Articles by: Tom Metcalfe

The mummified body of the ancient Egyptian priest Nesyamun underwent medical scans in 2018 so that a copy of its vocal tract could be made.

Egyptian mummy speaks again after 3,000 years

By Tom Metcalfe

The voice of an ancient Egyptian priest has been heard for the first time in more than 3,000 years, thanks to a detailed reconstruction of his vocal tract from his mummified remains.

The leader of the excavation, archaeologist Daniele Morandi Bonacossi, and one of the panels of Assyrian carvings unearthed in the northern Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Ancient Assyrian rock carvings in Iraq show procession of gods riding mythical animals

By Tom Metcalfe

Stunning ancient rock carvings that portray an Assyrian king paying homage to his gods amid a procession of mythical animals have been unearthed in the Kurdistan region in the north of Iraq.

Mirabilite deposits often beneath the waters of the Great Salt Lake in winter, but this is the first time it has formed exposed mounds above the surface.

Strange 'Martian' Mineral Mounds Rise Up from Utah's Great Salt Lake

By Tom Metcalfe

Rare mounds of a crystalline mineral have emerged above the surface of Utah's Great Salt Lake, where they're expected to remain just a few months before disappearing again.

A column of ash surrounds the crater of Taal Volcano as it erupts on Jan. 12, 2020, with lightning in the background, as seen from Tagaytay city, in the Philippines.

Philippines Volcano Could Erupt Again in Hours or Days, Threatening a Million People

By Tom Metcalfe

Taal volcano in the Philippines has erupted, and scientists are worried it could soon erupt even more violently, putting almost a million people at risk.

Scientists Are Racing to Figure Out Why This Giant Glacier in Antarctica Is Melting So Fast

By Tom Metcalfe

A robotic submarine is about to descend into a dark, water-filled cavern in Antarctica, to try to find out why one of the continent's largest glaciers is melting so fast.

The instruments on NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory can reveal the intense magnetic fields generated by the sun that tangle as it rotates.

First New Sunspots in 40 Days Herald Coming Solar Cycle

By Tom Metcalfe

Two new sunspots have ended a long period of relative quiet on the surface of our blazing host star, heralding the start of a new 11-year cycle of sunspot activity.

Teenage T. rex were more lightly built and faster than the much larger, lumbering, bone-crushing adults they would grow into.

6-Foot-Tall T. Rex Skeletons Not a New Pygmy Species, Just Teenagers

By Tom Metcalfe

Two 6-foot-tall dinosaurs, nicknamed "Jane" and "Petey," have been confirmed as Tyrannosaurus rex teenagers with years of growth ahead of them, and not a pygmy dinosaur species as some had argued.

The drawing was overlooked for decades on the tablet from the library of a family of exorcists who lived in the Assyrian city of Assur. The depiction is shown here in red.

Demon with Forked Tongue Found on Clay Tablet in Library of Assyrian Exorcists

By Tom Metcalfe

An ancient drawing of a demon blamed for epileptic seizures has been discovered on a 2,700-year-old Assyrian clay tablet.

Archaeologists have found three graves containing human remains inside the historic Alamo Mission building in central San Antonio, Texas.

3 Bodies Found Inside Alamo Cathedral, Reigniting Dispute Over Native-American Burial Ground

By Tom Metcalfe

The discovery of three human graves in the church of the Alamo in San Antonio has reignited a dispute over the Native American presence at the historic site.

The remains of iron beds rise above the ashes of a burned-out block after the Tulsa Race Massacre, Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921.

Mass Grave from 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Possibly Discovered

By Tom Metcalfe

The race massacre that was featured in the HBO television series "Watchmen."

The scientists on the expedition hope that two specialized arrays of metal detectors, towed by snowmobiles, will reveal iron meteorites from the early solar system just below the icy surface.

'Lost' Iron Meteorites May Lurk Beneath Antarctic Ice. Scientists on Quest to Find Them.

By Tom Metcalfe

Scientists are scouring the remote Antarctic ice cap for rare meteorites chock-full of iron and holding secrets to the history of our solar system going back some 4.5 billion years.

Archaeologist think the ancient building on the small island of Chrysi was inhabited by the local leaders of the purple dye-making settlement between 3500 and 3800 years ago.

Gold and Jewels Found on Minoan Island Devoted to the Color Purple

By Tom Metcalfe

A storehouse of ancient treasures, including precious jewels and gold beads, has been uncovered by archaeologists on an island near Crete devoted to making a precious purple dye from sea snails.

