Latest science news in Paleontology & Archaeology
Hypoxia Explained - And Why It Mattered In The Evolution Of Animal Life
Researchers say they have uncovered a clue that may help to explain why the earliest evidence of complex multicellular animal life appears around 550 million years ago, after atmospheric oxygen...
Birdbooker Report 149
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...
Google Speeds Up Quest for Knowledge in Books
Search Giant Has Copied 5.2M Books Published Since 1,500; New Tool Provides Instant Insight Into Language, Culture and Trends
Panda art that takes it to the excrement
Chinese sculptor Zhu Cheng says his replica of Venus de Milo crafted from panda poo was inspired by the contrast of the preciousness of pandas and the prodigious amount of...
Mystery bird: king penguins, Aptenodytes patagonicus
This lovely mystery bird is the namesake for a famous American bird artist and naturalistKing penguins, Aptenodytes patagonicus, photographed at Saint Andrews Bay, South Georgia Island. Image: Alek O. Komarnitsky, 31 January 2009...
Extinctions, loss of habitat harm evolutionary diversity
A mathematically driven evolutionary snapshot of woody plants in four similar climates around the world has given scientists a fresh perspective on genetic diversity and threats posed by both extinctions...
Tiny 3-D images shed light on origin of Earth's core
To answer the big questions, it often helps to look at the smallest details. That is the approach Stanford mineral physicist Wendy Mao is taking to understanding a major event...
Google Speeds Up Quest for Knowledge in Books
Search Giant Has Copied 5.2M Books Published Since 1,500; New Tool Provides Instant Insight Into Language, Culture and Trends
Mystery bird: great horned owl, Bubo virginianus
This North American mystery bird species has more crushing power in its feet than a man has in his handsGreat horned owl, Bubo virginianus, occasionally known as the tiger owl or the...
The landscape of slavery
For 45 minutes, Harvard historian Walter Johnson read from a chapter of his forthcoming book at the Radcliffe Gymnasium. An uneasy stillness filled the hall at the conclusion of his presentation. It was...
Hornet pigment drives solar cell in lab
Though far from photosynthetic, an insect's light-harvesting apparatus intrigues scientists
Well: Tim Gunn's Advice for Making It Work
In his role as mentor on the fashion reality show "Project Runway," Tim Gunn listens, consoles, advises and motivates the contestants. Now the fashion guru is offering his sage advice...
Ancient raindrops reveal a wave of mountains sent south by sinking Farallon plate
50 million years ago, mountains began popping up in southern British Columbia. Over the next 22 million years, a wave of mountain building swept (geologically speaking) down western North America...
Scientists find first evidence that many universes exist
(PhysOrg.com) -- By looking far out into space and observing whats going on there, scientists have been led to theorize that it all started with a Big Bang, immediately followed...
English-language book documents history of Chinese in Mexico for the first time
The little known history of the Chinese in Mexico one that is marked by a bloody massacre and a successful effort to shut down Chinese-owned businesses in one Mexican...
100-year study mirrors U.S. history of concrete (w/ Video)
Almost since the beginning of recorded history, people have used concrete substances in everything from infrastructure to artwork.
Raptor-like dinosaur discovered in eastern Utah
A small, feathered raptor-like dinosaur thought to be 125 million years old has been discovered in eastern Utah, scientists say.
London, tuberculosis capital of Western Europe
(AP) -- The number of people infected with tuberculosis has jumped by 50 percent in London in the last decade, making it the tuberculosis capital of Western Europe, a...
Poisoning drives vulture decline
Vultures in Africa's Masai Mara reserve have declined by 60%, say scientists, primarily because the birds are being poisoned.
Flirty Models Were Hired in Bid to Find Bone Marrow
The campaign by a bone marrow registry used women in heels, short skirts and lab coats, asking passers-by for DNA swabs without mentioning a cost of up to $4,300 for...
Thoreau's study of birds at Waldon Pond aids biologists in climate change research
Biology researchers completed an analysis of the changing arrival dates of migratory birds to Concord, Massachusetts that includes observations by Henry David Thoreau from the 1850's. This research builds on...
Scientists trace cultural trends through words
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Word-frequency analysis sheds new light on how cultural trends have evolved through the decades — including the rise of pizza on American menus.
Colossal fossil: Museum’s new whale skeleton represents decades of research
ANN ARBOR, Mich.---There's a whale of a new display at the University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History, a leviathan that represents a scientific saga of equally grand proportions....
Ancient Maya Temples Were Giant Loudspeakers?
Ancient complexes in the Americas may have used sound design to enthrall—and disorient—audiences.
Neil deGrasse Tyson: World Will (Not) End in 2012
Neil deGrasse Tyson, the bestselling author and director of the world-famous Hayden Planetarium, chronicles America's irrational love affair with Pluto, man's best celestial friend.
Mystery bird: pied-billed grebe, Podilymbus podiceps
This bird's scientific name translates as "buttfooted diver" -- who says scientists don't have a sense of humour?Pied-billed grebe, Podilymbus podiceps, also known as the pied-billed dabchick, photographed at San Bernard Refuge National...
German giants Bayer, BASF team up on GM rice
German chemicals giants Bayer and BASF said Thursday they were teaming up to produce genetically modified rice seeds, technology than can boost yields but which is criticised by environmentalists.
Best Pictures: Nat Geo Photo Contest Winners, 2010
From a charging buffalo to an erupting volcano—see the winning pictures of the 2010 National Geographic Photo Contest.