Category: discovery

Amazon River Dolphin Wins Underwater Photographer of the Year—Beside Sea Jungles and Shipwrecks

We humans may fancy our dry-land abode a pretty fine place, yet nature has created a whole universe full of jaw-dropping scenes underwater. And it’s just waiting for landbound photographers to embrace its marine majesty. Underwater Photographer of the Year (UPY) specifically focuses on this milieu of aquatic, camera-wielding visual artists in its yearly competition, displaying some of…


Maritime Archeologists Find Skeletal Remains of Ship From 1800s Emerging From Sands on Shore of Nantucket

When the bones of a wrecked wooden boat emerged from sands on the south shore of Nantucket, researchers from the Egan Maritime Institute knew they had something extraordinary on their hands. Still half buried, the shipwreck was old and there was barely anything left—just a broken keel and several spine-like timbers jutting out. Now, researchers…


PHOTOS: This Magnificent Monastic Library in Germany Is One of the World’s Most Beautiful Libraries

An elaborate two-story rococo hall inside an 11th-century abbey is so ornate that it is considered one of the world’s most beautiful libraries. Wiblingen Abbey is a grand monastery located south of the city of Ulm in the south German state of Baden-Württemberg. It was founded in 1093 for the Benedictine monks. It became widely…


Researchers Unearth Ancient ‘Tavern’ in Iraq—With 5,000-Year-Old Fridge, Oven, Containers With Food

The Mesopotamian ancients might have done as many modern folk do, dropping into their local pub on the way home to cap off their daily grind, evidence now shows. The remains of a “tavern”—complete with an ancient fridge, oven, benches, bowls, and beakers—have been unearthed by researchers in Lagash, an ancient urban area in southern…


Hoard of 600 Medieval Coins Found by Detectorists Declared Treasure—Valued at 150,000 Pounds

A “150,000-pound” hoard of over 600 medieval coins found by amateur metal detectorists has been declared a treasure. Seven men found the coins on the Culden Faw Estate in Buckinghamshire in April 2019—including 12 rare gold nobles from the reign of Edward III. Their finds, nicknamed the “Hambleden Hoard,” represent the biggest gold and silver collection…


Spelunker Stumbles on Cave Untouched for Thousands of Years, Full of Prehistoric Cave Bears Marks

A gargantuan stone arch marks the entrance to a vast “Paleolithic Cathedral” recently stumbled upon by explorers in Spain. This hulking beam of eroded living rock—set along Spain’s impressive Almadenes Canyon—took millennia to form. It now comprises the great façade of a newly-discovered, sprawling cave system. Aptly called Cueva del Arco (Cave of the Arch),…


Sword Discovered in Danube River Deemed to Be Authentic Bronze Age Blade 3,000 Years Old by Museum

Perhaps it was war, or perhaps love, that motivated the ritual whereby a 3,000-year-old brown Bronze Age sword was plunged into the Danube River in what is now modern-day Budapest, Hungary. The descendants of the Eurasian nomads who once inhabited this region might have wished to commemorate a battle or the loss of a loved one…


An Ancient Rock Fortress Still Shrouded in Mystery: Sri Lanka’s Breathtaking Sigiriya

An ancient fortress built on top of a giant granite rock formation in Sri Lanka, looming 200 meters above the surrounding landscape, is said to have been built by a 5th-century king to bridge the gap between our world and the kingdom of the gods. The stunning structure is shrouded in mystery to this day….


This 800-Year-Old Medieval Wooden Church in Norway Looks Like Fantasy—But Was Built for This Apostle

This Medieval wooden church is in such excellent condition it’s hard to believe it was built over 800 years ago. Happening upon Borgund Stave Church in Norway, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d walked onto the set of a Tolkien fantasy film or a scene from “Game of Thrones.” One of Norway’s most visited landmarks,…


Does Life Flash Before the Eyes Upon Dying? Study: Specific Patterns of Waves Recorded in a Dying Brain

Death has always been a mystery to human beings. What can people see or feel when they are dying? Scientists who recorded the brain waves of a dying patient may have insights into the mystery. When using continuous electroencephalography (EEG) to record the brain waves of an 87-year-old epileptic man, an international team of scientists monitored…