Around the World November 1, 2010
TIMOR-LESTE: Humans shared this island with the world's largest known rat—weighing in at an eek-inducing 13 pounds. Though people are known to have hunted rats there for 40,000 years, this giant rodent probably became extinct only 1,000 to 2,000 years ago. Extinctions, then, may not always be a direct result of human arrival. In this case, the introduction of metal tools and the clearing of forests for agriculture probably doomed the giant rats.
Digs & Discoveries March/April 2018
Model Homes March/April 2026
LOCATION: Thebes, Egypt
DATES: Ca. 1981–1975 b.c.
Model Homes March/April 2026
LOCATION: Copán, Honduras
DATE: Ca. a.d. 700–850
Features March/April 2026
A look inside miniature worlds created for the living, the dead, and the divine
Features March/April 2026
Vivid frescoes in an opulent dining room celebrate the wild rites of the wine god
Features March/April 2026
Discovering the true origins of an enigmatic mile-long pattern in Peru’s coastal desert
Features March/April 2026
In a remote region of India, archaeologists trace 4,000 years of history through a vast collection of petroglyphs
Features March/April 2026
New analysis of Neanderthal remains reveals surprisingly grim secrets
