One of the Earliest Rural Mosques in the World Found in Israel
Built soon after the advent of Islam, the mosque in the Negev town of Rahat indicates how fast the new religion swept through the countryside
Ruth Schuster
Ruth Schuster is Senior Editor at the Haaretz-TheMarker English Edition.
Schuster has worked in writing, editing and translation for English and Hebrew-language publications for more than two decades. She holds a BSc in biology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
She lives in Tel Aviv with her daughter and multiple pets and in her spare time, promotes animal rights.
Church of the Apostles Found by Sea of Galilee, Archaeologists Claim
A bishop trekking around the lake in 725 saw and described the Church of the Apostles — exactly where this one has been found, archaeologists say
Artifacts From Across Mideast Found in 9,000-year-old City by Jerusalem
New findings show the Motza mega-site was part of a vast network of barter, but huge town may have exhausted its resources very fast
Ancient Trove May Attest to Lost Civilization in Puerto Rico
University of Haifa use-wear lab called in to verify hidden cache of ancient figurines, proving they really are pre-Columbian
Revealed: Israel Is Dangerously Unprepared for Global Food Shortages
As climate change hits world crops, Israel’s stocks are based on war breaking out and governed by the policy: In God we trust
We Sleep Like the Fishes and Have Done for 450 Million Years
Zebrafish turn out to have the same deep sleep and dream patterns as reptiles — and ourselves
Biblical City of Ziklag Where Philistines Gave Refuge to David Found, Researchers Claim
Finds from the Philistine period and 10th century B.C.E., the time of King David, signal Khirbet al-Rai as the site of Ziklag and place boundaries on the kingdom he ruled
Tel Aviv Scientists Could Make Root Canals History
New nano-filling prevents the secondary tooth decay that takes place beneath cavities; could reach trial stage in a year or two
There's a Spider on the Catwalk: New Arachnid Species Named for Fashion Icon Karl Lagerfeld
The frisky arachnid and deceased designer shared a subdued color scheme in black and white, the scientists explain
Humans Have Been Recycling for Half a Million Years, Israeli Archaeologists Show
Before our species even evolved, archaic hominins were reusing flint tools left behind by even earlier hominins, and then the trail went cold — until archaeologists found recycled flints from the Neolithic and Bronze Age in Israel
Mysterious Biblical-era Stronghold Was Actually a Phoenician Snail Dye Factory, Archaeologists Say
Tel Shikmona contains the ruins of a powerful edifice built where one shouldn’t have been, given the absence of harbor or beach – but the snails from which purple dye was made were there in droves
Mars-quakes May Be Caused by Auto-fracking, Scientists Suggest
ISS meanwhile comes clean about mold problem, inadvertently resurrecting the eternal question: Is there life on Mars? Maybe, but maybe we put it there
What Made Human Beings the Fat Ape
We may bemoan the human predisposition toward pudginess, but it may also be the key to our specialness
Sushi and Sashimi Lovers, That Tingling on Your Tongue Might Be Bad for You
A very special feeling in your mouth: Since when has risking tapeworm infection been irresistibly alluring?
Israeli Archaeologists Discover How Ancient Romans Pulled Off Their Monumental Architecture
Ikea didn’t invent the DIY diagram: Ancient stonecutters wanted credit for their efforts just like any artist, signed their work — and also marked the stone blocks with building instructions
Sperm in Space: Unlike Astronauts, It Can Survive if Frozen
Freezing can preserve sperm’s effectiveness even after 15 years, says separate Chinese study - but if Dad smoked, Junior may have fertility issues
Scientists Reconstruct Dinner Party From 550 Million Years Ago
Ernietta the gregarious Ediacaran: How exactly did these early animals eat? Together, scientists discover using fossils and computational fluid dynamics
Israeli Soldiers Dig Up Watchtower From King Hezekiah’s Time in Their Firing Zone
Somewhere by an army base in southern Israel, 2,800 years ago, Judahite soldiers could keep an eye on the Philistines, and communicate by smoke and fire
Bush Tomato Classified as World’s First Gender-fluid Plant
After decades of perplexity over its nonbinary flowering forms, botanists finally figure out what the Solanum plastisexum of Australia’s Outback really is
How Did Prehistoric Hyenas Reach the Americas? Through the Arctic
Two teeth found in the Yukon that moldered in a museum drawer for half a century came back to the spotlight and behold, they changed the history of the hyena
Murder in Mesopotamia, the Prequel: The Earliest Neighbors in the World Couldn’t Stand Each Other
Crowding in one of the world's first towns, Catalhoyuk, spread disease and stress, judging by the violence archaeologists detect in their remains
Study Reveals How Dogs Hijacked Our Hearts and Wallets
Dogs were first domesticated by European hunter-gatherers, resulting in the only animal that looks you straight in the eye, wiggles its eyebrows and asks for help
Baby Pterodactyls Could Fly From Birth and Didn’t Need Coddling
Old thinking: They had tiny wings like baby bats and chicks. New thinking: No they didn’t, and since they could take wing right after hatching, they may not have needed parental protection
You’re Eating a Hamburger’s Worth of Plastic Every Year
Bottled water is a huge source of plastic particle consumption, says Australian study, but at least the halakhically observant are spared the scourge of plasticized shellfish guts
Port Workers in Ancient Rome Ate Like Kings, Until the Vandals Arrived
Dockworkers in ancient Rome ate as lavishly as the elites, excavations at the port of Imperial Rome find — until the Vandals vanquished the legions in the year 455
Worms Help Israeli Scientists Rewrite Basics of Genetics
Tel Aviv study finds Grail of genetics: Proves nerve cells can transmit messages to future generations not via the DNA, but by epigenetic changes
Your Dog Feels Your Pain — Especially if It’s a Bitch
If you’re chronically under stress, your dog is likely to be too, according to a small but perfectly informed Swedish study
Pterosaur Was Fuzzy: Feathers Evolved Not Only Before Birds but Before Dinosaurs Too
Never mind the chicken and the egg, discovery of plumed pterosaur shows feathers developed more than 250 million years ago
Invention of Farming Changed Our Parasites, 8,000-year-old Turkish Remains Show
Early farmers in Catalhöyük in Turkey had whipworms, new study shows, while other research found that hunter-gatherers had more of a tapeworm problem
WATCH: Chimpanzees Catch Crabs
Researchers observe chimps crab-fishing in West African rainforest, with females and offspring fishing for longer periods than adult males