Tom Metcalfe

Tom Metcalfe is a freelance journalist and regular Live Science contributor who is based in London in the United Kingdom. Tom writes mainly about science, space, archaeology, the Earth and the oceans. He has also written for the BBC, NBC News, National Geographic, Scientific American, Air & Space, and many others.

Articles by: Tom Metcalfe

This images shows the temple complex at Chavín de Huántar in the Andes in Peru.

Secret ancient Andean passageways may have been used in rituals involving psychedelics

By Tom Metcalfe published

Archaeologists have revealed a complex of hidden passageways and galleries deep inside an ancient temple in the Peruvian Andes.

According to international law, the shipwreck and everything on it belong to Spain; but Colombia's government has declared that it owns the wreck and its treasure, which is estimated to be worth $17 billion.

$17 billion shipwreck near Colombia is remarkably preserved, new photos reveal

By Tom Metcalfe published

New images of one of the world’s most valuable shipwrecks off the coast of Colombia show its remarkable preservation, and two more historic shipwrecks in the same area.

Side by side images of the front and back of the small silver Viking coin that was found. It looks very worn, but on one side you can make out the triquetra in the middle and writing going around the edge. The next image shows the other side of the coin. It is very worn but you can make out some small circles in the top left and bottom right as well as 2 lines going down the middle and writing around the edge.

Silver coin featuring famous Viking king unearthed in Hungary

By Tom Metcalfe published

A metal detectorist in Hungary has unearthed a tiny silver coin marked with the name of a famous Viking king that was lost almost 1,000 years ago.

Archaeologists think the one-edged curved sword — a type of saber — dates from a raid on the monastery that took place in the 14th century.

Rusty saber, possibly wielded by medieval Turkish pirates, unearthed in Greece

By Tom Metcalfe published

Archaeologists in Greece have unearthed a one-edged sword, or saber, that they think was used in the 14th century during a raid by Turkish pirates on a fortified Christian monastery.

This image is a digital enhancement of a NASA image of Earth’s atmosphere.

New, extremely reactive chemical discovered in the atmosphere

By Tom Metcalfe published

Millions of tons of a type of extremely reactive chemical can form in the atmosphere each year, with implications for health and the global climate.

Sarcophagi found in a cache dating to the Egyptian Late Period (around the fifth century BC). In the photo we can make out about 30 sarcophaguses laid out in four rows. They are underneath a massive tend are surround by a huge crowd of people taking photos.

Hundreds of ancient Egyptian sarcophagi, cat mummies and gold-leafed statues unearthed at necropolis

By Tom Metcalfe published

Archaeologists have unearthed a trove of artifacts at the necropolis of Saqqara near Cairo.

This angled overhead photo shows the ruined foundations of a farmstead that was discovered in northern Israel.

2,100-year-old farmstead in Israel found 'frozen in time' after owners disappeared

By Tom Metcalfe published

Archaeologists have unearthed the 2,100-year-old remains of a farmstead near Israel's northern Sea of Galilee.

The doughnut-shaped fusion chamber of the TCV contains the superheated hydrogen plasmas in powerful magnetic fields to keep it from damaging the walls.

Physicists just rewrote a foundational rule for nuclear fusion reactors that could unleash twice the power

By Tom Metcalfe published

Future fusion reactions inside tokamaks could shine even brighter than before, thanks to groundbreaking new research to find the maximum density of the hydrogen plasma fuel that powers them.

Screenshot from a 3D animation of the Cotoca site. In the center, at the highest point, you see the highest point of a hill.

Lasers reveal 'lost' pre-Hispanic civilization deep in the Amazon

By Tom Metcalfe published

Settlements from a "lost" Amazonian civilization were found.

This image shows 2 leg bones at different angles, the lower right leg being amputated. The rough endings on the bones of the lower right leg suggest the amputation was inflicted as a punishment and was not the result of an accident or disease.

Ancient Chinese woman faced brutal 'yue' punishment, had foot cut off, skeleton reveals

By Tom Metcalfe published

Archaeologists think the missing foot of a woman buried in China almost 3,000 years ago was amputated as a criminal punishment, according to a new study.

The Mars Curiosity rover’s Mast camera snapped this intriguing image of the Red Planet, showing a “doorway” structure, on May 7, 2022, or Sol 3466 in Martian days.

The 'doorway' seen on Mars is not for aliens. Here's how it really formed.

By Tom Metcalfe published

The internet erupted after a photograph from the Mars Curiosity rover appeared to show an "alien door," experts are pretty sure it's just a natural feature.

Two people who are wearing hard hats, masks and high visibility safety vests are exploring an underground cave thought to be a city. The walls are lined with large stone bricks and there are three circular holes on the floor.

