New research has confirmed that an obsidian mirror used by John Dee, confidante to Queen Elizabeth I, to contact otherworldly spirits in his occult practices has Aztec origins. "John Dee is a ...

Scientists have shown that an obsidian hand-mirror once owned by the Renaissance polymath John Dee has Aztec origins, thus confirming a longstanding mystery. John Dee was quite the character. Born in ...

When Elizabeth I’s scientific adviser and “philosopher” John Dee died in 1609 at the age of 81 he left behind a trove of unusual artifacts. Among them was his speculum, a hand mirror made of polished ...

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. An obsidian ...

Tom has a Master's degree in Journalism. His editorial work covers anything from archaeology and the environment to technology and culture. Tom has a Master's degree in Journalism. His editorial work ...

Researchers have determined that an obsidian mirror believed to have been owned by the sixteenth-century English polymath John Dee originated in the Aztec world. Dee served as a scientific adviser and ...

Geochemical analysis suggests that an obsidian mirror owned by a confidant of the English Tudor queen was made in Mexico. To summon spirits, sixteenth-century English astrologer John Dee, a confidant ...