Laura Geggel

Massive 3,000-year-old Maya site in Mexico depicts the cosmos and the 'order of the universe,' study claims A roughly 3,000-year-old site in Mexico was built in the shape of a cosmogram that stretches for miles, a new study suggests.

Ancient people came together to feast, trade and find mates at the Maya site of Aguada Fénix around 3,000 years ago, a new study suggests. It's just like prehistoric feasting and coming together at Stonehenge! Let the good times roll. 🏺🧪

'I was wrong': Dinosaur scientists agree that small tyrannosaur Nanotyrannus was real, pivotal new study finds An argument over whether fossils from several small dinosaurs represent a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex or smaller adults of a separate species may finally be settled.

Nanotyrannus is real after all! Here's how other paleontologists are reacting to this dinosaur news 🦖 www.livescience.com/animals/dino...

Fruits and vegetables quiz: Do you know where pumpkins, blueberries and broccoli come from? Do you know where your staple fruits and vegetables were domesticated? Take Live Science's quiz to find out.

You may eat your fruits and veggies (and drink your coffee), but do you know where these things first emerged and were domesticated? I wrote a quiz — test yourself!

'People made it out of the cities alive': Tracing the survivors of Pompeii and Herculaneum, 2,000 years after Vesuvius erupted Several lines of evidence, from chiseled inscriptions to missing horses, suggest that thousands of people survived the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79.

'People made it out of the cities alive': Tracing the survivors of Pompeii and Herculaneum, 2,000 years after Vesuvius erupted | Live Science
www.livescience.com/archaeology/...

What if Christopher Columbus had never reached the Americas? How would history have unfolded if Christopher Columbus had never reached the New World?

What if Columbus had never reached the Americas? Here’s a thought experiment on what might have happened.

200-foot scorpion effigy mound in Mexico may align with the solstices A 205-foot-long, scorpion-shaped mound in Mexico likely helped Mesoamericans mark the summer and winter solstices, a new study finds.

The first surprise was finding a 200-foot-long mound in the shape of a scorpion in Mexico that was centuries old. The second was discovering that it aligns with the summer and winter solstices! 🏺🧪🦂 🌅 #archaeology

Don't forget to sign up for @livescience.com's Life's Little Mysteries newsletter! It goes out on Fridays and lets you see Monday's mystery early. We have a good one this week, so don't miss out.
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Psychedelic beer may have helped pre-Inca empire in Peru schmooze elite outsiders and consolidate power The Wari used beer mixed with psychedelics to help build an empire in Peru around 1,200 years ago, a new study suggests.

If you want to consolidate power, why not schmooze with other elites over a psychedelic-laced beer? The Wari in Peru might have done it! (Although not everyone agrees.) 🏺🧪🍻 #archaeology

Hundreds of ancient gold and silver coins from possible Celtic market found in Czech Republic Hundreds of gold and silver coins, along with jewelry and other artifacts, have been found in the Czech Republic at what might have been an ancient Celtic market.

Hundreds of ancient gold and silver coins and cool doodads found in Czech Republic. Why? Perhaps it was a seasonal market around 2,500 years ago. 🏺🧪 💰 #archaeology

Tutankhamun quiz: How much do you know about the famous boy king from ancient Egypt? King Tut's tomb has captivated people worldwide since its discovery in 1922. But how much do you actually know about the boy king? Take our quiz to find out.

How much do you know about King Tutankhamun? Take the @livescience.com quiz and find out! #archaeology #Egypt 🏺

Ancient Egyptian statue of 'Messi' found at Saqqara necropolis is 'only known example of its kind from the Old Kingdom' A unique statue dating back to the fifth dynasty of ancient Egypt has been discovered at the necropolis of Saqqara.

Can you believe this ancient Egyptian man's name was probably Messi?? ⚽ 🇪🇬 Archaeologists found his funerary statue at Saqqara and they think it dates back to the 5th dynasty.

'Gold coins started appearing one after another': 1,400-year-old hoard with money and jewelry unearthed near Sea of Galilee A metal detectorist discovered a Byzantine era hoard of gold coins and jewelry near the Sea of Galilee.

Check out this stunning hoard of gold coins and earrings from the Byzantine era!
It was buried in the 7th century, when the Holy Land was constantly being invaded. Locals were hiding their wealth with the hopes of retrieving it later. Although archaeologists found this one 1,400 years later 🏺🧪

Rare wampum beads discovered at 17th-century colony in Newfoundland Archaeologists in Newfoundland have discovered seven tiny beads known as wampum that are made from seashells. They may be the first ever found in the province.