Underground city unearthed in Turkey may have been refuge for early Christians

By Tom Metcalfe published

Archaeologists in southeastern Turkey have unearthed a vast underground city that was built almost 2,000 years ago and possibly used by early Christians to escape Roman persecution.

The sunspot region known as AR3006 has an area of a reversed magnetic polarity near its center, a phenomenon that can result in increased solar flare activity.

Mixed-up sunspot emits powerful solar flare

By Tom Metcalfe published

A mixed-up region of sunspots pointed almost directly at Earth just emitted a major solar flare, which could cause havoc with power grids and communication networks.

Cosmonauts (from left) Denis Matveev and Oleg Artemyev worked outside the International Space Station's Russian segment for 6 hours and 37 minutes outfitting Nauka and configuring the European robotic arm in April 2022.

Russia will pull out of the International Space Station, space agency chief confirms

By Tom Metcalfe published

Russia has confirmed it will pull out of the International Space Station (ISS), due to sanctions imposed over the Ukraine invasion.

Of 14 people buried at the monumental cemetery at Fleury-sur-Orne during the early Neolithic period whose ancient DNA was tested, only one was a woman.

In a burial ground full of Stone Age men, one grave holds a 'warrior' woman

By Tom Metcalfe published

The female's burial had 4 arrowheads.

A virtual-reality simulation showing how a plaquette may have looked like under the flickering light of a fire.

Prehistoric rock carvings may have been the first cartoons in history, new study suggests

By Tom Metcalfe published

Animal portraits may have been placed close to flickering fires to appear animated.

The two massive sunspot groups, known as AR 2993 and AR 2994, became visible a few days ago at the northeast limb of the sun after becoming active while still hidden by the sun's disk.

New swarms of sunspots are so gigantic they could devour Earth whole

By Tom Metcalfe published

Two immense swarms of sunspots have popped into view on the surface of the sun, hinting at the increased possibilities of vivid auroras and potentially damaging solar flares over the months to come.

The first four jar sites were found by British archaeologists in Assam state in 1928. Expeditions to the region by a team of archaeologists since 2014 have discovered six more sites in Assam and neighboring Meghalaya state.

Ancient people in India may have buried their dead in giant stone jars

By Tom Metcalfe published

Hundreds of ancient stone jars discovered on hillsides in northeast India may be linked to mysterious stone jars in northern Laos, about 800 miles away, according to archaeologists.

Roscosmos cosmonauts (from bottom left) Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov work outside the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module on the International Space Station during a spacewalk in January 2022.

Russia could end its role in the International Space Station by 2024, say experts

By Tom Metcalfe published

The director general of Russia's Roscosmos space agency has threatened to end its Russia's involvement with the ISS.

The EA-18G Growler is an electronic-attack aircraft.

US Navy sends 'electronic attack' jets to Germany: Here's how they work.

By Tom Metcalfe published

The U.S. just sent six "electronic attack" aircraft to Germany to overcome enemy air defenses by crippling the radar systems that they often depend upon.

Archaeologists estimate the "curse tablet," made from a folded lead sheet and inscribed with proto-alphabetic characters, may be at least 3,200 years old.

Ancient 'curse tablet' may show earliest Hebrew name of God

By Tom Metcalfe published

Archaeologists working in the West Bank say they've discovered a tiny lead "curse tablet" that may include the oldest known mention of the Hebrew name of God "Yahweh" ever found.

The new study identifies British Royal graves from the era of the mythical King Arthur. Several places in Britain are claimed to be the location of his burial; but according to some legends Arthur was taken by a magical boat to the mystical Isle of Avalon after being mortally wounded in battle.

Graves of dozens of kings from the time of King Arthur uncovered in Britain

By Tom Metcalfe published

The graves of dozens of early British kings, queens, princes and princesses from King Arthur's era have been revealed.

Rescuers work at the site of the plane crash of China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 on March 21, 2022, in Tengxian County, Wuzhou City, China. The Boeing 737-800NG aircraft was carrying 132 people.

China Boeing 737's steep (and final) nosedive puzzles experts

By Tom Metcalfe published

Air crash investigators are trying to figure out why a passenger jet in China nosedived so steeply into the ground, killing all 132 people on board.

Mikoyan MiG-31K fighter jets with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles fly over Moscow's Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, on May 09, 2018. Russia has claimed it used these missiles for the first time in combat with Ukraine.

Russia strikes Ukraine with new hypersonic missiles: Here's how they work.

By Tom Metcalfe published

Russia claims to have used its Kinzhal hypersonic missiles for the first time, in its invasion of Ukraine. Here's why these super-fast weapons are so concerning.

A U.S. Titan nuclear missile. Mutual assured destruction is the concept of nuclear superpowers being able to completely destroy each other.

What is mutual assured destruction?

By Tom Metcalfe published

Reference 'Mutual assured destruction is the concept that two superpowers can annihilate each other with nuclear weapons.