Smithsonian

A theory that the Great Sphinx of Giza may have been a lion-shaped natural landform that the ancient Egyptians modified to form the stone-faced feline has been investigated, Arkeonews has reported.

From an early model of the iconic alien mothership from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" to a complete Stormtrooper costume from "Star Wars," bidding opens on Sept. 8 on thousands of pieces Hollywood model maker Greg Jein collected over his lifetime, including many he created during his nearly half-century career.

A Vermont museum has acquired a more than 200-piece collection of Native American art and is planning to construct a $12.6 million facility to house the pieces that make up a rare national collection in the Northeast.

A jersey worn by basketball legend Michael Jordan during Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals, his last title victory, sold for a record $10.1 million on Sept. 15, Sotheby's said.

A jersey worn by basketball legend Michael Jordan during Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals, his last title victory, is set to be auctioned off in September for an estimated $3-5 million, Sotheby's announced Wednesday.

The iconic red Chicago Bulls jersey, with Jordan's number 23 on the back, is only the second worn by the star during his six championships to be sold at auction.

Richard Barclay opens a metal drawer in archives of the Smithsonian Natural History Museum containing fossils that are nearly 100 million years old. Despite their age, these rocks aren't fragile. The geologist and botanist handles them with casual ease, placing one in his palm for closer examination.

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Archaeologists have found traces of beer in Iraq, dating back 2,500 years to ancient Mesopotamia and the Babylonian Empire. While texts from those forgotten days speak of fermented drinks, this is the "oldest direct evidence" of beer discovered, Smithsonian reported. Now, the archaeologists who have discovered traces are trying to replicate the recipe in the modern era. 

Archaeological digs around ancient Egyptian sites still have plenty of secrets to give up yet - like the huge, black granite sarcophagus just discovered at an excavation in the city of Alexandria, on the northern coast of Egypt.

AFP Scientists have recorded what is believed to be the largest wave ever in the Southern Hemisphere, a 23.8 metre monster the height of an eight-storey building.

A buoy recorded the wave on Tuesday during a ferocious storm in the notoriously wild Southern Ocean near Campbell Island, some 700km south of New Zealand, research body MetOcean Solutions said.

Police in Oregon were in a slimy situation on Thursday after a truck carrying 7,500 pounds of live hagfish failed to stop at a construction site and spilled its contents onto the highway and over surrounding cars.