Latest science news in Paleontology & Archaeology
Solar System may be 2 million years older than we thought, meteorite analysis suggests
Timescales of early Solar System processes rely on precise, accurate and consistent ages obtained with radiometric dating. However, recent advances in instrumentation now allow scientists to make more precise measurements,...
Cactus genes connect modern Mexico to its prehistoric past
In prehistoric times farmers across the world domesticated wild plants to create an agricultural revolution. As a result the ancestral plants have been lost, causing problems for anyone studying the...
Ancient microbes responsible for breathing life into ocean 'deserts'
More than two and a half billion years ago, Earth differed greatly from our modern environment, specifically in respect to the composition of gases in the atmosphere and the nature...
Beer bugs live 553 days in space
Microbes taken from a cliff face in the English fishing village of Beer survive for a year-and-a-half on the outside of the International Space Station.
Discovery of ancient cave paintings in Petra stuns art scholars
Exquisite artworks hidden under 2,000 years of soot and grime in a Jordanian cave have been restored by experts from the Courtauld Institute in LondonSpectacular 2,000-year-old Hellenistic-style wall paintings have been revealed at...
Sweden withdraws warrant for WikiLeaks founder
By KARL RITTER 2010-08-21T15:45:04Z STOCKHOLM (AP) -- Swedish prosecutors withdrew an arrest warrant for the founder of WikiLeaks on...
What to do with a degree in anthropology
Anthropology graduates enter a variety of professions and their employability will no doubt increase as the world becomes ever more globalisedAsk people to picture an anthropologist and many will come up with someone...
Podcast: Cheating Birds, Missing Moons, and Killer Volcanoes
Listen to a roundup of some of our favorite stories from the week
Archaeologists hail unique find in Albania
Archaeologists unearthed a Roman bust from the 2nd century AD hailed as the most important archaeological find of the last 50 years in Albania, experts said Friday.
Montreal bedbugs thrive with lax landlords
Bedbugs are becoming a serious problem in many cities across North America, including Montreal, the city's public health department says.
Middle ways on evolution: John Farrell
Sixty years ago pope Pius XII moved the the Catholic church to a compromise position on human evolutionMore and more these days it seems like evolution is turning into a litmus test...
Scientists pinpoint earliest steps of common form of muscular dystrophy
Nearly two decades after they identified the specific genetic flaw that causes a common type of muscular dystrophy, scientists believe they have figured out how that flaw brings about the...
Geologists revisit the Great Oxygenation Event
In 'The Sign of the Four' Sherlock Holmes tells Watson he has written a monograph on 140 forms of cigar-, cigarette-, and pipe-tobacco, 'with coloured plates illustrating the difference in...
Solar-powered toothbrush doesn't require toothpaste
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers have designed a toothbrush that cleans teeth by creating a solar-powered chemical reaction in the mouth, doing away with the need for toothpaste.
Radioactive boars on the rise in Germany
By VERENA SCHMITT-ROSCHMANN 2010-08-20T03:04:41Z BERLIN (AP) -- It was a big shot. A big hog. And a big disappointment....
What's Wrong With Dark Energy?
A young fisherman in a distant past looks across the sea and ponders: "What an unimaginably big stretch of water!" He has no idea where it ends or even if...
Paper highlight: Less carbon being stored in land plants
The amount of carbon-storing plant matter on the world's continents has declined during the past decade, reversing the trend of the previous 20 years, researchers report in Science today.
Giant "Terror Birds" Used Their Heads Like Hatchets
Standing up to ten feet tall, the prehistoric birds used their ax-like heads to chop their way to the top of the food chain, study says. ...
Ocean Garbage Patch Still a Mystery
A garbage patch of unknown origins in the North Atlantic Ocean contains thousands of tiny plastic pieces.
New ways to chart our maritime past
'Archaeology has a long-standing tradition in protecting areas on land. But unfortunately, there is little attention to cultural monuments at the sea-shore and under water,' says meteorologist Marianne Nitter at...
Best of wildlife photos revealed
One of the world's most prestigious natural history photography competitions completes its annual search for entries.
Faithful females key to evolution of bird societies
(PhysOrg.com) -- Females with fewer sexual partners can explain where bird species have evolved to cooperate in the rearing of their young, according to Oxford University research.
Man guilty of egg smuggling
Jeffrey Lendrum has admitted attempting to smuggle rare bird eggs out of Britain.
Extinct ‘terror bird’ fought dirty
An extinct bird would have used an agile, attack-and-retreat combat style, according to a study of its the stresses in its skull.
Book review: Impressions of Nature - A History of Nature Printing
Author and printing history expert Roderick Cave explores the history of nature printing - the name given to the technique using the surface of a natural object to produce the...
Climate change and the vuvuzela leave mark on Oxford Dictionary of English
Other words and phrases introduced for the latest edition include 'toxic debt', 'staycation', 'cheesebal' and 'national treasure'The World Cup in South Africa, climate change, the credit crunch and technology have all left their...
Spain hails birth of first European bison
Spain recently welcomed the birth of its first bison after a group of seven endangered European bisons were introduced in the country's north, local authorities said on Wednesday.
Video: The bite of the Terror Bird
Andalgalornis: a 4.5 feet tall, flightless predatory bird lived 6 million years ago in north-western ArgentinaIan SampleAndy Duckworth