On August 1, 1782, Caroline Herschel—sister of William
Herschel, an astronomer who discovered Uranus the year
before—discovered a comet after spotting it through a
telescope. This was the first comet discovery credited
to a woman.

William and Caroline Herschel

Herschel, a German-born British woman, began her work
in astronomy through helping her brother.

In 1782, prior to discovering the comet, she had been
recording the positions of new sky objects in her own
logbook.

LONDON (AP) — When a schoolboy going for a run found the
ribs of a wooden ship poking through the dunes of a remote
Scottish beach, it sparked a hunt by archaeologists, scientists
and local historians to uncover its story.

Through a mix of high-tech science and community research,
they have an answer. Researchers announced Wednesday that
the vessel is very likely the Earl of Chatham, an 18th-century
warship that saw action in the American War of Independence
before a second life hunting whales in the Arctic — and then a
stormy demise.

“I would regard it as a lucky ship, which is a strange thing to
say about a ship that’s wrecked,” said Ben Saunders, senior
marine archaeologist at Wessex Archaeology, a charity that
helped community researchers conduct the investigation.

Saunders said “I think if it had been found in many other
places, it wouldn’t necessarily have had that community
drive, that desire to recover and study that material, and
also the community spirit to do it.”
 

(FOX NEWS) – A group of international researchers say they’re
getting closer and closer to identifying the possible remains of
Noah’s Ark – and new test results are promising.

The focus of the research, the Durupinar site in eastern Turkey,
was first identified in the 1950s.

For decades, it’s been speculated that the boat-shaped site
once harbored Noah’s Ark, but no definitive proof has emerged.

Now, an organization called Noah’s Ark Scans believes that
recent soil samples point toward the site once housing "ancient
wood."

Researchers collected soil samples from the site last September
and analyzed them through this winter. The results "show
significantly higher levels of organic matter and potassium
compared to surrounding areas."

According to a recent statement from the organization,
"[The results] provide compelling evidence of a unique,
potentially man-made structure beneath the surface, distinct
from the surrounding mudflow."

The statement added, "these findings suggest the presence of
decayed wood or other organic materials, consistent with a large,
ancient structure preserved within the mudflow."

(FOX NEWS) – A recent excavation in Texas yielded some
"colossal creatures," according to local officials – and
archaeologists are hopeful more will be uncovered soon.

The Texas Department of Transportation announced the
discovery in a recent press release. In a statement, officials
said the excavation took place in Lubbock during the
environmental review for Loop 88, a proposed state
highway.

During the archaeological survey, diggers uncovered
ancient bones dating back to prehistoric times. The
remains belonged to megafauna, which are large
mammals.

The discovery could be ‘first of its kind’ if evidence of
human activity with Ice Age animals is confirmed.

(FOX NEWS) – Archaeologists in the City of David in Israel have
struck gold twice this year – finding yet another gold ring.

A gold ring set with a red gemstone dating back 2,300 years was
recently discovered in excavations conducted by the Israel
Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University.

The ring is believed to have belonged to a boy or girl living in
Jerusalem in the Second Temple period.

Archaeologists were sifting through the dirt with a sieve near this excavation area when the ring was found.