Latest science news in Paleontology & Archaeology
Cures in ancient Egyptian cosmetics
New research suggests ancient Egyptians could have deliberately used lead-based cosmetics to help prevent eye infections
Shipworms boring into Swedish shipwrecks
GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Centuries-old shipwrecks off Sweden's southern coast may be destroyed by shipworms invading the warming Baltic Sea, researchers say.
Raft or bridge: How did iguanas reach tiny Pacific islands?
Scientists have long puzzled over how iguanas, a group of lizards mostly found in the Americas, came to inhabit the isolated Pacific islands of Fiji and Tonga. For years, the...
New research findings can improve avian flu surveillance programs
Genetic analyses of avian influenza in wild birds can help pinpoint likely carrier species and geographic hot spots where Eurasian viruses would be most likely to enter North America, according...
Top Ten Dinosaur and Fossil Finds: Most Viewed of 2009
Large, "lost," or simply unusual, a bevy of prehistoric beasts were brought to life in National Geographic News's most popular paleontology stories of the year.
"Bizarre" Octopuses Carry Coconuts as Instant Shelters
Scientists were "blown away" by octopuses discovered tip-toeing with coconut-shell halves suctioned to their undersides, then reassembling the halves and disappearing inside—a rare example of animal tool use, a new...
Stonehenge on 'most threatened' world wonders list
Britain's failure to deal with road traffic around the prehistoric stone circle is condemned as 'a national disgrace'The traffic-choked roads still roaring past Stonehenge in Wiltshire have earned the world's most famous prehistoric...
Signs of Symbolic Smarts in Neandertal Jewelry
Mollusk shells shed light on ancient culture [Read more]
Laminated linen protected Alexander the Great
A Kevlar-like armor might have helped Alexander the Great conquer nearly the entirety of the known world in little more than two decades, according to new reconstructive archaeology research. ...
Prehistoric Building Found in Tel Aviv
Discovery of 8,000-year-old Structure in Israeli City Called "Important and Surprising" by Archaeologists
Great Pyramid tombs unearth 'proof' workers were not slaves
Egypt's leading archaeologist says 4,000-year-old burial plots with skeletons expose myth that builders were slavesEgypt displayed today newly discovered tombs more than 4,000 years old and said they belonged to people who worked...
'Jurassic' tree survives Scotland's big freeze
What is believed to be the world's most northerly grove of a prehistoric tree is so far surviving Scotland's big freeze.
Neanderthals wore make-up
BRISTOL, England, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Evidence that Neanderthals wore body paint dispels the idea they were "half-wits," a British archaeologist said.
Wild Iberian horses contributed to the origin of the current Iberian domestic stock
The earliest known domestic horses are around 4,600 years old. They were originated in the steppes between modern Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Using this evidence, two different hypotheses have been suggested:...
Big Spider Discovered in Disappearing Sand Dunes
Scientists discovered a previously unknown spider in dunes in Israel.
30000-year-old teeth shed new light on human evolution
The teeth of a 30,000-year-old child are shedding new light on the evolution of modern humans, thanks to research from the University of Bristol published this week in PNAS...
A new species of lichen discovered in the Iberian Peninsula
Spanish scientists have described the lichen Phylloblastia fortuita, new to the Iberian Peninsula and to science. Another species from the same family, Phylloblastia dispersa, is also a new entry for...
Fossil footprints give land vertebrates a much longer history
The discovery of fossil footprints from early backboned land animals in Poland leads to the sensational conclusion that our ancestors left the water at least 18 million years earlier than...
Are these artifacts fake or not?
From the Shroud of Turn to pre-Columbian crystal skulls, many people have been skeptical of certain archaeological finds. Which ones are fake and which are the real deal? ...
Ottawa coyote-killing contest spurs protests
A coyote-killing competition in Ottawa has animal welfare groups up in arms.
Australian World War II shipwreck filmed
SYDNEY (AP) -- Shipwreck hunters have captured the first underwater footage of an Australian World War II hospital ship that sank in 1943 and left 268...
A simple stretch loosens back, legs
Here is a very easy, yet amazing stretch that you can do anytime your back and legs feel tight. You'll need a sturdy chair or, if you're outside, you can...
A blog brag - My latest book is now available
My latest book for middle-graders, Seven Wonders of Exploration Technology, is now available from Twenty-First Century Books, an imprint of Lerner Publishing. "Exploration" is viewed broadly enough...
Noah scores 20 to lead Bulls past T-Wolves 110-96
CHICAGO (AP) -- Joakim Noah had 20 points and nine rebounds, and Kirk Hinrich had 20 points and seven assists to lead the Chicago Bulls past...
Portuguese Jews retain genetic identity
BRAGANCA, Portugal, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Some Jews in Portugal are closer genetically to Middle Eastern Jews than to other Portuguese, despite having lived there 500 years, experts say.
Eagleton the apologist | Theo Hobson
Terry Eagleton is not prepared to come out as a Christian. Yet his most recent book shows he is closer to Christianity than MarxismI'm sorry to be slow in responding to a...
Syria's mysterious Dead Cities
It may sound like an Indiana Jones film, but Syria's abandoned Byzantine towns are real – though barely visited – archaeological treasuresAudio slideshow: listen to Syria's last speakers of AramaicThe stone window ledge...
Heavy Brows, High Art?: Newly Unearthed Painted Shells Show Neandertals Were Homo sapiens 's Mental Equals
Newly discovered painted scallops and cockleshells in Spain are the first hard evidence that Neandertals made jewelry. These findings suggest humanity's closest extinct relatives might have been capable...