Latest science news in Paleontology & Archaeology
Genetic analysis finds that modern humans evolved from southern Africa's Bushmen
A team of Stanford University scientists, using the largest-ever genetic analysis of remote tribal people, have determined that the human family tree is rooted in one of the world's most...
First Lab Researchers Move to U-M's North Campus Research Complex
The first laboratory-based researchers have moved into the University of Michigan's North Campus Research Complex (NCRC), bringing with them cutting-edge research in heart function.
The aliens haven't landed
As shown by its latest claim of 'alien bugs', the has at least been an entertaining diversion, argues Philip Ball.
Scanning antiquity underfoot
Scientists have invented a tool that combines advanced analyses from many geophysical methods to "see" below the earth's surface at depths of up to several dozen yards. With this information,...
Peaceful bonobos may have something to teach humans
Humans share 98.7 percent of our DNA with chimpanzees, but we share one important similarity with one species of chimp, the common chimpanzee, that we don't share with the other,...
Earth: Alive — bacteria back from the brink
Alexandria, VA -- In 1993, "Jurassic Park" thrilled the world with the idea that dinosaurs could be resurrected from bits of DNA preserved in mosquitoes trapped in ancient amber....
Scanning antiquity underfoot
According to rough estimates, there are some 20,000 undiscovered archaeological sites in Israel waiting to be explored. Currently buried under highways or beneath cities, some could reveal historic...
Berkeley Lab researchers illuminate laminin's role in cancer formation
Laminin, long thought to be only a structural support protein in the microenvironment of breast and other epithelial tissues, is 'famous' for its cross-like shape...
Fossil bird study describes ripple effect of extinction in animal kingdom
A University of Florida study demonstrates extinction's ripple effect through the animal kingdom, including how the demise of large mammals 20,000 years ago led to the disappearance of one species...
Taking the temperature of the ancient earth
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new technique has allowed scientists to pin down the timing of ancient glaciations, linking them more firmly to two bursts of extinction.
Video: Funny or Die creating comedic gold
Katie Couric goes behind the scenes at the studios of FunnyorDie.com and interviews Mike Farah and Jake Szymanksi,two creators of the hit video website who are proving comedy can be...
Inexpensive biofuels: Isobutanol made directly from cellulose
In the quest for inexpensive biofuels, cellulose proved no match for a bioprocessing strategy and a genetically engineered microbe.
News in Brief: Humans
The sophisticated lives of early North Americans, plus third arms and drunken memories in this week's news
Buried with Secrets: Ancient Soldiers Likely Victims of Chemical Weapon
Twenty men who died underground almost 2,000 years ago may have been victims of chemical warfare.
Observatory: Lifestyles of the Natives Off Southern California
Researchers discovered three archaeological sites on the islands off the coast of Southern California containing projectile points and crescents for hunting purposes.
Evolution drives many plants and animals to be bigger, faster
For the vast majority of plants and animals, the 'bigger is better' view of evolution may not be far off the mark, says a new broad-scale study of natural selection....
Counting Species in Peru
Douglas Stotz of the Field Museum and Nigel Pitman of Duke University took a biological inventory of a vast roadless area in Peru’s northern Amazon.
British Museum buys Nimrud ivories – in pictures
The 6,000 carved, decorated pieces known as the Nimrud ivories date from the 9th to 7th century BC. They were discovered in the city of Nimrud in modern Iraq and...
Political narratives on race, Southern identity influence national elections
New research from North Carolina State University shows how attempts to define the South by Republicans and Democrats may have set the stage for President Obama's victories in Southern states...
University of Missouri researcher study provides insight into how corn makes hormones
Columbia, MO -- It's a corn plant only a geneticist could love, but an MU researcher has found a way to help scientists love it. Instead of the characteristic fan-like...
Rockies formed by suction? Theory may stick
The craggy Rocky Mountains may have been formed when a giant suction created a counter force that thrust the mountains upward, according to a new theory.
Stone tools influenced hand evolution in our ancestors
Anthropologists have confirmed Charles Darwin’s speculation that the evolution of unique features in the human hand was influenced by increased tool use in our ancestors.
University of South Carolina Adds Doctoral Program in Spanish
The University of South Carolina will offer the only Spanish doctoral program in the state of South Carolina. The university will admit its first class of degree candidates this fall.
18 and Under: On the Left Hand, There Are No Easy Answers
Though the stigma has largely vanished, the riddle of why about 10 percent of people are born with this essentially human asymmetry remains.
A Safer Way to Spot Down Syndrome
Study finds noninvasive method to test fetuses for genetic condition
Goats put their graze anatomy to good work
A couple hundred of the inveterate munchers are eating their way through invasive weeds in a burned portion of the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve, clearing the way for native plants...
21st century India: welcome to the smartest city on the planet
From rocket science to DNA research, India is ridding itself of its poor country image. In this extract from her book Geek Nation, Angela Saini visits Lavasa, an emerging electronic 'dream city' where...
New to Nature No 33: Keuppia levante
A fossil octopus found in Lebanon has dramatically changed zoologists' thinking on these creatures' historic originKeuppia levante is one of several newly discovered fossil octopus species found in Lebanon that...