Latest science news in Paleontology & Archaeology
Bigger not necessarily better, when it comes to brains
Tiny insects could be as intelligent as much bigger animals, despite only having a brain the size of a pinhead, say scientists at Queen Mary, University of London.
Study pits man verse machine in piecing together 425-million-year-old jigsaw
A new study pitting academic expertise against a computer in recreating a 425 million-year old jigsaw puzzle has discovered that there is no substitute for wisdom born out of experience...
Right-handed chimpanzees provide clues to the origin of human language
Most of the linguistic functions in humans are controlled by the left cerebral hemisphere. A study of captive chimpanzees at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center (Atlanta, Georgia), reported in...
Growth spurt in tree rings prompts questions about climate change
The researchers studied bristlecone pines (Pinus longaeva) at three sites in California and Nevada, close to the upper elevation limit of tree growth. The tree-ring record showed wider rings in...
Accidental discovery produces durable new blue pigment for multiple applications
An accidental discovery in a laboratory at Oregon State University has apparently solved a quest that over thousands of years has absorbed the energies of ancient Egyptians, the Han dynasty...
Future of evolution: What will we become?
The past of human evolution is more and more coming to light as scientists uncover a trove of fossils and genetic knowledge. But where might the future of human evolution...
Ancient weapons dug up by archaeologists in England
A Mesolithic site may date from as early as 9000BC, by which time hunter-gatherers had reoccupied an area near Asfordby, England, after the last ice age. These hunters crossed the...
Broadcast pioneer NBC prepares for cable takeover
(AP) -- Eight decades after pioneering the concept of broadcasting, NBC is on the verge of a startling move that illustrates broadcast television's decline.
Are sterile mosquitoes the answer to malaria elimination?
The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), the release of sexually sterile male insects to wipe out a pest population, is one suggested solution to the problem of malaria in Africa. A...
Starvation 'wiped out' giant deer
A study of ancient teeth provides new clues as to what caused the demise of one of the largest ever species of deer.
Astronomers name Scottish park one of world's best stargazing sites
Galloway Forest park awarded 'dark skies' status and praised for accessibility to publicA vast stretch of forest in south-west Scotland which boasts unrivalled views of the millions of stars in the galaxy, was...
Sheila Unwin obituary
At the age of 86 Sheila Unwin fulfilled her lifelong ambition and wrote a book called The Arab Chest My mother, Sheila Unwin, who has died aged 89, was an expert in...
Mayan Calendar / 2012 Hoax Explained
The world will NOT end on Dec. 21, 2012. The Mayan calendar was designed to be cyclical, so the fact that the long count comes to an end in December...
UK travel news round up
The Bath Film festival, Santa's grotto deep underground and courses in fossil collectingIt's ancient history Those who don't know their ammonite from their belemnite can book a place at Lyme Regis's Jurassic Coast...
The Namibian conservation safari that keeps both animals and tourists happy
Sleeping under the stars, meeting villagers and monitoring wildlife on foot ... this Namibian conservation project gives a glimpse of an Africa rarely seen on safariAfter dark we sit around the campfire listening...
Slideshow: A Cavalcade of Boneworms
Researchers discover treasure trove of bizarre deep-sea creatures that feast on whale bones [Read more]
Can thinking of a loved one reduce your pain?
(PhysOrg.com) -- "The very thought of you ... the mere idea of you" -- from the song "The Very Thought of You" by Ray Noble. Can the mere thought of...
Video: Turning Chickens to Dinosaurs
60 Minutes' Lesley Stahl spoke about Paleontologist Jack Horner's controversial theory that chickens can become dinosaurs through "reverse evolution."
You're being followed: Scientists track movement of living things
Almost 24 centuries after the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote his book, "On the Movement of Animals," modern scientists are still struggling to understand how, why, when and where living creatures...
Open Homicide, Rape Cases Contain Forensic Evidence Not Sent to Crime Labs
Nationwide, 14 percent of open homicide cases and 18 percent of open rape cases contain forensic evidence that has not been sent to a crime lab for analysis, according to...
Funny, you don't look related
When Charles Darwin visited the Falkland Islands during the voyage of the Beagle in 1835, he saw a wolf-like species, wrote about it in his diaries and correctly commented that...
Farmer claims skull is Ned Kelly's
MELBOURNE, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Australian forensic experts say it may take a year to determine if a skull is that of notorious criminal Edward "Ned" Kelly.
Adam and Eve and a banana | Andrew Brown
A story from the days when bananas were strange to science and almost miraculousI had a cold yesterday, and spent it reading in bed, where I discovered a wonderful story about Carl...
Migration is spreading creationism across Europe, claims academic
Immigration means more and more people in the UK do not accept evolution, says former director of education at the Royal Society Michael ReissMass migration has led to a rise in creationist beliefs...
A sorry tale of shoddy science
The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould exposes the shameful history of research into race and IQEarlier this year Glenn Beck, the US Fox News commentator, called President Barack Obama "a racist"...
Glorious Dawn: Sagan, Hawking Sing (w/ Video)
Astronomer and long time science advocate Carl Sagan once said that he was "not very good at singing songs." But on Nov. 9 in Washington D.C., his voice could be...
Research gives new insights into 4 billion year-old meteorites
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have gained new insight into the makeup of ancient meteorites called Carbonaceous Chondrites, in research published in the October edition of the journal Earth Science and Planetary...
Longer toes eyed as sprinters' edge
(PhysOrg.com) -- Longer toes may give sprinters a leg up on other runners, according to a new study.