We may be standing on the shoulders of giants—and, if some legends are believed, that phrase might be shockingly literal.

The history of Mexico City stretches back almost two centuries before the Spanish ever set foot in the Americas. Rather, the Spanish built their capital on top of the ashes of one of the most beautiful and unique cities in history: Tenochtitlan.

For decades, “life on Mars” has lived somewhere between science fiction and science hope. Every rover, lander, and orbiter has inched us closer—but always stopped short. Then, quietly, NASA scientists revealed something that might finally tip the scales. Not proof, not fossils—but something far more powerful: evidence that looks alive.

Situated on the Nile’s west bank opposite Luxor, Egypt’s Valley of the Kings took over from the pyramids as the pharaohs’ preferred location for the afterlife. The Valley is a timeless monument to the Ancient Egyptians’ complex vision of eternity.