Latest science news in Paleontology & Archaeology
Last refuge for life remained after extinction
What is now Ellsmere Island in the Canadian Arctic archipelago was once a last refuge for life during the Earth's worst extinction event 250 million years ago, say scientists who...
Dinosaurs had bird-like breathing system
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Scientists say the remains of a 30-foot-long dinosaur discovered in Argentina support the theory that birds evolved from dinosaurs.
ANIMAL PHOTOS WEEKLY: Moon Jellies, Green Macaws, More
A southern white rhino learns fighting skills from its father, a man frees a rehabilitated eagle, and more in our weekly roundup of animal photos.
Like an arrow: Jumping insects use archery techniques
An adult froghopper. Froghoppers, also known as spittlebugs, are the champion insect jumpers, capable of reaching heights of 700 mm - more than 100 times their own body length. Research...
Mass extinctions and the evolution of dinosaurs
Reporting in Biology Letters, Steve Brusatte, Professor Michael Benton, and colleagues at the University of Bristol show that dinosaurs did not proliferate immediately after they originated, but that their rise...
Ancient Microbes Hint at Life's Limits
Ancient biomarkers prove microbes oxidized methane 300 million years ago.
Study pushes back origin of AIDS pandemic
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The deadly AIDS virus first began spreading among humans at the turn of the 20th century in sub-Saharan Africa, just as modern cities were emerging in the...
Study links gene to teen delinquency
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A study by a Florida criminologist suggests the old adage "birds of a feather flock together" has a ring of truth when...
Scientists aim to deliver e-paper in full computerised colour
Prototype e-paper looks more like sheet of A4 than offerings of rivals such as Amazon's Kindle and Sony eReader
Autumn colours may be a safety mechanism for trees, say researchers
(PhysOrg.com) -- One sign of autumn is the leaves turning colour, but why do some turn red? This question has baffled biologists for decades, and many ideas have been put...
War from the ground up
The connection between geology and the history of the Civil War has fascinated Robert Whisonant since his undergraduate days, and now Whisonant has teamed up with geomorphologist Judy Ehlen, both...
Pterosaurs couldn't soar, says expert
A Japanese researcher has put paleo-biologists in a flap by suggesting pterosaurs -- the winged lizards beloved of toymakers and dino movies -- were unable to fly, New Scientist says.
New Life Found In Ancient Tombs
Life has been discovered in the barren depths of Rome's ancient tombs, proving catacombs are not just a resting place for the dead. The two new species of bacteria found...
Nuclear plants' neighbours back expansion
Proposed expansion will encounter least opposition if new nuclear plants are sited near to existing facilities
Low-cost antimalarials 'on the horizon'
Cheaper medicines for malaria are on the horizon with new and faster genetic techniques, say scientists.
Earth already survived climate change
Earth has already survived a period of extreme climate change millions of years ago, and it may have even helped primitive life thrive, researchers have found.
Earliest reference describes Christ as 'magician'
A team of scientists led by renowned French marine archaeologist Franck Goddio recently announced that they have found a bowl, dating to between the late 2nd century B.C.
Genetic change may explain reading difficulty: study
LONDON (Reuters) - The common genetic variation linked to dyslexia may also help explain why some people without the learning difficulty are not good readers, researchers said on Wednesday.
New Atlas to Reveal Landscape and Undiscovered Archeological Sites in 3-D
(PhysOrg.com) -- New methods developed at the University of Arkansas will make decades-old satellite imagery readily available to archeologists and others who need to know what a landscape looked like...
Ancient Tsunami Carried Giant Boulders to Tonga
Huge waves may have hurled massive coral boulders onto the South Pacific island of Tongatapu within the last 7,000 years, according to scientists who think a volcano triggered the tsunami.
Skulls found in British yard sent home to Egypt
Two ancient Egyptian skulls unearthed in a yard in England have been returned to their native country. And the mystery of how they got from the hot sands of Egypt...
Carbonate-hosted Avalon-type Fossils In Arctic Siberia
Our present understanding of the origin of animals and Phanerozoic ecosystems depends critically on the ability to interpret impressions left behind by soft-bodied Ediacaran organisms, and to document their spatial...
The brains behind a blade runner
REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - If it sounds far-fetched for a man without lower legs to become one of the fastest runners on the planet, how about typing by just thinking the...
Spate of Living Dead Flicks May Prove Dracula`s Lost his Bite
Are zombies the new vampires? Not exactly, but they could be the country`s monster crush du jour, says Texas Tech University pop-culture guru Rob Weiner.
Fish sauce used to date Pompeii eruption
Remains of rotten fish entrails have helped establish the precise dating of Pompeii's destruction, according to Italian researchers who have analyzed the town's last batch of garum, a pungent, fish-based...
Silicon highlights remaining questions over anthrax investigation
Did Bruce Ivins weaponize deadly spores?
Genetic clue uncovered for narcolepsy
A genetic variant may predispose people to narcolepsy, Japanese researchers have found.
Scholars hunt missing pages of ancient Bible
A quest is under way on four continents to find the missing pages of one of the world's most important holy texts, the 1,000-year-old Hebrew Bible known as the Crown...