In 2001, a metal detectorist in a Kent field found a “crumpled piece of scrap” that was actually a 4,000-year-old royal treasure |

In 2001, a metal detectorist in Kent unearthed the Ringlemere Cup, a rare Bronze Age gold bowl. Image Credits: British Museum, via Wikimedia Commons While searching an average field in Kent, Cliff Bradshaw was accustomed to seeing the typical pieces of metal waste and junk common to the English landscape. But on an uneventful day…

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In 2015, a few silver coins found in an Oxfordshire field rewrote the legend of King Alfred the Great |

An amateur treasure hunter’s discovery of the Watlington Hoard in Oxfordshire has rewritten English history. Image Credit: The Portable Antiquities Scheme/ The Trustees of the British Museum, via Wikimedia Commons Well before the undulating terrain of Oxfordshire came to be a peaceful haven for those on foot, the region around Watlington was a battleground in…

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In 2003, a “broken pan” found in a northern field turned out to be a 2,000-year-old Roman tourist souvenir |

An ornate Roman pan, unearthed in Staffordshire, offers a unique glimpse into life on the empire’s frontier. Image Credits: Portable Antiquities Scheme from London, England, via Wikimedia Commons The Romans also had their own way of commemorating their travels, even before the invention of digital photography and refrigerator magnets. In 2003, an amateur archaeologist using…

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The billion-year gap: Why the Grand Canyon is hiding a massive chapter of Earth’s missing history |

The Grand Canyon reveals a significant geological gap, the Great Unconformity, representing 1.3 billion years of missing Earth history. Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons Grand Canyon’s fame comes from the opportunity to observe geological layers of history seen there, similar to pages in an old book. It might even be the most famous of such geological…

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Why a Bill Gates-backed insect factory releases 30 million mosquitoes every week

Deep inside Medellin, Colombia, scientists are breeding millions of mosquitoes every week and then releasing them into the environment on purpose. At first, that may sound strange, especially because mosquitoes are known for spreading dangerous diseases. But researchers say these insects are actually being used to help stop illnesses like dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow…

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