Wampum in Newfoundland! And it was found by an archaeology student who initially had no idea what it was 🏺🧪

5,000-year-old stone tomb discovered in Spain is 43 feet long — and it holds many prehistoric burials A large, 5,000-year-old dolmen has been discovered by archaeologists in southern Spain.

Archaeologists in Spain have discovered a 5,000-year-old stone monument known as a dolmen. Prehistoric dolmens were used for burials, rituals, living spaces and to mark solar events, like the solstices. This one was a burial spot — and a long one at that, measuring 43 feet (13 meters) in length.

7-year-old Maya child had green jade 'tooth gem,' new study finds Archaeologists already knew that adult Maya had tooth inlays, but this is some of the first evidence that children also had tooth bling.

We've known for ages that adult Maya men and women used to wear "tooth gems." And now we know that in rare instances, kids did too! @livescience.com covered a new study that found dental inlays on three teeth from a child (or children) ages 7 to 10. 🏺🧪

New documentary looks for Cleopatra's tomb — do newfound coins and a submerged port in Egypt point the way? Hundreds of coins that depict Cleopatra VII have been discovered in an Egyptian temple. The archaeologist who led the team believes the female pharaoh's tomb is nearby.

Cleopatra was the last pharaoh of Egypt and she was a lover of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. But we've never found her tomb. Do the discovery of ancient coins depicting Cleopatra and an ancient submerged seaport point the way to her burial? One archaeologist says yes, but others are skeptical. 🏺🧪

Ötzi quiz: What do you know about the Iceman mummy who was murdered 5,300 years ago in the Alps? Think you know a lot about Ötzi the Iceman? Don't get left in the cold — take our quiz!

Today is the discovery anniversary of Ötzi the Iceman mummy, who was found in the Alps on Sept. 19, 1991. How much do you know about the Copper Age guy? Take our quiz by the fantastic @killgrove.bsky.social 🏺🧪

Are there any countries with no mosquitoes? One country's unique climate keeps it a mosquito-free zone, but global warming may change that.

Time to move to ...

Why does the universe exist? The universe exists because matter and antimatter are not good friends.

A great cocktail party conversation starter ...

Where is Queen Boudica buried? The remains of Britain's national heroine — Queen Boudica of the Iceni tribe — are not under a train station in north London. So, where is her grave?

Some past mysteries in the newsletter:

Every Friday, you can get a sneak peak at next week's Life's Little Mystery in your inbox! It's free and you can sign up here: www.livescience.com/newsletter

350-year-old mummified head from Bolivia isn't what it seems A mummified skull from Bolivia was long thought to be of an Inca man, but a new study finds it had a different history.

This 350-year-old mummified head from Bolivia had undergone trepanation ... but the skull wasn't actually punctured. It's unclear why, but "maybe the person said, 'I'm sorry, but I don't want any more.'" 🏺🔬

What a cool plane! @alaskaairlines.bsky.social

Medieval knight 'Lancelot' and his stunning stone tomb found under ice cream shop in Poland Archaeologists found the body of a medieval knight underneath a tombstone that depicted him in full military regalia.

Archaeologists found this tomb in central Gdańsk under an ice cream shop in July. 🏺🧪

white sea star with many arms on ocean floor

I see you star! From @schmidtocean.bsky.social off Argentina

5,000-year-old burials in Germany hold 3 women with bedazzled baby carriers Copper Age burials holding the remains of elite women and elaborate pouches decorated with hundreds of animal teeth have been discovered in Germany.

If you were a Copper Age mother in the Corded Ware culture, the trendiest accessory was a tooth-decorated baby carrier. ⚱️🧪

Another small earthquake hits New Jersey! This time a 2.7 magnitude quake.
earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/...

We just had a little earthquake in New Jersey earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/...

Archaeologists discover 1,800-year-old Roman watchtower built to protect the empire during Marcus Aurelius' reign Archaeologists are excavating a Roman-era watchtower in Croatia that was "built in a strategic location" on the banks of the Danube River.

Archaeologists have found the remains of a Roman watchtower along the Daube River in Croatia. It defended their frontier and had great defenses — ditches and natural ravines.
www.livescience.com/archaeology/...

Op-Ed: Don’t turn on me: Let’s get serious about the dangers of left-turns - Hudson County View Op-Ed: SafeStreetsJC board members Dana Haymon and Jimmy Lee express the need to address the dangers of left turns throughout Jersey City.

Left turns can be deadly for pedestrians. Left-turns in DC make up the largest proportion of fatal crashes killing pedestrians at 21%. In 4 years, left turns killed 100 pedestrians in NYC. And now, a 6-year-old in Jersey City.
hudsoncountyview.com/op-ed-dont-t...