Archaeology

A record of changing climate in the Olduvai Gorge suggests early humans had to adapt to shifting ecosystems

After a drought revealed the seawall of a Byzantine Empire harbor town near Istanbul, archeologists excavated what was a thriving ancient center. But how does it fit into the city's 1,600-year history?

A drone aircraft can acquire in minutes data for a 3-D map of an archaeological site that would have taken humans years to gather. Cynthia Graber reports

Research shows that what laid low Mayan society was climate change, which brought prolonged drought. David Biello reports

Milk fat residue on pottery shards shows that people were purposefully making cheese at least 7,500 years ago. Sophie Bushwick reports

A new genetic analysis reveals that Ötzi the Iceman is most closely related to modern-day Sardinian

A specialized parasite fungus can control ants' behavior. But that fungus also faces its own deadly, specialized parasites

Did early Polynesians ruin their lush island by overlogging to move giant statues? A method that "walks" the statues casts doubt—and supports Polynesian mythology. A NOVA video

Rather than chowing down on bison meat, Stone Age people likely ate a more balanced meal—study

Tyrannosaurs tore the heads off armored prey to reach their tender neck meat

A contentious theory was recently put to the test with an almost life-size replica