Could the "Great Silence" be the result of extraterrestrial civilizations dying out before they can make contact, or will they evolve to the point where communication with them is no longer possible? Read Full Story read more

The Southwest Research Institute-led Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) instruments aboard ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) spacecraft and NASA’s Europa Clipper made unique observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS in late 2025. SwRI leads the UVS instruments on both spacecraft, simultaneously imaging both hemispheres of the comet and detecting the comet’s ultraviolet emissions. Read Full Story read more

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has stumbled across an unusual sight: a stack of rocks on the Martian surface. Read Full Story read more

4,000-Year-Old Bronze Age Tree Trunk Coffin to Make Museum Debut A massive 4,000-year-old Bronze Age coffin, carved from a single oak tree and discovered by chance at a Lincolnshire golf club, has arrived at Lincoln Museum, UK, where it will be displayed to the public for the first time in the new year. The 10-foot… read more

Why Ghosts Haunt England at Christmas but Steer Clear of America A few years ago, the Downton Abbey Christmas special featured a ouija board which communicated a message from a dead character. American reviewers were extremely puzzled by this incursion of the supernatural, while British reviewers found it unexceptional. ancient-origins 25 December, 2025 – 10:00 Section News History… read more

Roman Forum Found Beneath Barcelona Hotel Rewrites Barcino What started as a routine elevator shaft installation in a Barcelona hotel basement has turned into one of the most significant Roman archaeology discoveries in Spain in decades. Excavations beneath the Gran Hotel Barcino in the city's Gothic Quarter have uncovered a monumental stone pavement dating to… read more

Gems That Represented Ancient Symbols of Wealth and Power Throughout history, precious gemstones have gone beyond decoration, serving as powerful symbols of wealth, authority, and divine blessing. Ancient civilizations across the globe attributed mystical properties and deep significance to these rare and beautiful stones. They used them to display social status, form political alliances, and… read more

During the 1970s, the first interstellar probes were launched, carrying messages specifically designed to be intelligible to extraterrestrial species. The messages were essentially a "message in a bottle" intended for an advanced civilization, should they find the probes someday. Read Full Story read more

Scholars Say Many Beliefs About Vikings Are Based On Medieval Fiction Scandinavian studies scholars at the University of Münster have delivered a sobering message to enthusiasts of Viking culture: much of what modern audiences believe about Norse warriors and pagan mythology cannot be scientifically verified. The revelations emerged from research conducted at the Cluster of Excellence "Religion… read more

The Ghost of Columbus and the Impossible Geometry of the Piri Reis Map In 1929, while renovating the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, a theologian discovered a fragment of gazelle skin that would rewrite the history of cartography. This was the Piri Reis map, a world chart compiled in 1513 by the Ottoman admiral and cartographer Piri… read more

Renaissance Gallows Unearthed in France With 32 Executed Victims Archaeologists working in Grenoble, France, have made a chilling discovery that sheds light on the brutal religious persecution of the 16th century. The remains of a rare Renaissance-era gallows, along with at least 32 individuals who were executed and denied proper burial, have emerged from beneath the… read more

Black Gold: Sumerian Bitumen Recipes Worked Like Asphalt, 4,000 Years Ago Sumerian craftspeople in Mesopotamia didn’t simply scoop up natural bitumen and slap it on boats or bricks. A new materials study suggests they followed repeatable “recipes” that controlled strength, flexibility, and waterproofing in ways that look surprisingly familiar to modern asphalt engineering. The research focuses… read more