Laura Geggel

Laura Geggel

Editor

Laura is the archaeology/history and Life's Little Mysteries editor at Live Science. She also reports on general science, including archaeology and 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.

Articles by: Laura Geggel

The original fossil of Yuanchuavis, which was found in the Jehol Biota in northeastern China.

Bizarre tail on little dinosaur-age bird was literally a drag

By Laura Geggel published

An extraordinary 120-million-year-old fossil bird from China reveals that the animal had a sexy but vaguely impractical tail.

Ian Panter, head of conservation at York Archaeological Trust, examines the Bronze Age coffin.

Rare Bronze Age coffin uncovered on UK golf course

By Laura Geggel published

A Bronze Age burial was accidentally discovered in an English golf club.

A female of the now-extinct Lagonomegopidae spider family guards her egg sac.

99 million-year-old spider mummies reveal moms cared for teeny spiderlings

By Laura Geggel published

Four chunks of amber containing Cretaceous-age spiders reveal that mothers cared for spiderlings.

A 3D facial reconstruction of the Neanderthal dubbed Krijn, who had a tumor above his right eyebrow.

Lumpy tumor shown on facial reconstruction of Neanderthal who lived on 'drowned land'

By Laura Geggel published

A new facial reconstruction depicts a Neanderthal with a tumor above his right eyebrow.

Tyrannosaurs may have fought each other for mates, territory or higher status, a new study finds.

Tyrannosaurs bit each other's faces in dino fight clubs

By Laura Geggel published

Tyrannosaurs around the age of sexual maturity often bit each other's faces, likely to win prizes.

An illustration of the "shark-toothed" dinosaur Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis, who lived in what is now Uzbekistan about 90 million years ago.

Gigantic 'shark-toothed' dinosaur discovered in Uzbekistan

By Laura Geggel published

The discovery of a massive dinosaur jawbone dating to 90 million years ago reveals a previously unknown apex predator that prowled in what is now Uzbekistan.

These photos show the partially mummified remains of the woman whose face was mutilated. Notice how the skin around her mouth was pulled upward.

Farming brought burst of extreme violence to Atacama Desert, ancient mummies reveal

By Laura Geggel published

The maimed and tortured remains of Atacama Desert mummies reveal that the region’s earliest farmers cultivated a climate of extreme violence.

"Prehistoric Pets" describes the ancient relatives of your modern-day pets.

Got a cool pet? Enter to win this book on their prehistoric counterparts.

By Laura Geggel published

Here's how to enter to win a free copy of the "Prehistoric Pets" pop-up book.

Angler Tom Bosworth holds the tortilla-like fish he caught before throwing it back into Tampa Bay.

'What the heck is that?' Florida angler catches 'tortilla fish.'

By Laura Geggel published

An angler fishing in Tampa Bay was surprised to reel in an unusual fish that looked just like a flour tortilla.

The cane toad (Rhinella marina) is an invasive species in Australia, where its tadpoles have become voracious cannibals.

Cannibal toads eat so many of their young, they're speeding up evolution

By Laura Geggel published

Competition is so fierce Down Under, the invasive cane toad has become a mega-cannibal.

An Asian giant hornet queen rests on her soon-to-be destroyed nest in near Blaine, Washington.

'Murder hornet' nest leads to discovery of 180 adults, 1,500 larvae

By Laura Geggel published

A "murder hornet" nest in Washington had 113 adults and 1,500 developing Asian giant hornets inside.

The skull and jaw of the ancient Toalean woman found in a cave in South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Ancient remains found in Indonesia belong to a vanished human lineage

By Laura Geggel published

Ancient DNA from a woman who lived 7,200 years ago reveal she belongs to a vanished human lineage.

An illustration of the semiaquatic "god of death" whale.

Walking whale ancestor named after Egyptian god of death

By Laura Geggel published

Meet Phiomicetus anubis, a semiaquatic whale that lived in what is now Egypt 43 million years ago.

A photo of the lovers' remains next to an illustration of how they may have looked when they were first buried.

1,500-year-old burial in China holds lovers locked in eternal embrace

By Laura Geggel published

Two lovers, locked in an eternal embrace, were found in a 1,500-year-old burial in northern China.

An illustration showing how the attack may have gone down, with a megatoothed shark biting the lower jaw of the sperm whale.

Megalodon's mortal attack on sperm whale revealed in ancient tooth

By Laura Geggel published

An ancient sperm whale tooth has gouge marks on it that may have come from an megalodon attack.

A nearly full moon rises above the Statue of Liberty on June 23, 2021.

Why this weekend's Blue Moon is extra rare (and how to see it)

By Laura Geggel published

August's full Blue Moon shines on Sunday, but it will be a "full moon weekend."

Study researcher Dawid Kobiałka during an excavation in Death Valley.

Mass grave from Nazi atrocity discovered in Poland's 'Death Valley'

By Laura Geggel published

Archaeologists in Poland have discovered a mass grave from World War II that contains the remains of about 500 people.

An illustration of the turtle (Yuchelys nanyangensis) hatching from its tennis ball-size egg.

Rare embryo from dinosaur age was laid by human-size turtle

By Laura Geggel published

A farmer in China found a 90 million-year-old fossilized turtle egg that has an embryo inside it.

Eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) groom each other.

Chimps use 'hi' and 'bye' greetings, just like humans

By Laura Geggel published

Humans aren't the only species that show "hello" and "goodbye" behaviors.

Lava streams down the side of Mount Etna in Sicily.

Mount Etna is 100 feet taller than it was 6 months ago

By Laura Geggel published

Satellite imagery reveals that Mount Etna has gotten 100 feet taller in the past six months.

Archaeologists in Leicester, England found a Roman era key handle featuring a lion attacking a barbarian.

Ancient Roman key shows lion devouring barbarian

By Laura Geggel published

About 100 years after the Romans invaded Britain, a crafter created an elaborate key handle depicting a lion devouring a wild-eyed barbarian.

The remains of the elite woman (left) and twin fetuses (right) were cremated, but some of their bones (above) weren't completely burned.

Remains of twin fetuses and wealthy mom found in Bronze Age urn

By Laura Geggel published

A Bronze Age urn found in Hungary holds the remains of an elite woman and twin fetuses.

Michelangelo reportedly sculpted this wax statue, title "A Slave," in the 16th century.

Michelangelo's fingerprint possibly found on butt of wax statue

By Laura Geggel published

A change in temperature and humidity levels may explain why a print on a statue sculpted by Michelangelo is now visible.

Video of a cockatoo opening a trash can lid

'Trash parrots' in Australia have figured out how to open garbage cans (Video)

By Laura Geggel published

Wild cockatoos have figured out how to open garbage can lids, and the practice is spreading due to social learning.

The well-preserved head of Tollund Man, who lived about 2,400 years ago.

Last meal of ancient human sacrifice victim 'Tollund Man' revealed in exquisite detail

By Laura Geggel published

A gut analysis reveals what "Tollund Man" ate before he died 2,400 years ago.

Other versions of this page are available with specific content for the following regions: