Latest science news in Paleontology & Archaeology
On the hunt for megafauna in North America
Research has found that pre-historic climate change does not explain the extinction of megafauna in North America at the end of the last Ice Age.
Blood markers predict Humboldt penguin nest type, reproductive success
From March to December every year, Humboldt penguins nest in vast colonies on the Peruvian and Chilean coasts. The lucky ones find prime habitat for their nests in deep deposits...
Guinness World Record awarded for highest library book fine paid
Emily Canellos-Simms has received a Guinness World Record for the largest book fine ever paid at more than $345.
The Dead Sea Scrolls contain genetic clues to their origins
Genetic clues extracted from slivers of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls are helping to piece together related scroll remnants and reveal the diverse origins of these ancient texts, including a book of...
These tube-shaped creatures may be the earliest known parasites
Tube-dwelling creatures that spent their lives cemented to the shells of clamlike brachiopods over 500 million years ago may be the earliest known parasites. “Parasitism is an integral part of life on Earth,...
Blood markers predict Humboldt penguin nest type, reproductive success
From March to December every year, Humboldt penguins nest in vast colonies on the Peruvian and Chilean coasts. The lucky ones find prime habitat for their nests in deep deposits...
Piecing together the Dead Sea Scrolls with DNA evidence
The collection of more than 25,000 fragments of ancient manuscripts known as the Dead Sea Scrolls include, among other ancient texts, the oldest copies of books of the Hebrew Bible....
Dow extends growth streak with early gains Tuesday
U.S. stocks extended their growth streak in early trading on Wall Street Tuesday.
On the hunt for megafauna in North America
Research from Curtin University has found that pre-historic climate change does not explain the extinction of megafauna in North America at the end of the last Ice Age.
Study explores how Native Americans used sea otters
University of Oregon scientists are probing archaeological evidence for how indigenous peoples used sea otters, and their findings could help Alaskans confront growing numbers of the mammals and Oregonians who...
Loss of land-based vertebrates is accelerating
In 2015, Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich co-authored a study declaring the world’s sixth mass extinction was underway. Five years later, Ehrlich and colleagues at other institutions have a grim update: the extinction rate is...
Researchers find Wyoming pronghorn exhibit little genetic variation despite landscape obstacles
A University of Wyoming researcher led a study that showed Wyoming pronghorn exhibit little-to-no population genetic differentiation even though their range spans hundreds of kilometers, multiple mountain ranges and three...
Extinction crisis 'poses existential threat to civilisation'
A study presents more evidence that the world is in the midst of a sixth mass extinction.
Loss of land-based vertebrates is accelerating
Analysis of thousands of vertebrate species reveals that extinction rates are likely much faster than previously thought. The researchers call for immediate global action, such as a ban on the...
Sequoia & Kings Canyon are latest California national parks to start reopening
Roads and picnic areas will reopen, but campgrounds and lodgings will remain closed.
Look: Calf stranded in mud rescued from drowning
Animal rescuers in Britain said a calf was rescued from drowning in a mud pit, thanks to a sharp-eyed tram driver who spotted the bovine in distress.
Why asteroids Bennu and Ryugu have their signature 'spinning-top' shapes
Scientists with NASA's first asteroid sample return mission, OSIRIS-REx, are gaining a new understanding of asteroid Bennu's carbon-rich material and signature "spinning-top" shape. The team has discovered that the asteroid's...
Loss of land-based vertebrates is accelerating, study finds
In 2015, Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich coauthored a study declaring the world's sixth mass extinction was underway. Five years later, Ehrlich and colleagues at other institutions have a grim update:...
America’s obsession with lawns has 160-year-old roots
Cookie cutter-lawns can be traced back to the flight of rich Chicagoans, who were looking for a more tranquil, sprawled-out setting on the outskirts of the city. (David McBee/Pexels/)Just three miles outside Chicago...
Unexploded World War II grenade found in British river
Police in Britain responded to a river where a member of the public found an unexploded World War II grenade while fishing.
First California prison officer dies after contracting coronavirus
Danny Mendoza, the first California prison officer to die after contracting coronavirus, worked at the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco.
Bird strike on Snowbird engine likely caused fatal crash: report
Canadian air force crash investigators are looking at a bird strike as the probable cause of the crash of a Snowbird demonstration jet in Kamloops, British Columbia last month.
Ancient genomes link subsistence change and human migration in northern China
Northern China is among the first centers in the world where agriculture developed, but its genetic history remains largely unknown. Researchers have now analyzed 55 ancient genomes from China, finding...
Upsets, big payofffs, highlight weekend horse racing
Weekend horse racing featured some spectacular upsets with equally stunning payoffs for winning bettors and a pair of 2-year-old fillies whose first race may have earned a trip to Royal...
Bindi Irwin says she kept maiden name to honor late dad
Bindi Irwin explained her decision to keep her last name and shared how paparazzi disrupted her wedding to Chandler Powell.
'Lady in the well' sheds light on ancient human population movements
The bones of a woman of Central Asian descent found at the bottom of a deep well after a violent death in an ancient city in Turkey are helping scientists...
‘Tree Story’ explores what tree rings can tell us about the past
Tree StoryValerie TrouetJohns Hopkins Univ., $27 Once you look at trees through the eyes of a dendrochronologist, you never quite see the leafy wonders the same way again. Peel away the hard,...
Structural changes: How the pandemic could influence architecture
Disease has often driven change in architecture and design. Cities cleared slums and opened up public spaces in response to the bubonic plague, and widened boulevards and added indoor plumbing...