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History
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We are makers of history, yet we are also molded by it. The line connecting us to our ancestors spans decades, centuries, and millennia; the lessons learned from our progenitors are passed down the generations through timeless stories and discovered remnants of our enigmatic yet beautiful past. Modern Sciences recounts the passage of time, how humanity has shaped it, and how it has shaped humanity.
The first modern rocket launched 100 years ago, beginning a century of both innovations and challenges for spaceflight
Robert Goddard, considered the father of modern rocketry, standing with a rocket in 1935. Esther Goddard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images…
Where did the ancient Greeks and Romans think lightning came from? Hint: not just the gods
Peter Edwell, Macquarie University Is it any wonder ancient people thought lightning came from the gods? Even today…
Why are so many statues naked? An art historian explains this tradition’s ancient roots
Artists have represented human bodies without clothes for a very long time. Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC BY…
Why Friday the 13th was bad luck for the Knights Templar and their legacy
Patrick Masters, University of Portsmouth In Ridley Scott’s 2005 epic Kingdom of Heaven, The Knights Templar are portrayed…
A new face for ‘Little Foot’, the most complete Australopithecus skeleton to date
Amélie Beaudet, Université de Poitiers and Dominic Stratford, University of the Witwatersrand What did the face of our…
5 weird armours from history
Royal Armouries, CC BY-NC-ND Grace Waye-Harris, Adelaide University For the medieval knight, armour was essential. It provided protection…
Women have been mapping the world for centuries – and now they’re speaking up for the people left out of those maps
Gladys West, right, developed the mathematical models behind GPS. U.S. Navy/Wikimedia Commons Melinda Laituri, Colorado State University Although…
Four early medieval swords found in Kent – child graves reveal they were more than just weapons
Duncan Sayer, University of Lancashire Four early Anglo-Saxon swords uncovered during a recent archaeological excavation I took part…
What were books like in ancient Greece and Rome?
Roman fresco, Pompeii. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Konstantine Panegyres, The University of Western Australia If you were…
How mountain terraces have helped Indigenous peoples live with climate uncertainty
Farmers during harvest season in Batad, Ifugao, Philippines. Paul Connor and the Ifugao Archaeological Project, CC BY Stephen…