Climate change means our future is uncertain, but in the meantime, it's telling us a lot about our past. The Earth's glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, but as the ice dwindles, ancient artifacts are being uncovered. The Secrets of the Ice project has been surveying the glaciers on Norway's highest mountains in Oppland since 2011. They have found a slew of treasures, frozen in time and ice, making glacier archeologists, as Lars Pilø, co-director of Secrets of the Ice, put it when talking to CNN, the "unlikely beneficiaries of global warming."
Instead of digging, glacier archeologists survey the areas of melting ice, seeing which artifacts have been revealed by the thaw. "It's a very different world from regular archaeological sites," Pilø told National Geographic. "It's really rewarding work.
Archeologists have found a wooden ski with leather binding dating back to circa 700. Tunics from the Iron Age have turned up, and they've even spotted an old shoe that's 3,400-years-old. There are Viking swords, pack horse skulls, and the requisite arrowheads surfacing from their frosty tombs. Almost 3,000 archeological artifacts have been found in Oppland. Because they were frozen, the artifacts are well preserved. Organic materials, such as leather and fabric, are still intact.
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The one thing glacier archeologists have yet to find is an ice mummy. Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,300-year-old body, is Europe's oldest known natural mummy. Ötzi the Iceman was discovered in the Alps in 1991, and some scientists believe the find was a result of climate change. Glacier archeologists also had trouble finding the same abundance artifacts from the eleventh century onward. This is partly because the bubonic plague would have prevented our ancestors from traveling through the mountains.
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Glacier archeologists have to work fast. When artifacts are exposed to the sun, they start to deteriorate. Plus, there's the whole matter of the rapid pace which glaciers are disappearing. Much of the mountain ice in the Northern Hemisphere is between 7,000 and 9,000 years old. Norway's ice was at its fullest between 1550 and 1850, also known as the Little Ice Age. It has been slowly (and now quickly) melting since. Currently, we are at the same ice levels we experienced 6,000 years ago. According to Professor Atle Nesje of the University of Bergen, 90% of Norwegian glaciers might melt away by the middle of this century. "There is definite urgency," Vibeke Vandrup Martens, an archaeologist at the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research, told CNN. "If the archaeologists do nothing, the artifacts and/or sites that belong to the whole community may be lost forever, without any recording they ever existed."
We have a window. If we act fast, we can curb climate change and, in a way, reap its benefits, too.
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We could start a rumor.
Grieving couple comforting each other
This response to someone grieving a friend might be the best internet comment ever
When someone is hit with the sudden loss of a friend or loved one, words rarely feel like enough. Yet, more than a decade ago, a wise Redditor named GSnow shared thoughts so profound they still bring comfort to grieving hearts today.
Originally posted around 2011, the now-famous reply was rediscovered when Upvoted, an official Reddit publication, featured it again to remind everyone of its enduring truth. It began as a simple plea for help: “My friend just died. I don't know what to do.”
What followed was a piece of writing that many consider one of the internet’s best comments of all time. It remains shared across social media, grief forums, and personal messages to this day because its honesty and metaphor speak to the raw reality of loss and the slow, irregular path toward healing.
Below is GSnow’s full reply, unchanged, in all its gentle, wave-crashing beauty:
Why this advice still matters
Mental health professionals and grief counselors often describe bereavement in stages or phases, but GSnow’s “wave theory” gives an image more relatable for many. Rather than a linear process, grief surges and retreats—sometimes triggered by a song, a place, or a simple morning cup of coffee.
In recent years, this metaphor has found renewed relevance. Communities on Reddit, TikTok, and grief support groups frequently reshare it to help explain the unpredictable nature of mourning.
Many readers say this analogy helps them feel less alone, giving them permission to ride each wave of grief rather than fight it.
Finding comfort in shared wisdom
Since this comment first surfaced, countless people have posted their own stories underneath it, thanking GSnow and passing the words to others facing fresh heartbreak. It’s proof that sometimes, the internet can feel like a global support group—strangers linked by shared loss and hope.
For those searching for more support today, organizations like The Dougy Center, GriefShare, and local bereavement groups offer compassionate resources. If you or someone you know is struggling with intense grief, please reach out to mental health professionals who can help navigate these deep waters.
When grief comes crashing like the ocean, remember these words—and hang on. There is life between the waves.
This article originally appeared four years ago.