Latest science news in Paleontology & Archaeology
Zoologists capture first photos of okapi in wild
LONDON (AP) -- Zoologists have captured the first photos of the okapi in the wild, saying Thursday they offered evidence that the animal once mistaken for...
Giant Buddha statue unearthed in Afghanistan
Archaeologists have discovered a 62-footBuddha statue along with scores of other historical relics in central Afghanistan near the ruins of giant statues destroyed by the Islamist Taliban seven years ago.
Oil-eating Microbes Give Clue To Ancient Energy Source
Microbes that break down oil and petroleum are more diverse than we thought, suggesting hydrocarbons were used as an energy source early in Earth's history, scientists report.
South America Holds Treasure Of Copper, Molybdenum, Gold And Silver
Deposits of undiscovered copper, molybdenum, gold and silver may be present in the Andes Mountains of South America, according to a new scientific assessment.
Geologists Dig Up One Of The Largest Lakes In The World, Dammed By Ice During Last Ice Age
Geologists are digging in the bed on the western bank of what was once a 700-800 kilometre-long lake along the 62nd parallel in Russia. Large lakes, dammed up by a...
Freshwater fish in N. America in peril, study says
(AP) -- About four out of 10 freshwater fish species in North America are in peril, according to a major study by U.S., Canadian and Mexican scientists. And the...
N.B. medical labs have flaws, inquiry hears
The resources at New Brunswick's pathology labs are stretched and pathologists are overworked, a public inquiry heard on Wednesday.
Pompei-style eruption of Vesuvius can't be ruled out: study
French and Italian scientists said on Wednesday they could not rule out another cataclysmic explosion by Vesuvius, the volcano that destroyed Pompeii in AD79.
Palaeontology: The new mother lode
Palaeontologists in Argentina are exploring a trove of fossils that is rewriting evolutionary history. Rex Dalton reports.
Scientists uncover miscalculation in geological undersea record
The precise timing of the origin of life on Earth and the changes in life during the past 4.5 billion years has been a subject of great controversy for the...
'Dodgy dossier' partly to blame for failure of war against malaria in the tropics
The war against malaria in tropical countries was fought and lost in the 20th Century on the basis of faulty intelligence, a 'dodgy dossier' which argued that the same methods...
Special Operations
Scene: A Royal Air Force station in Great Britain during World War II. Two medics, Tom and Fred are enjoying tea and toast. An officer arrives and orders the medics...
Massive fossil forests found in Illinois
LIVERPOOL, England, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Massive fossil forests dating back millions of years have been found in Illinois coal mines, a British researcher says.
Neanderthals beat mammoths, so why not us?
They may have been stronger, but Neanderthals looked, ate and may have even thought much like modern humans do, suggest several new studies that could help explain new evidence that...
Why it doesn't matter if America falls behind in Science
Earlier this year, an article in the New York Times argued that it doesn't matter that the US is losing its edge in science and research. Really? read more
TRAVEL/CULTURE PHOTOS WEEKLY: Giant Spider, Big Baby ...
Liverpool celebrates with a giant mechanical spider, Coney Island's Astroland closes, and more in our new weekly roundup of culture photos.
Morocco "goat plague" poses regional threat: FAO
ROME (Reuters) - Millions of sheep and goats in Morocco could be killed by a virus which poses a risk to other north African and European countries but not humans,...
Climate: New spin on ocean's role
New studies of the Southern Ocean are revealing previously unknown features of giant spinning eddies that have a profound influence on marine life and on the world's climate.
Neanderthals Grew Fast, but Sexual Maturity Came Late
Our closest relatives also had a harder time of child bearing and possibly child raising—a possible explanation for why modern humans outcompeted Neanderthals, the study says.
As Andean Glacier Retreats, Tiny Life Forms Swiftly Move In
Scientists working at 16,400 feet in the Peruvian Andes has discovered how barren soils uncovered by retreating glacier ice can swiftly establish a thriving community of microbes, setting the table...
France: Woman, 59, is oldest mother of triplets
Controversial birth reignites debate over late pregnancy and so-called fertility tourism
Tiny animals survive exposure to outer space, scientists say
Swedish and German scientists have found at least one animal that can survive in outer space: tiny invertebrates called tardigrades, commonly called water-bears, which are found on wet lichens and...
VIDEO: Quake Pandas Hanging On
A major earthquake this year in China had a lasting impact on the population of giant pandas, killing at least one of the animals—plus five people who had been working...
Martin Rees: We must not limit the scope of scientific research
Martin Rees: I sympathise with David King's call to focus research on urgent problems like climate change, but science must inspire on all fronts
Oxygen Theory Of Mass Extinction Questioned By New Research Findings
Several theories have been proposed by scientists to explain the two mass extinction events which took place on the earth 250 and 200 million years ago. The Permian-Triassic catastrophe (250...
Smart Home exhibit mixes cool green design with easy high-tech living
Just inside the first floor of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry's Smart Home, a 20-year-old re-covered Crate & Barrel sofa flanks a cool-to-the-touch, ethanol-burning fireplace that floats in the...
Melting Swiss glacier yields Neolithic trove, climate secrets
Some 5,000 years ago a prehistoric person trod high up in what is now the Swiss Alps, wearing goat leather pants, leather shoes and armed with a bow and arrows.
Mammoth skull raised from ground
Palaeontologists lift a "rare" mammoth skull out of its resting place in France and move it to a museum.