
Laura Geggel
Laura is the archaeology and Life's Little Mysteries editor at Live Science. She also reports on general science, including paleontology. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Scholastic, Popular Science and Spectrum, a site on autism research. She has won multiple awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association for her reporting at a weekly newspaper near Seattle. Laura holds a bachelor's degree in English literature and psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and a master's degree in science writing from NYU.
Latest articles by Laura Geggel

3-year-old picks up 'beautiful stone,' discovers 3,800-year-old scarab amulet in Israel
By Laura Geggel published
A 3-year-old girl in Israel found an ancient Canaanite amulet shaped like a scarab while she was out walking with her family.

'This is a very big earthquake': The science behind Myanmar's magnitude 7.7 earthquake
By Laura Geggel published
Here's the science behind the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that hit Myanmar on Friday (March 28).

'Exceptional' hoard of 800 Iron Age artifacts found mysteriously burned and buried in UK field
By Laura Geggel published
An Iron Age hoard discovered in England is on a "kind of scale and size that is exceptional for Britain and probably even Europe."

Stonehenge isn't the oldest monument of its kind in England, study reveals
By Laura Geggel published
Flagstones, an ancient monument and burial ground in England, is older than Stonehenge, a new radiocarbon-dating study finds.

Daylight saving time 2025: When does the time change, and why?
By Jeanna Bryner last updated
When does daylight saving time start in 2025? Here's a look at when the time changes this year, and why we change our clocks in the first place.

Alexander the Great quiz: How well do you know the famous king and conqueror from the ancient world?
By Laura Geggel published
How much do you know about Alexander the Great?

Archaeologists discover rare liquid gypsum burial of 'high-status individual' from Roman Britain
By Laura Geggel published
A Roman-era cemetery, found ahead of a construction project in England, holds an unusual burial at its center.

Secrets of Alexander the Great mosaic revealed after 1st-of-its-kind analysis
By Laura Geggel published
There are around 2 million pieces that make up the Alexander the Great mosaic, but where did they come from?

'Huge fortune' from the 1600s, including gold and silver coins, found in German church where Martin Luther preached
By Laura Geggel published
Four bags of money hidden around 1640 and worth "much more than a craftsman could earn in a year" have been found inside a statue at a Gothic church in Germany.

From Stonehenge's origins to ice age baby genetics — how well did you follow this year's top archaeology stories?
By Laura Geggel published
Here's Live Science's 2024 quiz for archaeology fans. Do you know this year's coolest archaeology stories?

From 'the last Neanderthal' to sacrifices in Peru: Our biggest archaeology stories of 2024
By Laura Geggel published
Here are our biggest archeology stories of 2024.

Winter solstice 2024: When does winter start?
By Laura Geggel last updated
When does winter start in 2024? Here's the science of the winter solstice, and why its the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Massive magnitude 7 earthquake strikes off California coast
By Laura Geggel published
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck off the coast of Petrolia, California on Thursday (Dec. 5).

'Treated as something dangerous and vicious': See stunning reconstruction of 'vampire' buried with a blade over her neck
By Laura Geggel published
A new reconstruction of a woman from a 17th-century "vampire" burial reveals a young-but-sickly woman whom villagers feared so much they buried her under a blade and padlock.

Pangaea: Discover facts about Earth's ancient supercontinent
By Laura Geggel, Tia Ghose last updated
Pangaea is Earth's most recent supercontinent, which existed 320 million to 195 million years ago.

'Absolutely outstanding' 12-century picture stone unearthed in Germany likely depicts bishop who brought Christianity to region
By Laura Geggel published
A 12th-century stone carving discovered in northern Germany may depict Otto of Bamberg, a bishop and missionary.

'Richly decorated weapon' from Edo Japan unearthed in World War II rubble in Germany
By Laura Geggel published
The 17th-century sword was found in a cellar that was destroyed during World War II, but it's unknown how it ended up there.

Boy finds Roman-era gold military bracelet while walking dog in UK
By Laura Geggel published
The newfound bracelet was likely awarded for a feat of valor carried out during Rome's conquest of Britain.

Mayday! 22 mysterious shipwrecks you can see on Google Earth
By Laura Geggel last updated
Google Earth has captured images of rotting and rusting hulls that are wasting away in shallow waters the world over.

Identity of 2,200-year-old skeleton in 'Tomb of Cerberus' is a mystery
By Laura Geggel published
Archaeologists have found a shrouded skeleton that was buried around 2,200 years ago in a tomb with extravagant murals.

Why do strawberries have seeds on the outside?
By Laura Geggel published
While it may initially appear that strawberries are fruits covered in seeds, this is not actually the case.

1,800-year-old ring depicting Roman goddess discovered by ancient quarry in Israel
By Laura Geggel published
A 13-year-old boy hiking in Haifa discovered a Roman-era ring with a depiction of Minerva, the goddess of war and wisdom.

Mysterious Maya underground structure unearthed in Mexico
By Laura Geggel published
Archaeologists in Campeche, Mexico, have found an underground structure beneath a Maya ball court, as well as offerings on top of a Maya pyramid at another site.
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