-
1 day ago | 
miamiherald.com | Lauren Liebhaber
Archaeologists in Mexico have discovered ancient Mayan pottery in a cave system a little more than 10 miles away from downtown Playa de Carmen. Members of Mexico’s Cenotes Urbanos organization found a large globular pot while exploring Zumpango Cave and reported the discovery to officials, according to an April 21 news release from the National Institute of Anthropology and History.
-
1 day ago | 
miamiherald.com | Lauren Liebhaber
In the mountains of Papua New Guinea, researchers encountered a clownish creature perched on a log in a fern meadow, basking in the sun. With its short, blunt snout and unique checkerboard pattern, this scaly creature — a skink — wasn’t like the other 35 related species that call the mountains home.
-
1 week ago | 
miamiherald.com | Lauren Liebhaber
In New Zealand, there is a rare species of fish with “large eyes,” a short body and a “preference for swampy habitats.” Noting its similarities to one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s most iconic characters, some experts described the species, recognized as threatened and nationally vulnerable, as “precious.” Now, a new population of Gollum galaxias — named after Gollum from “The Lord of the Rings” — has been found thriving in the Waimatuku Stream, according to an April 14 news release from the New...
-
1 week ago | 
miamiherald.com | Lauren Liebhaber
Two metal detectorists in Romania uncovered a trove of centuries-old silver jewelry, providing evidence of an ancient settlement in the region. In accordance with the law, they turned over their finds to the state, and the finds were then confirmed by the Mureș County Museum to be of Dacian origin, according to a news release from Breaza Municipality City Hall.
-
1 week ago | 
miamiherald.com | Lauren Liebhaber
On a two-day trek through the jungle in North Sumatra, researcher Pablo Sinovas was stopped in his tracks by a “vibrant” creature sitting on the trail, basking in a beam of sunlight that broke through the rainforest canopy. It flicked its pale “snake-like” tongue at him before running off in short bursts on its “inordinately long” toes, taking refuge under a boulder, according to an April 10 study published in the journal Zootaxa.
-
1 week ago | 
star-telegram.com | Lauren Liebhaber
One of the smallest snakes in the world is expanding its global empire by hitching a ride in the root balls of ornamental plants shipped around the world. Now, the unassuming-looking Indotyphlops braminus, or flowerpot blindsnake, has been recorded for the first time ever in Ecuador, according to an April 8 study published in the journal Check List. This is also the first record of the species in any South American country, according to the study.
-
1 week ago | 
heraldonline.com | Lauren Liebhaber
Hidden beneath the floorboards of one of Europe’s oldest castles, a vanilla pod sat buried in a mixture of dirt and rubble. While it might not seem like anything out of the ordinary, this pod may predate every known written record of vanilla in Europe, according to a study published March 18 in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
-
2 weeks ago | 
miamiherald.com | Lauren Liebhaber
Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient Greek lecture hall within a gymnasium complex in Italy, making it one of the earliest known examples of a school-like facility in the ancient world, according to researchers. Built in the second century B.C., the Agrigento facility is believed to be among the first to combine physical health and intellectual pursuit, according to an April 9 news release from the Free University of Berlin.
-
2 weeks ago | 
miamiherald.com | Lauren Liebhaber
While studying coral reefs in the South China Sea, tiny “vibrant red” creatures — less than half an inch wide — caught the attention of researchers. Divers and a remotely operated vehicle collected several specimens, which were later revealed to be a new species of crab, according to an April 8 study published in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys. Gaillardiellus magiruber is named for its ability to change its color over its lifetime to a “flame-like red,” according to the study.
-
2 weeks ago | 
americanmilitarynews.com | Lauren Liebhaber
Volcanic glass has been discovered at more than 500 archaeological sites in western Canada. Geologically-speaking, it shouldn’t be there. Now, researchers may have answered how these artifacts made of obsidian ended up so far away from their point of origin, according to a March 14 study published by the Archaeological Survey of Alberta.
