People and Neanderthals Lived Together. Here's How We Know.
Discover the evidence that proves humans and Neanderthals cohabited, interbred, and influenced each other's genetic code, societies, and eventual fates for thousands of years.
Featured
Browse Projects
SideProjects Insider
The weekly dispatch for curious builders — what gets made, what goes wrong, and what to try next.
Builders, tinkerers, and curious minds subscribed
- Weekly dispatch
- Lesser-known tales and side narratives
- The stories behind the bigger stories
- Behind-the-scenes notes from Simon
Latest
Browse Projects281 articles across 5 categories
Archaeologists Just Found 1,000 Roman Artefacts in a Swiss Lake
Over 1,000 Roman artifacts were discovered in Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland, including pottery, swords, and a chariot—revealing a military cargo ship that sank nearly 2,000 years ago.
Archaeological "Discoveries"...That Were All Lies.
From the Newport Tower's Viking myths to Oak Island's endless treasure hunt, explore five archaeological "discoveries" that captured global attention only to disappoint when the truth emerged.
Discoveries That Proved Historians Wrong About the Persian Empire
Archaeological evidence and modern scholarship reveal how Greek propaganda distorted our understanding of the Achaemenid Persian Empire's governance, military, women's rights, and eventual fall.
The Discoveries That Proved Everything Wrong About the Vikings
Archaeological discoveries have shattered our stereotypes about Vikings. From female warriors and advanced legal systems to global trade networks and surprising cleanliness, the real Norse people were far more complex than legend suggests.
The Insane City Located Beneath Beijing...
Discover Dixia Cheng, the massive underground city built beneath Beijing during the Cold War to shelter millions from Soviet nuclear attack, and its strange afterlife as housing for China's poor.
These Cities Are One Disaster Away From Total Collapse
From Mexico City sinking into its lakebed to Jakarta being abandoned by its own government, these major cities face infrastructure crises that could cascade into collapse from a single disaster.
The First Targets of a Modern War (And Why)
How modern warfare begins: the invisible sequence of cyberattacks, radar strikes, and infrastructure targeting that unfolds before the first tank crosses a border.
The Weirdest Bans in History (That You’ve Never Heard Of)
From ketchup restrictions in French schools to bans on dying without a burial plot, discover the most absurd, funny, and baffling prohibitions ever imposed by governments around the world.
5 Awful Disasters...with Good Consequences
Discover how history's deadliest natural disasters—from St. Lucia's Flood to Hurricane Katrina—unexpectedly reshaped cities, sparked scientific revolutions, and created lasting cultural transformations.
People Who Were Killed for Knowing Too Much
From Alexander Litvinenko to Jamal Khashoggi, explore the true stories of journalists, whistleblowers, and politicians who died under suspicious circumstances because of what they knew.
More of the Most Unbelievable Coincidences in History
From the man who survived both atomic bombs to twins who lived parallel lives, discover the most bizarre and unbelievable coincidences ever recorded in history.
New Ancient Discoveries from 2025
Explore five astonishing discoveries from the Age of Discovery that captivated the world, only to later be revealed as exaggerated or entirely discredited, from St. Brendan's Isle to the Patagonian giants.