Ancient World

image

Why does Hierakonpolis, ancient Egypt's earliest city, contain tombs for baboons, elephants, cows, dogs, and cats? Archaeologists are uncovering answers.

September 16, 2009
image

In a discovery worthy of a Dan Brown novel, archaeologists in Jerusalem say they've found an ancient ritual cup with an intentionally cryptic message.

September 9, 2009
image

New genetic analysis bolsters the theory that wolves were first domesticated in East Asia, a new study says—and it's possible the canines were tamed to be livestock, not pets.

September 4, 2009
image

Living apart from the natives, the first farmers in Europe were skilled immigrants from far-off farming cultures, a new study says.

September 3, 2009
image

Just like modern-day starlings, some 40-million-year-old birds had glossy black feathers, according to the first fossil discovery of feather iridescence.

August 26, 2009
image

In underground passageways that snake underneath the French capital, nearly six million people who died of disease in the Middle Ages share a final resting place.

August 25, 2009
image

A long-legged mammal, a sharp-toothed rodent, and an iridescent beetle are among the more than 6,500 fossils recently unearthed in Germany's Messel Pit, where creatures trapped in 47-million-year-old shale have been helping scientists better understand life during the Eocene epoch.

August 21, 2009
image

Caught in the act in the dinosaur age, pterosaur feet left behind footprints that show a hopping, birdlike landing, say discoverers of the first known pterosaur landing tracks.

August 19, 2009
image

An ancient timber structure dug up near the River Thames might have helped people keep their feet dry as they ventured across soggy marshes in search of food, archaeologists say.

August 17, 2009
image

A discovery of heat-treated arrowheads and blades suggests people used fire for tools 50,000 years earlier than thought, possibly ushering in the age of truly modern humans.

August 13, 2009
image

Rich with marble and mosaics, a vast, newfound ruin near Rome is likely the 2,000-year-old birthplace of Emperor Vespasian, who commissioned the Colosseum, archaeologists say. Video.

August 12, 2009
image

The tasty Tasman booby was hunted to extinction centuries ago. Or was it? New DNA evidence says the bird's been living a secret life as ... the masked booby.

August 11, 2009
image

Contrary to depictions in films, in books, and with plastic toys on the living room rug, dinosaur predators more often picked off vulnerable and inexperienced juveniles, a new study says.

August 11, 2009
image

An ancient bronze figure that was underwater for 2,000 years is offering new clues to how some marine creatures absorb metals to create hard shells, scientists say.

August 7, 2009
image

A modern-day walking bat in New Zealand did not evolve its unusual habit, but instead retained it from an ancestor, a new fossil found in Australia shows.

August 7, 2009

ADVERTISEMENT

 
NEWS FEEDS     After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed.   After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed.

Get our news delivered directly to your desktop—free.
How to Use XML or RSS

National Geographic Daily News To-Go

Listen to your favorite National Geographic news daily, anytime, anywhere from your mobile phone. No wires or syncing. Download Stitcher free today.