Articles by Tom Metcalfe

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.

'Terminator' Android Preaches Buddhist Wisdom at Ancient Japanese Temple

By Tom Metcalfe

This android preaches Buddhist wisdom from the heart.

The British soldiers, mostly from the Campbell clan, were billeted in MacDonald houses in Glencoe before they were ordered to kill or drive off their hosts.

'Lost Village' Found at Site of Most Infamous Clan Massacre in Scotland

By Tom Metcalfe

Archaeologists excavating the scene of the most infamous clan massacre in Scottish history have unearthed parts of a 'lost village' in the Highlands valley of Glencoe.

St. Finan's Isle is located on Loch Shiel, shown here, in the Scottish Highlands. The body of water was featured as the Black Lake in "Harry Potter" movies.

Thief Steals 'Cursed' Medieval Bell from 'Harry Potter' Island in Scotland

By Tom Metcalfe

The bronze bell is a religious relic that may be 1,000 years old.

In Photos: Biblical 'Church of the Apostles' Discovered

By Tom Metcalfe

Jesus is said to have healed a blind man at the site, located along the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel.

The excavations at Beit Habek beside the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel have unearthed a Byzantine-age church, said to be built above the house of Jesus' apostles Peter and Andrew.

Early Christian 'Church of the Apostles' Possibly Unearthed Near Sea of Galilee

By Tom Metcalfe

Jesus is said to have healed a blind man and split bread at this holy site.

Russia has never acknowledged that any nuclear accident took place at the Mayak facility in the Chelyabinsk region in 2017.

Mysterious Radiation Cloud Over Europe Traced to Secret Russian Nuclear Accident

By Tom Metcalfe

The cloud held up to 100 times the level of radiation released after the Fukushima accident in Japan in 2011.

This false-color satellite photograph of Mount Michael shows the lava lake (in red) within the volcano – only the eighth persistent lake of molten rock ever discovered. The inset shows the location of Saunders Island.

Rare Lake of Bubbling Lava Discovered on Remote Antarctic Island

By Tom Metcalfe

A huge lake of sizzling hot lava has been discovered in a volcano on a remote sub-Antarctic island in the South Atlantic Ocean.

The mobile buildings of the Halley research station were moved in 2017 to avoid the base being cut adrift by a growing chasm in the ice shelf.

'Ghost Base' Perched on a Growing Ice Chasm in Antarctica Is Running on Its Own

By Tom Metcalfe

A remote science station in Antarctica forced to close over the polar winter by a dangerous ice chasm is completely empty of human life.

The latest excavations have revealed a Bronze Age burial mound that was built around 1,000 years after the Neolithic passage tomb of Bryn Celli Ddu.

4,000-Year-Old Burial Revealed on Britain's 'Island of Druids'

By Tom Metcalfe

The island is most famous today for its supposed links to the Druids, who were described by the Roman general Julius Caesar

In Photos: Island of the Druids

By Tom Metcalfe

The island of Anglesey, overlooking the Irish Sea, has been linked for centuries with ancient and magical mysteries. The island has been linked with the magical order of priests called the Druids.