Laura holds a bachelor's degree in English literature and psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and a master's degree in science writing from NYU.
Latest articles by Laura Geggel

Chimps are naturally violent, study suggests
By Laura Geggel last updated
A new, 54-year study suggests coordinated aggression is innate to chimpanzees, and is not linked to human interference.

Helmet-headed dinosaurs kickboxed like kangaroos, new study suggests
By Laura Geggel last updated
Pachycephalosaurs probably didn't butt heads at high speeds. Instead, they likely kickboxed like kangaroos.

Giant purpleblack flying squid photobombs crew investigating shipwreck
By Laura Geggel last updated
A team mapping the seafloor in the northern Red Sea unexpectedly spotted a purpleback flying squid near a previously unknown shipwreck.

Why Are So Many People Dying on Mount Everest?
By Laura Geggel last updated
Massively long lines at Mount Everest's frigid summit may have contributed to the deaths of seven climbers this week.

2 Viking swords buried upright might have connected the dead to Odin and Valhalla
By Laura Geggel published
Archaeologists in Sweden excavating a Viking grave field have uncovered two burials containing swords standing upright.

Woman Tried to Treat Athlete’s Foot with Raw Garlic. It Burned Through Her Toe.
By Laura Geggel last updated
A woman in England learned the hard way that it's not safe to treat a foot fungus infection by covering it with slices of raw garlic, according to a new report of the woman's case.

King Tut's Sisters Took the Throne Before He Did, Controversial Claim Says
By Laura Geggel last updated

Giant, ostrich-like dinosaur and its smaller cousin roamed Mississippi during the late Cretaceous
By Laura Geggel published
A giant, ostrich-like dinosaur and its smaller cousin, also an ornithomimosaur, sprinted through what is now Mississippi about 85 million years ago.

1,600-year-old mosaic of Hercules and Neptune's 40 mistresses unearthed in war-torn Syria
By Laura Geggel published
Archaeologists in Syria have discovered a stunning mosaic featuring depictions of the Trojan War, Hercules and Neptune dating to the fourth century A.D.

Tooth Tales: Prehistoric Plaque Reveals Early Humans Ate Weeds
By Laura Geggel last updated
When looking for a meal, prehistoric people in Africa munched on the tuberous roots of weeds such as the purple nutsedge, according to a new study of hardened plaque on samples of ancient teeth.

Octopuses Have Moves, But No Rhythm
By Laura Geggel last updated
Octopuses move with a simple elegance, but they have no rhythm, according to new research.

Tsunami from dinosaur-killing asteroid had mile-high waves and reached halfway across the world
By Laura Geggel published
The dinosaur-killing asteroid triggered mile-high monster waves and waters that reached the world over.

Spectacular T. rex skeleton may fetch $25 million at auction (the new owner gets to name it, too)
By Laura Geggel published
Paleontologists are unhappy that a T. rex specimen from Montana is hitting the auction block in Hong Kong in November.

How do palm trees withstand hurricanes?
By Laura Geggel last updated
Trees generally snap, or at least lose a few branches, when faced with hurricane-strength winds. Not palm trees. These staples of the tropics typically bend during gusty weather.

Toothless Druid Woman's Face Comes Alive in Wax, Wrinkles and All
By Laura Geggel last updated
A toothless skull was all that researchers had of one of Scotland's oldest known Druids, but now they have something more: a wax re-creation of her face.

Evidence of 'modern' plate tectonics dating to 2.5 billion years ago found in China
By Laura Geggel last updated
Earth scientists in China have found evidence of a subduction zone dating to 2.5 billion years ago.

Why Did These Medieval European Women Have Alien-Like Skulls?
By Laura Geggel last updated
Why were medieval women with egg-shaped skulls buried in Bavaria? A DNA analysis reveals their origins.

What Caused Woman's Odd Liver Problem — Dog or Cat?
By Laura Geggel last updated
A woman in the Netherlands contracted an unusual bacterial infection that may have come from one of her pet cats, according to a new report of her case.
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