1,000-year-old chicken egg preserved in human feces inside an ancient cesspit unearthed in Israel

A chicken egg surrounded by human feces inside an ancient cesspit for 1,000 years has been unearthed in Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said on Wednesday. The complete egg was discovered in an industrial complex dating back to the Byzantine period, in what is now Yavne. ‘Eggshell fragments are known from earlier periods, for … Read more

Protein from ancient ‘vampire fish’ could turn off brain circuits linked to addiction and anxiety

Scientists have found a way to control the human brain using a protein lurking inside a creature known as ‘vampire fish’ that has lived on Earth for hundreds of millions of years. US scientists used a protein from a lamprey, which is an ancient lineage of jawless fish similar to eel, to turn off brain circuits … Read more

Humans have reshaped Earth’s ecology for 12k years, but ancient civilizations didn’t misuse land

Humans have been reshaping ecology across most of the Earth for at least 12,000 years, but ancient civilizations did not misuse the land like today’s inhabitants, a new study reveals.  A team of international scientists determined for most of history, humans have occupied the same amount of land across the globe and by 10000 BC, … Read more

Indigenous South American tribes found to have evidence of ancient Australian DNA

First humans who crossed the Bering Strait some 15,000 years ago had indigenous Australian DNA that is now found in the bloodline of South America tribes, study finds Previous work found ancient Australian DNA in modern-day Amazonians  However, a new study finds the ancestral DN runs deeper in South America A genetical analysis found tribes along the Pacific … Read more

Graffiti carved on an ancient Roman building some 1,900 years ago could be of the Crucifixion

It is said to be the earliest and only known image of the Crucifixion – a depiction of human-like figure with the head of a donkey nailed to a cross. The anti-Christian ‘graffito’ was etched into a plaster wall of an imperial training school for ancient Roman slaves between 50AD and 250AD. Beneath the cross … Read more

Bones of ancient tree-climbing kangaroo found – new species is Congruus kitcheneri, dubbed Climberoo

Ancient kangaroo which weighed 60kg and could climb trees is discovered for the first time – and researchers say it could change what we know about Australia’s landscape Research on ‘Congruus kitcheneri’ found it lived half on land, half in trees Bones found on the Nullarbor Plain, challenging a belief it was always treeless  Researchers … Read more

Mysterious blobs of dense rock could be remnants of the ancient planet Theia, study finds 

Blobs of rock lurking deep inside the planet could be the last remaining pieces of Theia, an early world that collided with Earth billions of years ago, a new study claims. The moon is thought to have formed from a ‘giant impact’ early in the evolution of the solar system when a Mars-sized planet called Theia collided … Read more

HS2 diggers start clearing ancient woodland that inspired Roald Dahl’s classic Fantastic Mr Fox

HS2 diggers have started clearing a corner of ancient woodland that helped inspire Roald Dahl in order to build the £98bn high-speed railway line.  Around 1.7acres of Jones Hill Wood, which stretches across 4.4acres in the Buckinghamshire countryside, is set to be dug up in order to make way for the project. The ancient woodland, … Read more

Bulgarian lorry driver jailed for smuggling ancient coins, arrowheads and statues into UK

Lorry driver is jailed for two years for trying to smuggle ancient coins, arrowheads and statues into UK to sell for Bulgarian mafia bosses Dimitar Dimitrov, 41, was working as courier for Bulgarian organised crime gang Officers found ancient coins, pendants, brooches and spearheads in the trailer Dimitrov denied any knowledge of artefacts which are … Read more

Replica of the 2,000-year-old Antikythera Mechanism reveals how ancient Greeks calculated the cosmos

Scientists have been working for more than a century to decipher the Antikythera Mechanism, which is a 2,000-year-old device used by ancient Greek’s to calculate astronomical positions. Now researchers at University College London (UCL) believe they have solved the mystery of the ‘world’s oldest computer’ by building a digital replica with a working gear system … Read more