Prehistoric bones and stone tools unearthed near Verona and stored in a former military armory in northern Italy are covered with a bright blue sheen that could cause irreparable damage. Scientists think the blue pigment may have been formed by a pollutant transferred to the artifacts by hydrocarbon vapors. (Oil and other lubricants were once […]

A tiny fragment of clay tablet is said to be inscribed with the oldest writing yet found in Jerusalem. “It was written by a highly skilled scribe who, in all likelihood, prepared tablets for the royal household of the time,” said Wayne Horowitz of Hebrew University. The tablet is estimated to be 3,400 years old, […]