Maya sculpture with possible numbers, La Blanca, Guatemala Austin, Texas—according to the A Phys.org A small clay “tab” figurine excavated at the Maya site of La Blanca in northern Guatemala features columns of dots that may be an early form of number writing, according to reports. Dated between 750 and 650 BCThe statue lacks a …
In a dry riverbed deep within a forest near the Amazon in Brazil, paleontologists discovered the fossilized jawbone of a previously unknown ancient animal. As their excavation continued, the team found eight more identical jaw bones, each about six inches long. However, they did not find any additional bones that could be clearly matched to …
Excavations of monumental structure, Bassania, Albania According to a report in Shkodra, Albania— la brujula verdeThe foundations of a monumental structure have been excavated on a hilltop overlooking the ancient Illyrian city of Bassania, now located in northwestern Albania. The rectangular building was aligned with the cardinal points and was approximately 45 feet in length …
Evidence of two ancient wooden pillars corresponding to the summer and winter solstices have been discovered nearby stonehenge In south-west England. The posts have decayed and only traces of postholes remain. But archaeologists say the structure predates Stonehenge, and they believe it was a temporary religious monument until a permanent monument could be built. They …
Silver Viking Age coin, Damhus, Denmark Copenhagen, Denmark-biology A new study of Viking coins from the Damhus Hoard, a hoard of 226 pennies found in Denmark near the site of the Viking city of Ribe in 2018, shows that they contain silver recycled from Islamic coins, the report said. The 1,000-year-old coins, known as pennies, …
A giant blob of unusually cold water in the North Atlantic Ocean is shifting the Indian summer monsoon, threatening the livelihoods of more than 1 billion people, new research shows. Scientists say the link between these two systems highlights a previously unknown connection that could inform weather forecasting in South Asia and shed light on …
For more than a century, the National Museum has preserved a remarkable collection of clay tablets from some of the earliest civilizations of the Middle East. Many of these artifacts are more than 4,000 years old and are written in long-lost languages. For decades, they remained largely untouched, but researchers have now deciphered them, and …
Tyrannosaurs are usually portrayed as powerful, tireless predators. However, new research shows that they also took advantage of opportunities for scavenging. When food was available, they did not hesitate to eat the remains of dead animals, even scraps. The findings come from a study from the Department of Geology at Aarhus University recently published in …
A 240 million-year-old fossil has finally been formally identified after being hidden behind a protective wall for decades. Researchers from UNSW Sydney and the Australian Museum have now named and described the ancient amphibian, drawing new attention to an unusual discovery that began in the 1990s. This specimen was first uncovered by a retired chicken …
From standoffs at court to tense encounters with highway robbers, hats in early modern England held far more meaning than simple fashion. New research suggests that what people wear on their heads can signal loyalty, rebellion, status, and even personal safety. Today, whether to wear a hat or not is a personal decision. But about …