Genes

30 April, 2014 - 03:53 aprilholloway

New study suggests Neanderthals never went extinct

Scientific debate regarding the demise of the Neanderthals has been ongoing for decades with many experts proposing factors such as climate change, competition for resources, of lack of intelligence...

19 April, 2014 - 13:55 aprilholloway

Neanderthals and Humans are 99.84 percent genetically identical – so where are the differences?

Research has shown that modern-day humans and their extinct Neanderthal cousins differ by only a fraction of a percent. So what accounts for the differences that are known to exist between the two?...

10 April, 2014 - 03:19 aprilholloway

New study leaves little room for doubt – Neanderthals and humans interbred

In recent months, numerous DNA studies of ancient humans have all converged on one conclusion – Neanderthals and Homo sapiens interbred. While for many this may seem unsurprising or even obvious, we...

6 March, 2014 - 00:47 aprilholloway

Ancient virus recovered from permafrost has genes not found on Earth

An ancient virus of unprecedented size has been recovered from 30,000-year-old permafrost in Siberia and reactivated. Incredibly, sixty percent of its genes do not resemble anything currently found...

4 February, 2014 - 05:58 aprilholloway

New research reveals back-to-Africa gene flow from Eurasia to southern African populations

We hear a lot about the ‘Out of Africa’ theory that humans originated in Africa and then migrated to other countries around the world. But a fascinating new study published in the Proceedings of the...

3 January, 2014 - 03:47 aprilholloway

Scientists draw up definitive list of genes that make us human

Last month we reported on the incredible accomplishment of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, who mapped the Neanderthal genome to the same level of detail that...

27 December, 2013 - 22:20 aprilholloway

Diabetes gene may come from Neanderthals

Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells in the body do not use insulin properly. It is an illness which is known to disproportionately affect...

20 July, 2013 - 08:38 aprilholloway

New Giant Virus Found on Earth may have Ancient Extraterrestrial orign

A virus found underwater off the coast of Chile and in a pond in Australia is the biggest virus ever discovered – up to ten times the size of other viruses – and only six per cent of its genes...

4 April, 2013 - 08:13 ancient-origins

Human genes may have the answer as to whether Aliens exist

To find the answer to the question of Aliens existence we can follow two paths. The first path is the actual physical evidence, which can be UFOs, extra-terrestrials or any kind of communication with...

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Myths & Legends

Were the Merovingians Descended from a Monster? Meet the Quinotaur

You’ve probably heard of a Minotaur (half-man, half-bull), but what about a Quinotaur? In early Frankish history, there was a “beast of Neptune,” which was said to look like a creature called a Quinotaur.

The Pagan Attis and Christian Jesus: A Spurious Connection?

Edgar Cayce, Six-fingered Giants and the Supernatural Creation Gods of Atlantis: Part 1

The ‘Dynastic Race’ and the Biblical ‘Japheth’ – Part I: After the Deluge

The Disturbing True Story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin

The Last of the Siberian Unicorns: What Happened to the Mammoth-Sized One-Horned Beasts of Legend?

Human Origins

Silhouettes (Public Domain) in front of blood cells (Public Domain) and a gene.

Rh-Negative Blood: An Exotic Bloodline or Random Mutation?

Most people who have the Rh blood type are Rh-positive. There are also instances, however, where people are Rh-Negative. Health problems may occur for the unborn child of a mother with Rh-Negative blood when the baby is Rh-Positive.

The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts

Edgar Cayce, Six-fingered Giants and the Supernatural Creation Gods of Atlantis: Part 1

The ‘Dynastic Race’ and the Biblical ‘Japheth’ – Part I: After the Deluge

Ancient Anomalous Human Skeletons: Humanity Could be Much Older Than We Think

The Faravahar: The Ancient Zoroastrian Symbol of Iran

Ancient Technology

Norimitsu Odachi: Who Could Have Possibly Wielded This Enormous 15th Century Japanese Sword?

The Norimitsu Odachi is a huge sword from Japan. It is so large, in fact, that it was said to have been wielded by a giant. Apart from the basic knowledge of it having been forged in the 15th century AD, measuring 3.77 meters (12.37 ft.) in length, and weighing as much as 14.5 kg (31.97 lbs.), this impressive sword is shrouded in mystery.

Egyptian Blue – The Oldest Known Artificial Pigment

Secrets Behind the Creepy Plague Doctor Mask and Costume

Han Purple: A 2,800-year-old artificial pigment that quantum physicists are trying to understand

Surprising Stone Age Knowledge Revealed on a Mammoth Bone Bracelet

Bombshell Study Calls Astronomical Theories of the Nebra Sky Disk “Obsolete”

Ancient Places

The underwater ruins of Fuxian Lake in China are an enigma. Their age is enough to set the forgotten city apart, but the strange carvings still gracing the submerged stones really confuses archaeologists.

Enigmatic Carvings on Underwater Ruins in China Mystify Investigators

In an underwater investigation in Fuxian Lake, Yunnan Province, China, started on June 13, 2006, archeologists discovered remains of a group of huge ancient buildings at the bottom of the lake. The investigation team found numerous regularly placed stones featuring mysterious carvings.

Birka: The Mysterious Demise of a Majestic Viking Trading Center

This is What a Man from the Tomb of Sunken Skulls Looked Like

The Great City of Uruk Became Sumerian Powerhouse of Technology, Architecture and Culture

The Great Serpent Mound of Ohio, the Largest Earthen Effigy in the World

Rani Ki Vav, The Inverted Temple That Lay Buried for Centuries

Opinion

Petroglyphic Features of Portable Rock Art

Paleo rock art from around the world ranges in style, method, and age, and includes cave paintings, petroglyphs, pictographs, polished and engraved stones such as effigies, stone sculptures, and portable ceremonial objects.

The Northern Mysteries Current: Futhark and Mystery Schools of the Viking Age

Was There Ever a Trojan War?

Floki and the Viking Discovery of Iceland

Messiah on Temple Mount: Are We Nearing the End of Time?

3 Problems to Remember When Trying to Find Atlantis

Our Mission

At Ancient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there exists countless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts that have yet to be discovered and explained.

The goal of Ancient Origins is to highlight recent archaeological discoveries, peer-reviewed academic research and evidence, as well as offering alternative viewpoints and explanations of science, archaeology, mythology, religion and history around the globe.

We’re the only Pop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives.

By bringing together top experts and authors, this archaeology website explores lost civilizations, examines sacred writings, tours ancient places, investigates ancient discoveries and questions mysterious happenings. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings.