Latest science news in Paleontology & Archaeology
Online dictionaries: which is best?
The new edition of the Oxford English Dictionary will be online-only. Many of its rivals – Collins, Chambers et al - have already launched free web versions. But which one is the wordsmith's...
Ancient funeral feast unearthed
The remains of a huge 12,000 year old feast have been found in a cave in Northern Israel.
Lima beans domesticated twice
Lima beans were domesticated at least twice, according to a new genetic diversity study. Big seeded varieties known as "Big Lima" were domesticated in the Andean Mountains, while small seeded...
Free as a bird?
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- It may seem like birds have the freedom to fly wherever they like, but researchers at the University of Missouri have shown that what's on the...
Parched English fields reveal ancient sites
The exceptionally dry early summer months in Britain have revealed the ghostly outlines of several hundred previously unknown ancient sites buried in fields across the English countryside. ...
Velociraptor Had a Kickboxing Cousin
The stocky dinosaur sported two giant sickle-like claws that it used to take down larger prey than itself.
'Stocky dragon' dinosaur terrorised Late Cretaceous Europe
Palaeontologists have discovered that a close relative of Velociraptor hunted the dwarfed inhabitants of Late Cretaceous Europe, an island landscape largely isolated from nearby continents. While island animals tend to...
Marine animals suggest evidence for a trans-Antarctic seaway
A tiny marine filter-feeder, that anchors itself to the sea bed, offers new clues to scientists studying the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet -- a region that...
They Crawl, They Bite, They Baffle Scientists
Ask experts why bedbugs disappeared for 40 years, why they came roaring back, even why they don’t spread disease, and you hear one answer: “Good question.”
New fossil field found in Canadian Rockies
FIELD, British Columbia, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- A fossil bed in Canada, one of paleontology's most revered locations, now has a neighbor yielding up newly discovered ancient treasures, researchers...
NC farm produces emerald shaped into massive gem
(AP) -- An emerald so large it's being compared with the crown jewels of Russian empress Catherine the Great was pulled from a pit near corn rows at a...
German banker blasted for remarks on Jews
By STEFAN NICOLAUPI Europe CorrespondentBERLIN, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- A top German banker unveiled his book on immigration Monday in Berlin amid growing criticism for his stereotyping statements about...
Ancient Sorcerer's "Wake" Was First Feast for the Dead?
Packed with tortoise "leftovers," the earliest known shaman's burial hints that the first villagers made peace by partying. ...
Mammoth-Killer Impact Rejected
Experts refute what they say was the last potential piece of evidence linking an asteroid to mammoth extinction
The Curious World of Bedbug Research
Scientists are baffled by the resurgence of bedbugs, which bite and itch, but don't carry disease, making them a low-priority research subject.
Impact hypothesis loses its sparkle: Shock-synthesized diamonds said to prove catastrophic impact killed off N. American megafauna can't be found
The warming that following the last Ice Age was interrupted by a cold snap that killed off megafauna such as the giant ground sloth and the woolly mammoth. Could this...
N.L. fossil suggests giant amphibian
A fossil found in the Codroy Valley on Newfoundland's west coast could provide evidence that giant amphibians called the area home about 300 million years ago.
Searching for Ming’s treasure
An underwater imaging system is used to search for sea treasures from a shipwreck that happened in an expedition in the Ming Dynasty.
Den of Antiquities
Craig Childs explores archaeology’s ethical debates and the costs of discovering lost history.
Young Archaeologist Inspiration, Courtesy Of Egyptian Megalomaniac Zahi Hawass
The great thing about being a bureaucrat in a dictatorship is you can take credit for everything that happens in your personal fiefdom and treat people like garbage and there...
Rare raptor in Ohio comeback
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Ohio birdwatchers have discovered the nest of a rare Mississippi kite raptor, proving the birds are returning to a former habitat, researchers say. ...
New to Nature No 18: Urspelerpes brucei
A lungless salamander with five toes and a projectile tongue has been discovered in the Appalachian mountainsA tiny new lungless salamander species, Urspelerpes brucei, has been discovered along nine different...
Revealed: the Roman Ninth Legion's guilty secret | Discovery
New research reveals that the so-called crack troops of Rome were in fact guilty of crimes against fashionThey have been the subject of innumerable romantic books and films, including the forthcoming epic, The...
Fertiliser chemicals linked to animal developmental woes
Fertiliser chemicals may pose a bigger hazard to the environment - specifically to creatures that live in water - than originally foreseen, according to new research from North Carolina State...
ORNL graphite foam technology licensed to LED North America
Technology developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory that extends the life of light-emitting diode lamps has been licensed to LED North America...
Security problems abound in Egypt's museums
The Egyptian Museum houses some of the world's prized antiquities, including the gold mask of King Tut that draws millions of tourists a year. But it also has an outdated...
Where conflict meets conservation
Animals as hidden victims of war are the focus of a groundbreaking initiative launched at King's College London.
Podcast: The Iceman's Burial Ceremony, a Tool for Trapped Miners, and More
Listen to a roundup of some of our favorite stories from this week