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History
153 articles-
Ancient Jokes Etched in Clay
These millennia-old punchlines aren’t exactly gut-busters today -
Recreating the Smells of History
Using chemistry, archival records and AI, scientists are reviving the aromas of old libraries, mummies and battlefields -
How Richard Feynman Found the Root of the Challenger Disaster
The famed physicist’s persistence led him to uncover shocking failures -
Did Edison Accidentally Create a Vital Superconductor?
In 1879, the inventor might have produced graphene, a crucial component of tech more than a century later -
A Closer Look at an Elusive Ancient Plague
Teeth have revealed that victims traveled from far-off homelands -
The Accidental Discovery of Aristotle’s Paradigm-Shifting School
The ancient institution shaped education as we know it today -
C-Sections Have a Surprisingly Ancient History
And their meaning has shifted over millennia -
Pompeii’s Early Baths Were Petri Dishes
Things improved with an impressive aqueduct system—if you don’t count lead contamination -
When Fake Nuclear Disaster Fallout Reached Los Angeles
A 1965 test revealed how people would fare if a nuclear rocket launch went wrong -
The Amateur Archaeologist Who Found the Wrong Troy
Heinrich Schliemann was a thousand years off the mark—but he did still make meaningful discoveries
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X-rays Were a Life-Saving Accident
More than a century ago, a lucky accident gave us a revolutionary new look at our bodies
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When Canaries Actually Worked in Coal Mines
These feathery gas detectors became beloved pets in the dark depths
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An Ancient Fingerprint Among Clues to a 2,000-year-old Invasion of Denmark
Previously unexamined, “remarkable” evidence could help scientists track down the unsuccessful attackers whose boat was thrown in a bog
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Crick and Watson Did Not Steal Franklin’s Data
Matthew Cobb’s 3 greatest revelations while writing his book Crick: A Mind in Motion
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Did Volcanoes Spark the Black Death?
New research points the finger for precipitating Europe’s most deadly pandemic at scores of massive eruptions
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Easter Island Statue Construction Wasn’t a Top-Down Affair
New research reveals moai creation was a decentralized process
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Ancient Folklore Upends Dangerous Savanna Myths
Literature from western India describe diverse savanna landscapes, defying the dogma that these ecosystems resulted from relatively recent deforestation -
Ancient Roman Glass Reveals a Hidden “Language”
Closer inspection of prized Roman possessions has highlighted the possible networks of the artisans behind them -
How the Spoils of an Infamous Heist Traveled the World
The Stone of Scone may have been returned, but bits of this sacred object were distributed in a hidden network -
Medieval Medical Misinformation Persists
A 14th-century tale still promotes dubious origins behind the deadliest known pandemic -
The 19th-Century Entomologist Who Dreamed Up Daylight Savings
Hungry for more light to find insects, this scientist championed the “unscientific and impractical” idea of changing time