A thick band of clay and sand, believed to be the remains of a massive flood, has been discovered beneath ancient ruins in Iraq, reopening a familiar question in archaeology: could earlier human ...

The story of how the first cities rose from southern Mesopotamia has long fascinated scientists and historians. Many explanations point to fertile soil, farming, and trade networks as the engines of ...

This is the first episode of a two-part series on the origin of jokes and humor. The story appears in podcast feeds under the title, "Jokes, Part I: Sumer Funny, Sumer Not." Listen to part two here.