The early writing appears to date to around 2400 B.C.—preceding the previous most bygone examples by roughly 500 years.

Janny Baek's otherworldly ceramics merge vibrant color, eclectic motifs, and botanical details in striking sculptures.

The pre-dinosaur fossils, dating back to the Permian period, include footprints and tail marks from at least five species, plant impressions, wave ripples, and even raindrops.

Although far from the oldest writing we have found, these cylinders are 500 years older than any previously known example of alphabetic script, if that is indeed what they carry.