All Stories by Bruce Bower
- Humans
Smoke-dried mummies found in Southeast Asia are the oldest known
The corpses had been slow-dried over fires 12,000 years ago — millennia before Egyptians began mummifying their dead.
- Genetics
DNA confirmed a Pueblo tribe’s ties to Chaco Canyon
DNA supports Picuris Pueblo stories of their ancestry going back more than 1,000 years — to the famous Chaco Canyon site.
- Archaeology
Roman gladiators really fought big cats, ancient bite marks suggest
This is the first skeletal evidence of an ancient Roman gladiator show — or execution — involving an exotic animal.
- Fossils
50 years on, Lucy offers lessons for achieving fossil fame
Since the discovery of Lucy's skeleton in 1974, a catchy name and ongoing scientific debates have kept this human ancestor in the spotlight.
- Archaeology
An Egyptian mummy’s silent ‘scream’ hints at her violent death
A rare muscle stiffening known as a cadaveric spasm might explain the mummy’s open-mouthed expression.
- Tech
Did builders of Egypt’s first pyramid use a water-powered elevator?
A controversial study suggests that ancient people might have used one to hoist the stones used to assemble into King Djoser’s pyramid.
- Archaeology
A tattoo experiment hints at how Ötzi the Iceman got his ink
The findings challenge a common idea about how the mummified man got marked with dark lines.
- Archaeology
Iron Age grave in England points to a possible woman warrior
The grave holds a sword. It hints the buried woman fought or helped plan raids some 2,000 years ago in what’s now southwest England.
- Archaeology
American democracy arrived long before Columbus did
Indigenous peoples of the Americas developed self-rule long before the pilgrims arrived or the U.S. Constitution was written.
- Archaeology
King Tut’s tomb still holds secrets 100 years after its discovery
New details of Tut’s story are still coming to light. Here are three things to know on the 100th anniversary of his tomb’s discovery.
- Humans
Long-lost ‘smellscapes’ are wafting from artifacts and old texts
By studying and reviving old scents, archaeologists are finding new clues about how ancient Egyptians experienced their world through smell.
- Humans
The earliest known pants are surprisingly modern — and comfy
This 3,000-year-old garment was not only stylish but also functional. By recreating it, scientists also unraveled its complex and multicultural origins.
