Latest science news in Paleontology & Archaeology
NASA finds dinosaur prints in own backyard
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland is a place of cutting edge science, but also ancient dinosaur footsteps
Observatory: Trogloraptor, Spider With Long Claws, Is Found in Oregon
Much about the spider, Trogloraptor, remains a mystery, but researchers say it represents not just a new species but its own genus and family.
Frank Close: What I'm thinking about ... Higgs Boson and nuclear spies
'Perhaps some Guardian reader remembers something that will help me find out the truth about Pontecorvo, defector and father of the neutrino'That Higgs Boson. It gives structure to the universe but its discovery,...
British Women Stand Head And Shoulders Above The French - Literally
British women no longer feel inferior next to sassy siren Spaniards or chic French women. They are taller - in heels, anyway. Brits sport a towering 3.3 inch heel on...
Castles, Ancient Treasures Under Fire in Syria—Possibly Beyond Repair
As shells rip through ancient citadels and artifacts go missing, experts worry some damage may be beyond repair.
Hobbit village planned for Sweden
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- An entire village like those inhabited by the hobbits from J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" is planned for a Stockholm island,...
Archaeological work on Gold Rush-era ship OK'd
The state has issued a permit allowing for archaeological work at the site of a sunken Gold Rush-era ship in southeast Alaska.
Family dog finds rare fossil in Canada
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Credit for the discovery of a fossil find in Nova Scotia, called the most significant in the Canadian province, belongs to a...
Letters: In faith we trust
Mary Kenny distinguishes between religion and faith in the Irish context (Comment, 9 August). But I would expand this insight. For surely all religions, whether great or small, ancient or modern, even bonkers...
First evidence for photosynthesis in insects
Aphids may have a rudimentary sunlight-harvesting system.Nature News doi: 10.1038/nature.2012.11214
Two new owl species discovered in the Philippines
Two new species of owls have been discovered in the Philippines. The first owl, the Camiguin Hawk-owl, is found only on the small island of Camiguin Sur, close to northern...
Urban growth means hotter summers; white paint can help
It’s hot out there. Hotter than it would be if instead of what I see outside my sliver of window -- roads, buildings -- there was grass and vegetation. Hotter,...
Bias in the fossil record
The fossil record has its limitations, but by understanding them we can best interpret the data we do haveThere are a whole series of biases in the fossil record that affect which...
Tomb of China's first emperor still sealed
Buried deep under a hill in central China, surrounded by an underground moat of poisonous mercury, lies an entombed emperor who's been undisturbed for more than two millennia.
Taking the Edge Off a Pipe Bomb--Literally.
Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate's pipe bomb dismantling mechanism is sophisticated enough to preserve forensic evidence for tracking down the perpetrator.
Details of the Plague preserved by Warwick historian
Details of how to bury those who died from the plague and parish council notes and accounts are just two of the intriguing documents uncovered by Dr Stuart Jennings from...
Archaeological dig in Devon unearths Roman influence
(Phys.org) -- Excavations are underway to unearth the mysteries of Devons newly discovered settlement dating back to Roman times.
Real to reel: Ancient Greece and Rome in the movies
Was "Spartacus" an anti-fascist polemic? Does "Agora" demonstrate the horrors of anti-science religious zealotry? Did the Trojans really dress only in blue and white outfits? Quiz: Sophia Loren and Elizabeth...
Merkel signs science research agreement in Halifax
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be in Halifax Thursday for the signing of a memorandum of understanding on scientific research between Dalhousie University and the Helmholz Association of German Research...
Paleobiologist argues that earliest land dwelling amniotes were likely egg layers
(Phys.org) -- Animals that generate a protective layered environment in which their offspring develop are known as amniotes, regardless of whether they give birth to them or lay them as...
New Books Party: books received this week | @GrrlScientist
This week I tell you about Physiological Adaptations for Breeding in Birds, How to build a habitable planet, the Higgs boson and much moreBelow the jump, I mention the books that I...
Tibetan Plateau older than thought
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Aug. 16 (UPI) -- The Tibetan Plateau may be as much as twice as old as previously thought, geologists studying mountain ranges along the eastern edge...
Genetics pins ancestors to a map location
TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Genetics can reveal not only who your ancestors were but where they came from geographically, researchers at Israel's Tel Aviv University report.
Extinct ichthyosaurs got the bends
Marine reptiles that cruised the planet's oceans millions of years ago may have suffered from their own version of the bends, studies of their fossils suggest. But scientists are in...
Time to learn to speak animal languages?
Koko the gorilla can comprehend roughly 2,000 words of spoken English. She doesn't have a vocal tract suitable for responding verbally, so the 40-year-old ape signs her thoughts using a...
Stonehenge: Facts & Theories About Mysterious Monument
Stonehenge, a huge prehistoric monument, was built 5,000 years ago in England. Its builders and its purpose remain a mystery.
Fossil Pollen Reveals Ancient Egypt's Climate Woes
Researchers traced a record of ancient Egypt's droughts and fires with pollen and charcoal deposits preserved in the Nile Delta
The hungry little caterpillar will destroy us all: Climate change and importance of timing
My first year of graduate school, I set out to complete an independent field project in the hill country of [...]