Laos

Dotted with thousands of giant stone vessels, the Plain of Jars in Laos is one of the most intriguing archeological sites in Southeast Asia. A new study has uncovered how old the jars are – and it turns out they're much older than previously thought.

Researchers have found evidence that Schomburgk’s deer – thought extinct since 1938 – may have lived until at least the 1990s, and possibly still today.

A team of archaeologists has discovered over 100 ancient stone jars across 15 sites in Laos. The new discoveries add to the thousands of other strange jars found on the central plains of Laos, increasing the scope of one of Southeast Asia’a most enduring archaeological mysteries.

New Atlas' Mike Hanlon recently spent several nights in the villages of the remote hill tribes of northern Laos. The villages are entirely self-sustaining, generate their own electricity, and life has changed very little in thousands of years.