Latest science news in Paleontology & Archaeology
Elephants Took 24 Million Generations to Evolve From Mouse-Size
For mammals, evolving into bigger sizes takes a lot longer than shrinking, new evolution study shows.
Evolutionary clues in ancient bison bones
ADELAIDE, Australia, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Ancient DNA from 30,000-year-old bison bones discovered in a Canadian goldmine show how animals adapt to rapid environmental change, researchers say.
Assange takes extradition battle to Britain's top court
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange took his fight against extradition to Britain's Supreme Court Wednesday, arguing that sending him to Sweden over rape allegations would breach legal principles dating back 1,500...
Study: Mammals vanishing as Burmese python spreads
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Mammals like raccoons, opossums, rabbits and deer are vanishing from the Florida Everglades as Burmese pythons multiply, researchers said Monday.
Closest Photos of Uncontacted Tribe Reveal Hidden Way of Life
The Mashco-Piro tribe maintains voluntary separation from the modern world.
Volcanoes May Have Sparked Little Ice Age
A mysterious, centuries-long cool spell, dubbed the Little Ice Age, appears to have been caused by a series of volcanic eruptions and sustained by sea ice, a new study indicates....
Country diary: Wenlock Edge: The stubbornness of snowdrops
Wenlock Edge: There's joy in these reassuring blooms for a world which has lost so many seasonal signatures. But there is also something mechanically insistent, corrupting their beautyThe eye is drawn to white from...
Did Leonardo da Vinci Copy his Famous 'Vitruvian Man'?
Leonardo da Vinci's drawing of a male figure perfectly inscribed in a circle and square, known as the "Vitruvian Man," illustrates what he believed to be a divine connection between...
Malaysia says to rule soon on rare earths plant
A government ruling on whether Australian miner Lynas would be given the go-ahead for a controversial rare earths processing plant was expected within days, Malaysia's trade minister said Tuesday.
Red Deer man's death linked to tainted ecstasy
There has been another ecstasy related death in southern Alberta, this time in Red Deer.
Authors of new book reveal the artist behind architect Le Corbusier
The exhaustive research carried out by the authors provides valuable new insight into the aesthetic principles of Le Corbusier during the post World-War-II period.
Canadian astronauts get survival training in Siberia
Canadian astronauts are preparing for their next space mission by undergoing survival training in the forests of Russia.
South Africa recalls 1.35 million condoms
(AP) -- South Africa is recalling 1.35 million condoms given away at the African National Congress party's centenary celebrations amid charges some broke during intercourse and others were porous,...
Archaeologists and pagans alike glory in the Brodgar complex | Liz Williams
Let's not jump to conclusions about ritual significance, but this site is clearly immensely important to ancient British historyArchaeologists are notoriously nervous of attributing ritual significance to anything (the old joke used to...
MtDNA tests trace all modern horses back to single ancestor 140,000 years ago
(PhysOrg.com) -- For many years archeologists and other scientists have debated the origins of the domesticated horse. Nailing down a time frame is important because many historians view the relationship between man and...
The Birth of Modern Britain by Francis Pryor - review
By Ian Pindar"In post-war years town centre developers did as much damage to Britain's historic towns and cities as Nazi aircraft," declares the archaeologist Francis Pryor (of TV's Time Team) in this chatty,...
Mammals shrink at faster rates than they grow: Research helps explain large-scale size changes and recovery from mass extinctions
It took about 10 million generations for terrestrial mammals to hit their maximum mass: that's about the size of a cat evolving into the size of an elephant. Sea mammals,...
Gorillas grin 'to reassure pals'
Gorillas bare their teeth in a playful "grin" to reassure one another as they play, scientists discover.
Learning-based tourism an opportunity for industry expansion
New research suggests that major growth in the travel, leisure and tourism industry in the coming century may be possible as more people begin to define recreation as a learning...
Little Ice Age subject of study
BOULDER, Colo., Jan. 30 (UPI) -- A Little Ice Age from the Middle Ages into the late 19th century had a volcanic beginning that affected sea ice in the...
NSF Grant to Support Research in 'Natural Computation'
All living organisms collect information from their environments and use it to adapt. The Santa Fe Institute has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) investigate such...
Preserved habitat near national parks helps species conservation
National parks often are established to help preserve species native to a particular region, but it appears that some species preservation is more successful if a significant portion of land...
Books: In Search of the Elusive Definition of Heterosexuality
A concept that didn’t seem to need naming until quite recently.
Well Blog: The Changing Meaning of Heterosexuality
In a book review in Science Times, Abigail Zuger takes a look at "Straight: The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality," by Hanne Blank, an expert on the history of sexuality.
Alberta First Nation outraged at lack of caribou protection
A First Nation in northern Alberta is outraged because federal Environment Minister Peter Kent recently said he won't issue an emergency protection order for woodland caribou.
Study reveals malaria origin in South America
The origin of two genetic sub-types of the malaria parasite P. falciparum in South America has been traced back slaves arriving from Africa, a study says.
Pass notes, No 3,115: Brooklyn
Some residents of the New York borough are to heat their houses with their own pooAge: Around 360.Appearance: Hipsterville, USA.Meaning what, exactly? Hordes of hat-wearing poseurs raiding racks of clothes at 5th Ave...
Snowy owls soar south from Arctic in rare mass migration
SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - Bird enthusiasts are reporting rising numbers of snowy owls from the Arctic winging into the lower 48 states this winter in a mass southern migration that...