Latest science news in Paleontology & Archaeology
Ancient whale sucked mud for food
An ancient "dwarf" whale fed by sucking small animals out of the seafloor mud with its short snout and tongue.
Genetic study reveals the origins of cavity-causing bacteria
Researchers have uncovered the complete genetic make-up of the cavity-causing bacterium Bifidobacterium dentium Bd1, revealing the genetic adaptations that allow this microorganism to live and cause decay in the human...
Santa Claus on the radar: Norad
Santa Claus is expected to arrive in North America on schedule despite a furious Texas storm system making its way north, according to the North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad).
Phragmites partners with microbes to plot native plants' demise
University of Delaware researchers have uncovered a novel means of conquest employed by the common reed, Phragmites australis, which ranks as one of the world's most invasive plants...
New Yorkers beware! New cockroach hits the Big Apple
New Yorkers are used to fighting each other for space, but there may be a new contender in town according to a Rockefeller study that appears to have uncovered a...
The Complete Tales of Winnie- the- Pooh
The Complete Tales of Winnie- the- Pooh In Which We Are Introduced to Winnie-the-pooh and Some Bees, and the Stories Begin Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump,...
The Origins of Tidiness
Human ancestors started organizing their living spaces much earlier than believed [Read more]
Bees show off the perfect landing
(PhysOrg.com) -- Honey bees undergo a sudden transition from speeding aircraft to hovering helicopter as they perform the delicate art of landing on a flower.
Ancient tree (almost) older than dirt
At the top of a small hill in suburban southern California, there is what appears to be a thicket of stunted, gnarled oak trees wedged between a pile of boulders....
Fossil evidence of early reptiles' last meal
Insect remains found in the mouths of early vertebrate fossils.
Australian fossil unlocks secrets to the origin of whales
A palaeobiologist has made groundbreaking discoveries into the origin of baleen whales, based on a 25-million-year-old fossil found near Torquay in Victoria, Australia.
Iraqi lawyers protest Iranian well seizure
KARBALA, Iraq, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Hundreds of lawyers and civil officials in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala protested in front of the Iranian consulate following the seizure...
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.
Paleontologist Launches Fossil Shark Hunt
From Scotland's Midland Valley to Wyoming's Beartooth Butte to Grahamstown, South Africa, Michael Coates scours sediments hundreds of millions of years old for the deepest branches of vertebrate evolution in...
Ancient Mayans Likely Had Fountains and Toilets
Mayan technology may be ancient, but it might have been enough to build toilets.
Study sheds light on microscopic flower petal ridges
Microscopic ridges contouring the surface of flower petals might play a role in flashing that come-hither look pollinating insects can't resist. Michigan State University scientists and colleagues now have figured...
Fossil shelved for a century reworks carnivore family tree
More than a hundred years after its discovery, the limbs and vertebrae of a fossil have been pulled off the shelf at the American Museum of Natural History to revise...
Manatee migration mystery solved
Amazonian manatees migrate during low water season to avoid being hunted, solving a mystery about why the secretive animals make such a perilous journey.
Taiwan unveils Asia's biggest solar plant: govt
Taiwan has unveiled what it calls Asia's biggest solar power plant as the island, which imports almost all its energy, seeks to tap into clean renewable resources, the government said...
Jurupa Hills oak may be California's oldest plant
Researchers from UC Davis and UC Riverside say the 75-foot-wide Palmer's oak shrub has lived about 13,000 years despite inhospitable surroundings, regenerating itself with new shoots. Nestled between two boulders on a low...
Students reaffirm work of 1920s paleontologist, contrary to later revision
Three paleontology graduate students blew the dust off an 85-year-old dinosaur find to discover the original researcher had it right and a 1970s revision of his work was wrong.
Modern behavior of early humans found half-million years earlier than previously thought
Evidence of sophisticated, human behavior has been discovered by researchers as early as 750,000 years ago -- some half a million years earlier than has previously been estimated by archaeologists.
From the archive: Yeti scalp (they say it's 240 years old) is here – by air
Originally published on 23 December 1960Sir Edmund Hillary and Mr Desmond Doig, who have been on a yeti-hunting expedition in Nepal, arrived in London by air yesterday with the scalp of what...
Squid Invasion: Outside The Realm Of Normal!
I think this may be the best pop-sci treatment of the jumbo squid invasion that I've seen yet. Go, Christian Science Monitor! For example, most invasion articles don't take the time...
Australian rains bring kangaroos
Farmers in northern Australia say kangaroos are over-running their land, as a cull is suspended further south.
Among apes, teeth are made for the toughest times
The teeth of some apes are formed primarily to handle the most stressful times when food is scarce, according to new research. The findings imply that if humanity is serious...
Scientist at Work: Russell T. Hurlburt: Taking Mental Snapshots to Plumb Our Inner Selves
Russell T. Hurlburt, of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, explores inner life, and faces skeptics.
Excavation Sites Show Distinct Living Areas Early in Stone Age
Discrete clusters for eating and making tools were previously thought to be associated only with modern Homo sapiens.