An illustration shows a comet passing in front of a star. A pair of Harvard astrophysicists have proposed a wild theory of how life might have spread through the universe. Imagine this: Millions or billions of years ago, back when…
A surprising new discovery of ancient human remains in Africa — with remarkably well-preserved DNA — is redrawing the map of human populations in new and exciting ways. Pierre de Maret Louis UniversityThe rock shelter at Shum Laka, where the…
When a great famine struck Europe in 1314, mothers abandoned their children and in some cases, even ate them. Scholars believe that these tragedies gave birth to the story of Hansel and Gretel. The notorious tale of Hansel and Gretel…
Passengers seated inside an airplane. A few minutes after his flight reached cruising altitude, Dr. Alan Hunter responded to a flight attendant’s call for a doctor on board. A passenger was having a stroke, or so it seemed, the attendant…
When the volcano erupted in 79 A.D., it baked hundreds of people to death — and transformed at least one victim’s brain matter into hard, twisted, glassy bits. The New England Journal of Medicine 20
Antarctica is the remotest part of the world, but it is a hub of scientific discovery, international diplomacy and environmental change. It was officially discovered 200 years ago, on Jan. 27, 1820, when members of a Russian expedition sighted land…