Parts of the buried town of Beta Samati were occupied for more than 1000 years, from the Pre-Aksumite era around 750 B.C. through the early Christian period from about A.D. 325, until about A.D. 650.

Buried Christian (and Pagan) Basilica Discovered in Ethiopia's 'Lost Kingdom' of Aksum

By Tom Metcalfe

An ancient church from the fourth century, containing both early Christian and what may be pagan artifacts, has been unearthed in a buried town in northern Ethiopia.

Researchers used two kinds of sonar to detect the wreck of the World War I German battlecruiser Scharnhorst.

Famous World War I Battleship Discovered at the Bottom of the Atlantic

By Tom Metcalfe

The wreck of one of the most famous German warships of World War I has been located on the seafloor near the Falkland Islands, where it sank in a battle with British warships more than 100 years ago.

The wreck of HMS Urge was found at a depth of 430 feet (130 meters) off the coast of the Mediterranean island of Malta.

Wreck of Famous British Sub Sunk by Germans in WWII Discovered Off Malta

By Tom Metcalfe

The wreck of a Royal Navy submarine that mysteriously disappeared with 44 people on board during World War II has been discovered off the Mediterranean island of Malta.

The salvagers hope many of the 900 or so bottles of brandy and liqueur will still be drinkable after 102 years at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

Czar's Booze Discovered on Ship Sunk by a U-Boat in the Baltic Sea in 1917

By Tom Metcalfe

Hundreds of bottles of cognac and Benedictine liqueur have been salvaged from a ship sunk by a German U-boat in the Baltic Sea in 1917.

The Bloodhound set a top speed of 501 mph in tests in South Africa.

Jet-Powered Car Roars Past 500 Mph. But Can This Beast Hit 1,000 Mph Without Destroying Itself?

By Tom Metcalfe

If all the testing goes according to plan, Bloodhound will attempt to set a new land speed record in excess of 763 miles an hour, about this time next year or early in 2021. Whether the car will attempt to go even faster – and eventually to its theoretical top speed of 1000 miles an hour – will depend on the outcomes of the tests and record attempt.

In Photos: 'Bloodhound' Car Has a Jet Engine. And It Could Break the Sound Barrier.

By Tom Metcalfe

This jet-powered car called Bloodhound aims to break the sound barrier and then break the land speed record.

Researchers think the bones were buried in the 1850s, to avoid the penalties of a law restricting the grisly practice of "anatomising" – which culminated in 16 murders by William Burke and William Hare to sell the corpses for anatomical lectures.

Medical Students May Have Secretly Practiced on Human Bodies Found in 19th-Century Burial in Scotland

By Tom Metcalfe

Photos: Hidden Ruins of an Old Scottish Whisky Distillery

By Tom Metcalfe

These ruined stone buildings hidden in the forest in the Scottish Highlands would have been an ideal site for making illicit whisky.

Hidden Scottish Ruins May Have Been Illegal Whisky Stills, Says Archaeologist

By Tom Metcalfe

Mystery surrounds a group of ruined stone buildings hidden in a remote forest in the Scottish Highlands, with an archaeologist suggesting they were once an illegal whisky distillery.

A black and white photo of a Roma camp and wagon on the beach in England

Grave of Romani Baby Taken Prisoner During WWII Discovered at Former Nazi Camp

By Tom Metcalfe

The find shows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Nazis used the Czech camp to imprison Roma people.

Rhode Island shipwreck that may be Captain Cook's Endeavor.

Captain Cook's 'Endeavour' Shipwreck Possibly Discovered Off Rhode Island

By Tom Metcalfe

It sailed around the world in the 1700s and is considered one of the most famous research ships.

This famous photograph of Nessie from 1934 turned out to be a hoax created with a toy submarine and a fake "sea monster" body.

Loch Ness Contains No 'Monster' DNA, Say Scientists

By Tom Metcalfe

A scientific survey of the waters of Loch Ness found it contains no traces of "monster" DNA at all, adding weight to the already-likely prospect that "Nessie" doesn't really exist.

the icebreaker rv polarstern on the ice at night

A Massive Icebreaker Ship Will Trap Itself in Arctic Sea Ice on Purpose. Here's Why.

By Tom Metcalfe

Here's why they're doing it.