Latest science news in Paleontology & Archaeology
Today's mystery bird for you to identify
This lovely Chinese mystery bird is quite common -- although it's so beautiful that I doubt anyone could get tired of seeing it!Mystery Bird photographed in Hong Kong, China. [I will identify this...
Mysterious, Mass Animal Deaths Continue
Since thousands of blackbirds died in Arkansas on New Year's Eve, more mass bird and fish deaths have been reported around the world.
Partial Solar Eclipse Amazes Europe Skywatchers
A partial solar eclipse of the sun on Jan. 4 amazed skywatchers in parts of Europe, Africa and Asia.
Human remains spark spat
talks to the archaeologist behind controversial claims that ancient teeth could rewrite human evolution.
Video: The Way We Lived: Best and Worst of 2010
Rebecca Jarvis talks to Dr. Jennifer Ashton and Regina Lewis about the best and worst lifestyle obsessions that consumed Americans in 2010.
Video: Roger Ebert's New Voice
For more the 40 years, Roger Ebert has guided moviegoers at the box office. But today, Ebert can't speak. Cancer has robbed him of his voice. But despite his...
Birdbooker Report 150 & 151
Compiled by an ardent bibliophile, this is a weekly report about nature, science and history books that have been newly published in North America and the UK.Books to the ceiling, Books to...
Ted Nield: We won't go the way of the dinosaurs
Meteorites feature in plenty of disaster films, but they are unlikely to obliterate us – and may even have helped enrich Earth's ecologyMeteorites have had a bad press in recent years. Scientists have...
I hope when I finally grow up that I will become a Real Old Person | Tim Lott
We're all living longer, but we're forgetting how to enjoy old age. Get off that jet ski, sit back and have a biscuitThe news last week that nearly a fifth of us...
Neanderthals liked their veggies, too
Often considered pure meat eaters, a new analysis of Neanderthal teeth shows that the species also ate plants and even cooked them. The finding challenges the idea that limited food...
Lost In Space: 8 Biggest Space Misfires of 2010
While 2010 saw many historic successes in spaceflight and space science, plenty of things went wrong this year, too.
Link between defects, weaponry possible?
FALLUJAH, Iraq, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A rise in birth defects in the Iraqi city of Falluja could have been caused by weaponry used in U.S. assaults that took...
Invasive species tied to extinctions
ATHENS, Ohio, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- An influx of invasive species can stop the usual natural process of new species formation and can trigger mass extinction events, a U.S....
Rhino Mom and Calf Gain New Home in India
India's Manas National Park welcomes its newest inhabitants.
Ancient sea scorpions were 'pussycats'
BUFFALO, N.Y., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Huge ancient sea scorpions, long characterized as terrors of the sea, may actually been timid scavengers or even vegetarians, U.S. scientists say.
New Prehistoric Crocodile Found in "Kitchen Counters"
Fossils of a new species of ancient crocodile cousin have been found in limestone once destined for Italian kitchen countertops, a new study says.
Trash-can trap tricks, kills pregnant mosquitoes
A trap that lures mosquito moms-to-be could help stop the spread of dengue fever, researchers at Tulane University report.
Ancient Devonian die-off teaches us a grim lesson
Cosmic Log: A new study suggests that half of Earth’s species vanished about 375 million years ago due to rising sea levels and the spread of invasive species — and...
Mystery bird: bushtit, Psaltriparus minimus
This cute little North American mystery bird weaves an elaborate hanging nest that resembles an old sockBushtit, Psaltriparus minimus, photographed in southern California, USA. Image: Steve Duncan [velociraptorize]. Question: This monotypic North American mystery...
Video: Heavy Rain Wipes Out Calif. Neighborhoods
Residents of California have started digging out and cleaning up after seven days of pounding rain that wiped out entire neighborhoods and damaged hundreds of homes. Bill Whitaker reports.
Link between ancient lizard fossil in Africa and today's Komodo dragon in Indonesia
Researchers have unearthed a mysterious link between bones of an ancient lizard found in Africa and the biggest, baddest modern-day lizard of them all, the Komodo dragon, half a world...
Perfecting Animation, via Science
At a Columbia University lab, Eitan Grinspun and his students work on helping movie studios to get hair to blow in the wind and clothes to hang properly.
Danish island isolated by deep snow drifts
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Denmark's Bornholm Island was isolated by deep snow drifts that left hundreds, including holidaymakers, trapped on the Baltic Sea territory, once a strategic...
Mystery bird: African mourning dove, Streptopelia decipiens
This African mystery bird is distinguished from a close relative by a brilliant red ring around its eyesAfrican mourning dove, Streptopelia decipiens, also known as the mourning collared-dove, mourning dove, Angola collared-dove, and...
Scientist at Work: A Fossil Hunt in Ethiopia's Mush Valley
A field research team of paleobotanists looks for ancient plant and animal life in the Mush River valley in Ethiopia.
Jet lag uncovered by mold
Humans are not the only species ruled by a circadian rhythm. Even simple organisms like molds are governed by an inner clock.
Apps replace guidebooks for travellers
Smartphones are quickly replacing the thick, heavy travel books travellers would lug around on vacation, along with a stack of printouts for reservations, and maybe some local maps to help...
Arts & Letters website founder dies
Denis Dutton, a New Zealand-based academic who was founder of the pioneering Arts & Letters Daily website, has died.