curiosities

The 1,900-Year-Old Gravestone Of A Roman Sailor Was Just Unearthed In The Backyard Of A New Orleans Home

New Orleans anthropologist Daniella Santoro and her husband, Aaron Lorenz, were recently clearing brush from their backyard when they uncovered the gravestone of a man who died in the second century C.E.

By Austin Harvey • Oct 8, 2025

News

The 1,900-Year-Old Gravestone Of A Roman Sailor Was Just Unearthed In The Backyard Of A New Orleans Home

New Orleans anthropologist Daniella Santoro and her husband, Aaron Lorenz, were recently clearing brush from their backyard when they uncovered the gravestone of a man who died in the second century C.E.

By Austin Harvey • October 8, 2025

We’ll Soon Know What 1500s Europe Smelled Like Thanks To Scientists Who Are Recreating Its Scents

Project Odeuropa hopes to document, recreate, and store the smells of old Europe in an accessible online library.

By Natasha Ishak • Oct 3, 2025

News

We’ll Soon Know What 1500s Europe Smelled Like Thanks To Scientists Who Are Recreating Its Scents

Project Odeuropa hopes to document, recreate, and store the smells of old Europe in an accessible online library.

By Natasha Ishak • October 3, 2025

19th-Century South African Rock Art May Depict A Long-Extinct ‘Horned Serpent’

The San artists who painted the image may have been inspired by dicynodont fossils, making them some of the earliest paleontologists.

By Austin Harvey • Oct 2, 2025

News

19th-Century South African Rock Art May Depict A Long-Extinct ‘Horned Serpent’

The San artists who painted the image may have been inspired by dicynodont fossils, making them some of the earliest paleontologists.

By Austin Harvey • October 2, 2025

Astronomers Have Discovered A ‘Quasi-Moon’ That’s Following Earth’s Orbit Around The Sun

The asteroid, 2025 PN7, has seemingly been orbiting the Sun alongside Earth since the 1950s, and it will likely stay on its track for another 60 years before it travels back out into space.

By Austin Harvey • Sep 23, 2025

News

Astronomers Have Discovered A ‘Quasi-Moon’ That’s Following Earth’s Orbit Around The Sun

The asteroid, 2025 PN7, has seemingly been orbiting the Sun alongside Earth since the 1950s, and it will likely stay on its track for another 60 years before it travels back out into space.

By Austin Harvey • September 23, 2025

7 Facts About The Founding Fathers That’ll Make You Rethink American History

From George Washington and Alexander Hamilton to Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, the men who forged the nation also committed some unspeakable acts.

By Marco Margaritoff • Sep 23, 2025

7 Facts About The Founding Fathers That’ll Make You Rethink American History

From George Washington and Alexander Hamilton to Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, the men who forged the nation also committed some unspeakable acts.

By Marco Margaritoff • September 23, 2025

The History Of Witches: How Christianity And Misogyny Turned Revered Healers Into Wicked Pariahs

From powerful priestesses to demonic masters of the occult, the history of witches is a story of the dangers of being a woman in a male dominated world.

By Leah Silverman • Sep 21, 2025

The History Of Witches: How Christianity And Misogyny Turned Revered Healers Into Wicked Pariahs

From powerful priestesses to demonic masters of the occult, the history of witches is a story of the dangers of being a woman in a male dominated world.

By Leah Silverman • September 21, 2025

Smoke-Dried Human Remains Uncovered In Southeast Asia May Be The World’s Oldest Known Mummies

Dating back as far as 14,000 years, these bodies were placed atop enormous fires that slowly smoke-dried them, leaving them deeply blackened yet frozen in time.

By Kaleena Fraga • Sep 16, 2025

News

Smoke-Dried Human Remains Uncovered In Southeast Asia May Be The World’s Oldest Known Mummies

Dating back as far as 14,000 years, these bodies were placed atop enormous fires that slowly smoke-dried them, leaving them deeply blackened yet frozen in time.

By Kaleena Fraga • September 16, 2025

Archaeologists In Egypt Just Identified A 3,300-Year-Old Bone Whistle That May Have Been Used By An Ancient ‘Police Officer’

The first-of-its-kind whistle was found in an ancient village for laborers who worked on the royal tomb of the pharaoh Akhenaten, suggesting the site was heavily policed and restricted.

By Austin Harvey • Sep 15, 2025

News

Archaeologists In Egypt Just Identified A 3,300-Year-Old Bone Whistle That May Have Been Used By An Ancient ‘Police Officer’

The first-of-its-kind whistle was found in an ancient village for laborers who worked on the royal tomb of the pharaoh Akhenaten, suggesting the site was heavily policed and restricted.

By Austin Harvey • September 15, 2025

Humongous Fungus, The 2,500-Year-Old Michigan Mushroom That’s As Heavy As Three Blue Whales

First documented in the 1980s, the Armillaria gallica mushroom in Crystal Falls, Michigan, was dubbed the "humongous fungus" because it spans 91 acres and weighs 440 tons.

By Caroline Redmond • Sep 14, 2025

Humongous Fungus, The 2,500-Year-Old Michigan Mushroom That’s As Heavy As Three Blue Whales

First documented in the 1980s, the Armillaria gallica mushroom in Crystal Falls, Michigan, was dubbed the "humongous fungus" because it spans 91 acres and weighs 440 tons.

By Caroline Redmond • September 14, 2025

The Strange History Of Flagpole Sitting, The 1920s Trend Of Perching Atop Towering Poles For Days Or Weeks On End

Sparked by a publicity stunt performed by Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly, flagpole sitting was a popular test of endurance in the United States during the 1920s, before falling out of fashion during the Great Depression.

By Genevieve Carlton • Sep 14, 2025

The Strange History Of Flagpole Sitting, The 1920s Trend Of Perching Atop Towering Poles For Days Or Weeks On End

Sparked by a publicity stunt performed by Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly, flagpole sitting was a popular test of endurance in the United States during the 1920s, before falling out of fashion during the Great Depression.

By Genevieve Carlton • September 14, 2025