Archeology
April 1, 2024

7,000-Year-Old Canoes Discovered Near Rome Are Oldest Ever Found in Mediterranean

Have you heard of La Marmotta? It’s ok if you haven’t, as this ancient Italian site has only recently burst onto the international research scene. Discovered in 1989 submerged under a lake north of Rome, the Neolithic village was mostly studied by Italian researchers until recently. Now, an international cohort of academics are shedding new light on life in the ancient town with a paper in PLOS One.

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Travel
April 1, 2024

This Japanese Village Is Filled With Hundreds of Dolls Posing Like Real People and They’re All Made by One Woman

On the eastern end of Japan’s Shikoku Island, there's a village known as Nagoro. Like many other small towns around the world, it has seen its population shrink every year, with people either passing away or flocking to cities for a better life. To fight off the loneliness, an older woman named Tsukimi Ayano has created hundreds of kakashi (scarecrows in Japanese) to repopulate the area, earning Nagoro the nickname of “Village of the Dolls.

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Archeology
March 31, 2024

Archaeologists Have Determined What Ancient Roman Wine Tasted Like

The inhabitants of the ancient world routinely drank alcoholic beverages, as they were often safer than potentially polluted water. The ancient Romans were no different, as wine was a central part of their culture. By all estimates, they also drank a lot of it. Recently, archaeologists have been able to determine what their wine tasted like, allowing us to sense the flavor of the past.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.