At its peak in the 1950s and '60s, the kuru epidemic nearly decimated the Indigenous Fore people of Papua New Guinea.Until the 1930s, no outsiders knew that the Fore people of Papua New Guinea even existed. In one of the world’s least-explored regions, the Fore had lived independently for years, developing a distinctive culture with traditions unknown even to their fellow islanders. One of these traditions was ritual cannibalism, which led to a widespread disease called kuru.

From hidden Nazi artifacts to a secret Knights Templar crypt, these are some of the most jaw-dropping archaeological finds from this year.Aldo ManzuettiThis skull of a prehistoric saber-toothed predator was one of the best archaeological discoveries of 2020. There’s no question that archaeological discoveries can change the world as we know it. With the push of a shovel at the right spot, cultures from long ago can be brought to light.

The 23-day exploration by NOAA set out to discover more about the previously-unknown habitat at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, and the marine life that calls it home. A mysid shrimp hangs on to the limbs of an umbellula sea pen. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research A cusk eel floats past the submersible at 1,585 feet. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research A Darwin's slimehead, hovers a few feet off the seafloor.

Look inside the era of warehouse parties and PLUR during the blossoming of rave fashion and culture in the 1990s.In the early 1990s, a nascent culture coalesced around electronic dance music and their concerts, referred to commonly as raves. Home to eclectic and diffuse genres like house, trance, and techno, the rave scene evolved into a subculture bound together with a distinctive ethos, a unique fashion sensibility, and an adventurous spirit to drug use, particularly ecstasy.

Check out these vintage circus photos from the early 20th century, when audiences crammed into tents to witness spectacles of danger. Trainer Walter McClain works with his elephants at the Ringling Circus stop in Sarasota, Florida. 1940.Wikimedia Commons A clown acts out a routine with another circus performer dressed in a lion suit. Date unspecified.Wikimedia Commons Strongman circus performer Alexander Marshal lifts two women holding onto a steel pull gripped in his teeth.