Latest science news in Paleontology & Archaeology
Taliban, Afghanistan prepare for prisoner swap, first phase of peace agreement
Afghanistan and the Taliban will begin a long-awaited prisoner exchange this week, the Taliban and sources within the government said Wednesday.
Life in my 'Animal Crossing' quarantine: Is it paradise? Or just a little less bad than reality?
I love "Animal Crossing: New Horizons," but I'm starting to wonder if I should devote my weekly Zoom sessions with my therapist to my "Animal Crossing" habits.
Plant disease primarily spreads via roadsides
A precise statistical analysis reveals that on the Åland Islands a powdery mildew fungus that is a common parasite of the ribwort plantain primarily spreads via roadsides because traffic raises...
Watch: 'JJ Villard's Fairy Tales': Adult Swim tackles classic stories in new trailer
Adult Swim offers twisted takes on classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales in the first trailer for upcoming animated series, "JJ Villard's Fairy Tales."
These newly discovered raptors were like feather-covered cheetahs
An artist's recreation of the newly discovered Dineobellator notohesperus at the end of the Cretaceous Period in New Mexico. (Sergey Krasovskiy/)A newly discovered dinosaur was a cousin of Velociraptor but might have been...
Lucy’s species heralded the rise of long childhoods in hominids
Lucy’s kind had small, chimplike brains that, nevertheless, grew at a slow, humanlike pace. This discovery, reported April 1 in Science Advances, shows for the first time that prolonged brain growth in hominid...
Homo naledi juvenile remains offers clues to how our ancestors grew up
A partial skeleton of Homo naledi represents a rare case of an immature individual, shedding light on the evolution of growth and development in human ancestry, according to a study...
Skull scans reveal evolutionary secrets of fossil brains
Scientists have long been able to measure and analyze the fossil skulls of our ancient ancestors to estimate brain volume and growth. The question of how these ancient brains compare...
Evolutionary adaptation helped cave bears hibernate, but may have caused extinction
A study published in Science Advances on April 1 reveals a new hypothesis that may explain why European cave bears went extinct during past climate change periods. The research was...
Oldest ever human genetic evidence clarifies dispute over our ancestors
Genetic information from an 800,000-year-old human fossil has been retrieved for the first time. The results shed light on one of the branching points in the human family tree, reaching...
Tiny fly from Los Angeles has a taste for crushed invasive snails
As part of their project BioSCAN - devoted to the exploration of the unknown insect diversity in and around the city of Los Angeles—the scientists at the Natural History Museum...
Britain's Prince Charles: COVID-19 is 'strange,' 'frustrating' and 'distressing'
After he himself picked up the coronavirus disease and is now in isolation, Britain's Prince Charles spoke publicly Wednesday for the first time since his diagnosis.
Joshua Tree National Park closes to all visitors over coronavirus
The park closed indefinitely to all visitors Wednesday amid the coronavirus pandemic. It earlier had closed campgrounds and access roads into the park but allowed walkers and cyclists to enter.
Landmark skull fossil provides surprising human evolution clues
Scientists have solved a longstanding mystery over the age of a landmark skull found in 1921 in Zambia - the first fossil of an extinct human species discovered in Africa...
Wimbledon tennis tournament canceled, 2021 dates announced
Wimbledon -- one of professional tennis' four Grand Slam tournaments -- was canceled Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic.
'Dinosaurs walked through Antarctic rainforests'
Sediments drilled off the coast of the ice continent reveal a time of great warmth and plant growth.
Regular climbing behavior in a human ancestor
A new study has found evidence that human ancestors as recent as two million years ago may have regularly climbed trees.
Oldest-ever human genetic evidence clarifies dispute over our ancestors
Genetic information from an 800,000-year-old human fossil has been retrieved for the first time. The results from the University of Copenhagen shed light on one of the branching points in...
This 300,000-year-old skull may be from an African ‘ghost’ population
A mysterious but well-preserved hominid skull found nearly a century ago comes from a population that lived in Africa around 300,000 years ago, as the earliest Homo sapiens were evolving, a new study...
Welsh town captured Guinness record for traffic roundabouts
A Welsh man said he contacted Guinness World Records to alert the group that his town has the world's highest concentration of roundabouts.
Watch: Daniel Radcliffe displays his 'Jurassic Park' Lego set on 'Late Show'
Daniel Radcliffe appeared on Stephen Colbert's remote version of "The Late Show" and said he is spending time at home building Lego sets.
Photo gallery: Life in Southern California during the coronavirus pandemic
A man working out in his driveway because his gym in closed.
Photo gallery: Life in Southern California in the age of coronavirus
A man working out in his driveway because his gym in closed.
On This Day, April 1: Battle of Okinawa begins
On April 1, 1945, U.S. forces swarmed ashore on the Japanese island of Okinawa to begin what would be one of the longest battles of World War II.
Volunteer dies of COVID-19 as daughter races across Canada to be near her
Last week, Pam Smith set out on a race against time driving from B.C. to Ontario, hoping to be near her mother as she took her last breaths. She didn’t...
Oregon man wins $6.3 million from free lottery ticket
An Oregon man's $6.3 million lottery jackpot was made all the more lucky by the fact that his ticket was free -- and he almost left it at the store.
Looking to brighter days, Natural History Museum wins county funding for a makeover
L.A. County releases $15 million toward Natural History Museum plans for a new entrance, theater and cafe. Another $15 million is approved for later.
Lost wedding ring found buried 20 years later
A metal detector operator searching a 300-acre property in England found a wedding ring that turned out to have been lost by a former neighbor 20 years earlier.