Opinion
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What did ancient Rome smell like? BO, rotting corpses and raw sewage for starters ...
By Thomas J. Derrick published
We can probably safely assume Rome, in many areas, was likely pretty dirty and rank-smelling. That said, there's evidence of perfumes, incense and even deodorants.

Mercury's 'missing' meteorites may have finally been found on Earth
By Ben Rider-Stokes published
Meteorites may be the only practical way to study Mercury's surface directly.

Remote cave in Guam reveals ancient voyagers carried rice to Pacific islands 3,500 years ago, study finds
By Hsiao-chun Hung published
Opinion Rice is difficult to grow in the Pacific, so how did it end up in a cave? Archaeologists reveal the hidden history of this ancient and well-travelled grain.

Would outsourcing everything to AI cost us our ability to think for ourselves?
By Wolfgang Messner published
Opinion During the Industrial Revolution, craftsmanship retreated to the margins. As AI becomes widely adopted, will the same happen to original thinking?

Thimerosal carries no health risks and is almost never used anyway. So why are anti-vaxxers obsessed with it?
By Terri Levien published
Opinion There's no solid evidence that thimerosal harms children. It was removed from almost all vaccines more than 20 years ago out of an abundance of caution, but RFK Jr.'s hand-picked vaccine advisory committee is looking into it.

'Deciphering these mysterious strings': How reading the Inca's knotted cords can reveal past droughts and deluges
By Sabine Hyland published
Opinion Andean people of the past looked at these strings as a record of the climate, and they studied them to understand patterns.

Your devices feed AI assistants and harvest personal data even if they’re asleep. Here's how to know what you're sharing.
By Christopher Ramezan published
Opinion AI tools that provide information to you also gather lots of information from you and may provide it to third parties.

Is Mars really red? A physicist explains the truth.
By David Joffe published
Mars isn't a bright, fire-engine red, but the iron oxide in its rocks makes it appear redder than other planets, especially from afar.
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