“Fargo” ended its fifth season with a cowed Sheriff Roy Tillman (Jon Hamm) in prison and Dot Lyon (Juno Temple) back home in Scandia, Minn. — where she encountered monosyllabic hulking hitman Ole Munch sitting in her living room. “The debt must be paid,” Munch (Sam Spruell), warned Dot, who, because this is the surreal … Read more
Say what you want about the body modification trends of the 21st century, but our prehistoric ancestors did a number to their digits. Men and women of the Palaeolithic era in Western Europe may have chopped off their own fingers as part of religious rituals, according to researchers. The proof? Hundreds of cave paintings depict … Read more
A new section of an important historic burial site beneath Vatican City is open to the public for the first time. The Necropolis of Via Triumphalis offers visitors a look at how the ancient Romans buried their dead. Starting earlier this month, the Vatican’s museums network began offering guided tours, leaving from the Santa Rosa … Read more
Scientists at the California Institute of Technology have announced they believe the planet that collided with Earth billions of years ago could still be inside and led to the formation of the Moon. The study recently published in the journal Nature said the theory has stemmed from the discovery of material from the 1980s that was detected under … Read more
Something fishy might be happening on Mars. NASA’s Perseverance rover captured an image on the Red Planet of two boulders that resemble, respectively, a shark fin and a crab claw. The car-sized robot arrived on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, and has been exploring the Jezero Crater, looking for any sign that life on Mars … Read more
Ure-ally brave for this one, ancient Roman doctors. Archaeologists in Rome have unearthed a treasure trove of illuminating artifacts at the site of an ancient hospital, including “urine flasks” — which doctors used to diagnose various ailments. A study describing the diagnostic tool was published last month in the journal Antiquity, in which researchers asserted … Read more
Photos of an exposed ancient monastery in Spain highlight just how critical the country’s drought has become. The Sant Salvador de la Vedella Benedictine monastery in Catalonia, Spain, was built in 830. It’s the only building of the ancient village of Sant Salvador de la Vedella left standing. In 1976, the town was flooded by the … Read more
A 2,000-year-old garnet ring from ancient Rome that is believed to have an image of the first Roman emperor sold for nearly 600 times its expected price at a recent jewelry auction in England. The ring, which features an “intaglio” — a carving in a gem or piece of metal that can be used to seal official … Read more
A new challenger in the Big Apple’s neverending pizza wars is not only making its own pies, breads and pastas — but also grinding up artisanal, “ancient” grains to make the flour that goes into them, Side Dish has learned. Heritage Restaurant & Pizza Bar near Bryant Park plans to use ancient grains milled at … Read more
What’s up, croc? Scientists have discovered an ancient species known to be the “sister” of modern-day crocodiles, according to a new study. The pre-historic predator, Turnersuchus hingleyae, was found incredibly preserved off the Jurassic Coast of Dorset, England. The fossil is the most complete of the “marine crocodiles” to be recovered from 185 million years ago … Read more
It’s just another way of “keeping it in the family.” A new DNA study revealed Monday that several parts of ancient Greece encouraged its citizens to marry their first cousins, according to the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. The Germany-based institute analyzed 102 different human genomes from Greece’s Bronze Age, and learned that Minoan … Read more
The so-called “tramp stamp” isn’t a sign of trashiness — it’s early women’s tradition. A recent discovery has lead researchers to believe that ancient Egyptian women were adorned with lower back tattoos to protect themselves and others during childbirth. The hypothesis comes after experts from the University of Missouri and Johns Hopkins University examined the … Read more
King Charles III.Chris Jackson / Staff / Getty Images The coronation of King Charles III may still be months away but event planning is underway. It’s long been reported the king wants a “slimmed-down” monarchy, and his coronation may be similar. According to the Mail on Sunday, plans for a low-key ceremony include cutting the … Read more
Image: Orbit The Stars Undying, the upcoming sci-fi debut from Emery Robin, introduces an interstellar princess forced into circumstances that’ll require every bit of royal strength she can muster to overcome. It’ll be released in November, but io9 is thrilled to share a generous excerpt from the book today. Here’s a description of the book, … Read more