Laura Geggel

Laura Geggel

Editor

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.

Articles by: Laura Geggel

Stonehenge silhouetted against the setting sun. Taken on December the 22nd, winter solstice.

Winter solstice: The science behind the shortest day of the year

By Laura Geggel published

What happens during the winter solstice? Here's why this day is the shortest day of the year, with the fewest hours of daylight. The winter solstice falls on Dec. 21 or 22 every year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Smilesaurus, an iconic gorgonopsian that lived during the late Permian in what is now South Africa.

Monstrous 'gorgons' survived a mass extinction, but they were a 'dead clade walking'

By Laura Geggel published

About 90% of all species went extinct during the "Great Dying" around 252 million years ago, but in the case of one paleo-beast — the so-called gorgon — reports of its death were greatly exaggerated, new research finds.

A wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) with an impressive red wattle.

10 terrific turkey facts

By Remy Melina, Jeanna Bryner published

Turkeys can fly, blush and are distant relatives of Tyrannosaurus rex. Read on to learn more about these Thanksgiving divas.

A clique of juvenile Hypacrosaurus dinosaurs approach some horned dinosaurs relaxing in the woods.

Teenage duck-billed dinosaurs struck out on their own, forming cliques

By Laura Geggel published

Juvenile duck-billed dinosaurs likely hung out in cliques, away from their original herd, an analysis of two bonebeds reveals.

depressed woman sitting near window and looking at autumn landscape outside in rainy day.

Seasonal Affective Disorder: What are the symptoms?

By Laura Geggel published

REFERENCE Although seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can strike in summer, it’s most common throughout fall and winter — here are the symptoms to look out for.

Chimp in tree

Chimps are naturally violent, study suggests

By Laura Geggel last updated

A new, 54-year study suggests coordinated aggression is innate to chimpanzees, and is not linked to human interference.

Here, we see an illustration of a Pachycephalosaurus, a plant-eating dinosaur that had a thick melon-like dome on its head.

Helmet-headed dinosaurs kickboxed like kangaroos, new study suggests

By Laura Geggel last updated

Pachycephalosaurs probably didn't butt heads at high speeds. Instead, they likely kickboxed like kangaroos.

The purpleback flying squid (Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis) that swam past the ROV investigating the shipwreck in the Gulf of Aqaba.

Giant purpleblack flying squid photobombs crew investigating shipwreck

By Laura Geggel last updated

A team mapping the seafloor in the northern Red Sea unexpectedly spotted a purpleback flying squid near a previously unknown shipwreck.

Climbers walk below Nuptse as they make their way to camp 2 on Mount Everest in this undated photo.

Why Are So Many People Dying on Mount Everest?

By Laura Geggel last updated

Massively long lines at Mount Everest's frigid summit may have contributed to the deaths of seven climbers this week.

This sword has a preserved pommel (a knob at the end of the handle) with a "button" on top.

2 Viking swords buried upright might have connected the dead to Odin and Valhalla

By Laura Geggel published

Archaeologists in Sweden excavating a Viking grave field have uncovered two burials containing swords standing upright.

Garlic

Woman Tried to Treat Athlete’s Foot with Raw Garlic. It Burned Through Her Toe.

By Laura Geggel last updated

A woman in England learned the hard way that it's not safe to treat a foot fungus infection by covering it with slices of raw garlic, according to a new report of the woman's case.

Egyptian princesses

King Tut's Sisters Took the Throne Before He Did, Controversial Claim Says

By Laura Geggel last updated

An artist's interpretation of the species Ornithomimus (not the ornithomimosaurs in the new study) based on a fossil specimen with preserved tail feathers and soft tissue.

Giant, ostrich-like dinosaur and its smaller cousin roamed Mississippi during the late Cretaceous

By Laura Geggel published

A giant, ostrich-like dinosaur and its smaller cousin, also an ornithomimosaur, sprinted through what is now Mississippi about 85 million years ago.

Artisans used colorful, small stones to craft the fourth century A.D. mosaic found in Syria. Photographed on Oct. 12, 2022.

1,600-year-old mosaic of Hercules and Neptune's 40 mistresses unearthed in war-torn Syria

By Laura Geggel published

Archaeologists in Syria have discovered a stunning mosaic featuring depictions of the Trojan War, Hercules and Neptune dating to the fourth century A.D.

giant clam

Shiny Giant Clams May Inspire New Solar Tech

By Laura Geggel last updated

cambrian lobopodia illustration

Armored Spiky Worm Had 30 Legs, Will Haunt Your Nightmares

By Laura Geggel last updated

Ancient Skeleton Found in Central Sudan

Tooth Tales: Prehistoric Plaque Reveals Early Humans Ate Weeds

By Laura Geggel last updated

When looking for a meal, prehistoric people in Africa munched on the tuberous roots of weeds such as the purple nutsedge, according to a new study of hardened plaque on samples of ancient teeth.

Octopus moving in a water tank

Octopuses Have Moves, But No Rhythm

By Laura Geggel last updated

Octopuses move with a simple elegance, but they have no rhythm, according to new research.

An illustration of an asteroid streaking toward Earth. The asteroid that hit Earth about 66 million years ago triggered a tsunami with mile-high waves.

Tsunami from dinosaur-killing asteroid had mile-high waves and reached halfway across the world

By Laura Geggel published

The dinosaur-killing asteroid triggered mile-high monster waves and waters that reached the world over.

A Tyrannosaurus rex specimen, nicknamed Shen for now, is the first T. rex to hit the auction block in Asia.

Spectacular T. rex skeleton may fetch $25 million at auction (the new owner gets to name it, too)

By Laura Geggel published

Paleontologists are unhappy that a T. rex specimen from Montana is hitting the auction block in Hong Kong in November.

Palm trees in wind

How do palm trees withstand hurricanes?

By Laura Geggel last updated

Trees generally snap, or at least lose a few branches, when faced with hurricane-strength winds. Not palm trees. These staples of the tropics typically bend during gusty weather.

This digital creation shows what Hilda may have looked like during her lifetime in the Iron Age.

Toothless Druid Woman's Face Comes Alive in Wax, Wrinkles and All

By Laura Geggel last updated

A toothless skull was all that researchers had of one of Scotland's oldest known Druids, but now they have something more: a wax re-creation of her face.

A kitten and puppy outside in spring.

How much do cats and dogs remember?

By Laura Geggel last updated

This illustration shows an early Earth with plate tectonics.

Evidence of 'modern' plate tectonics dating to 2.5 billion years ago found in China

By Laura Geggel last updated

Earth scientists in China have found evidence of a subduction zone dating to 2.5 billion years ago.

Three human skulls against a black background

Why Did These Medieval European Women Have Alien-Like Skulls?

By Laura Geggel last updated

Why were medieval women with egg-shaped skulls buried in Bavaria? A DNA analysis reveals their origins.