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Ancient star maps may be hidden in some of the world’s oldest cave art — and they’re forcing scientists to rethink how much early humans knew about the night sky.…
The origin of human mtDNA is a subject that continues to raise big questions about how — and when — modern humans truly began. It might sound like the start…
The collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization is one of the oldest mysteries in human history — but evidence suggests that climate change (yes, you read that right) played a central…
In 1972, routine measurements at a uranium-processing plant in France revealed something that looked impossible at first. Uranium ore from Oklo, in what is now Gabon, contained less uranium-235 than…
Deep beneath Antarctica’s vast ice sheet lies something extraordinary — not an ancient city or hidden civilization, but fragments of a long-lost continent. These pieces, known as cratons, are part…
The claim has been repeated so often that it now sounds like a fact: Jules Verne predicted the internet, video calls, submarines and spaceflight. Go back to the books and…
The greatest threats to the future of humankind may not come from asteroids or alien invasions. According to scientists, the most likely causes of global catastrophe include nuclear war, pandemics,…
In “Brief Answers to the Big Questions,” Stephen Hawking offered blunt responses on faith, the cosmos, and the risks of the future. Stephen Hawking’s last book, Brief Answers to the…
Stephen Hawking spent much of his life looking toward the future — and many of his predictions were far from comforting. In addition to warning about artificial intelligence, climate change,…
What might the human face look like in the future? It is tempting to draw one dramatic portrait: larger eyes, a smaller jaw, a higher forehead, perhaps a face made…
According to Sir Roger Penrose, one of the world’s most renowned theoretical physicists, the answer may be yes — and the signs of that previous universe could still be visible…
Most people know Apollo 11 through a handful of iconic images, including Neil Armstrong stepping onto the Moon and delivering his “giant leap.” A newly shared set of Apollo 11…
As global temperatures continue to rise, some scientists are exploring technologies that might seem like science fiction. One such idea is geoengineering to cool the Earth — deliberately altering the…
Long before the rise of recorded civilizations, there were whispers of a hidden world — a place untouched by time, ruled by alleged giants, and illuminated by a sun that…
There are certain ancient artifacts that defy explanation and continue to puzzle experts who examine them. Human history might be far older than we think. Beneath the layers of earth…
One of the Bible’s most vivid scenes describes a storm, intense light, strange beings, and “wheels within wheels” that move without turning. Many readers treat the passage as religious symbolism.…