Ancient Science
Humans, Dogs Evolved in Parallel
May 22, 2013 11:57 am | by Chinese Academy of Sciences | News | CommentsThe lengthy and intimate association between dogs and humans has resulted in the genomes of both species evolving in parallel over the past 32,000 years.
Rapid Climate Change Sparked Human Culture
May 22, 2013 7:00 am | by Cardiff Univ. | News | CommentsRapid climate change during the Middle Stone Age, between 80,000 and 40,000 years ago, sparked surges in cultural innovation in early modern human populations.
RNA Catalyzed Electron Transfer on Early Earth
May 20, 2013 7:00 am | by Georgia Institute of Technology | News | CommentsA new study shows how complex biochemical transformations may have been possible under conditions that existed when life began on the early Earth.
Agriculture in China Pre-Dates Rice
May 20, 2013 7:00 am | by Univ. of Leicester | News | CommentsArchaeologist used new analysis techniques to shatter conventional ideas of how agriculture emerged.
Oldest Evidence of Split Between Old World Monkeys, Apes
May 16, 2013 7:00 am | by Ohio Univ. | News | CommentsTwo fossil discoveries from the East African Rift reveal new information about the evolution of primates.
Hips Have 'Fishy' Origins
May 14, 2013 12:35 pm | by Monash Univ. | News | CommentsNew research has revealed that the evolution of the complex, weight-bearing hips of walking animals from the basic hips of fish was a much simpler process than previously thought.
Tiny Bones Hold Huge Human Evolution Clues
May 14, 2013 7:00 am | by Texas A&M Univ. | News | CommentsThe tiniest bones in the human body– the bones of the middle ear– could provide huge clues about our evolution and the development of modern-day humans.
Earliest Evidence of Human Ancestors Hunting, Scavenging
May 13, 2013 8:11 am | by Baylor Univ. | News | CommentsA recent research study has shed new light on the diet and food acquisition strategies of some the earliest human ancestors in Africa.
Europeans are One Big Family
May 8, 2013 2:09 pm | by UC Davis | News | CommentsFrom Ireland to the Balkans, Europeans are basically one big family, closely related to one another for the past thousand years, according to a new study of the DNA of people from across the continent.
Climate, Not Humans, Caused Megafauna Extinction
May 7, 2013 12:18 pm | by Univ. of New South Wales | News | CommentsResearch challenges the claim that humans were primarily responsible for the demise of the gigantic animals- called megafauna- and points the finger instead at climate change.
Agriculture Started in China 23,000 Years Ago
May 3, 2013 12:16 pm | by Stanford Univ. | News | CommentsNew research pushes back origins of agriculture in China by 12,000 years.
Early Earth Smelled Like Rotten Eggs
May 1, 2013 7:00 am | by Oxford Univ. | News | CommentsTiny 1,900 million-year-old fossils from rocks around Lake Superior, Canada, give the first ever snapshot of organisms eating each other and suggest what the ancient Earth would have smelled like.
Researchers Solve Riddle of Ancient Nile Kingdom’s Longevity
May 1, 2013 7:00 am | by The Univ. of Manchester | News | CommentsResearchers have solved the riddle of how one of Africa’s greatest civilizations survived a catastrophic drought which wiped out other famous dynasties.
Fertilizers Were Used 5,000 Years Ago
April 29, 2013 7:00 am | by Univ. of Gothenburg | News | CommentsA food study of the Scandinavian Stone Age has yielded evidence that fertilizers were used 5,000 years ago.
Method Restores Ancient, Fragile Silk Fabrics
April 26, 2013 12:07 pm | by Univ. of Science and Technology of China | News | CommentsResearchers have found a way to restore and strengthen ancient, fragile silk fabrics using an enzyme-mediated reaction to fill in tiny cracks in the fibers.
Archeologists Unearth Clues to Origins of Maya Civilization
April 26, 2013 7:00 am | by Univ. of Arizona | News | CommentsA study challenges the two prevailing theories on how the ancient Maya civilization began, suggesting its origins are more complex than previously thought.
Government, Meat Crucial in Building the Pyramids
April 25, 2013 12:53 pm | by Inside Science News Service, Joel Shurkin | News | CommentsThe effort to build Egypt's pyramids required industrial farming, cattle drives and tens of thousands of workers. Slaves and Martians were not part of the equation.
Ancient DNA Reveals Europe's Dynamic Past
April 24, 2013 7:00 am | by Univ. of Adelaide | News | CommentsAncient DNA recovered from a series of skeletons in central Germany— some of which are up to 7,500 years old— has been used to reconstruct the first detailed genetic history of modern Europe.
Roman Mausoleum Shows Ancient Earthquake Damage
April 22, 2013 7:00 am | by Seismological Society of America | News | CommentsA Roman mausoleum is off-kilter, its massive building blocks have shifted and part of its pediment collapsed. Researchers believe this is evidence of an ancient 6.3 magnitude earthquake.
Diamonds Began on Sea Floor
April 18, 2013 11:49 am | by Univ. of Toronto Mississauga | News | CommentsPersuasive new evidence supports the idea that some diamonds were formed from bacteria or algae on the ancient ocean floor.
'Living Fossil' DNA Sheds Light on Evolution
April 18, 2013 7:00 am | by Associated Press, Malcolm Ritter | News | CommentsScientists have decoded the DNA of a celebrated "living fossil" fish, gaining new insights into how today's mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds evolved from a fish ancestor.
Beneficial Compounds IDed in Whole-Grain Rice
April 16, 2013 12:20 pm | by Agricultural Research Service | News | CommentsScientists have provided knowledge about the chemical composition and potential bioavailability of nutritious compounds in a representative group of five colorful rice varieties.
Ancestors Walked with a Mix of Human, Ape
April 12, 2013 7:00 am | by Boston Univ. | News | CommentsAccording to a new study, our Australopithecus ancestors may have used different approaches to getting around on two feet.
Bonebed Sheds Light on Dino Embryo Development
April 11, 2013 8:02 am | by Univ. of Toronto | Videos | CommentsA 190-million-year-old dinosaur bonebed has revealed for the first time how dinosaur embryos grew and developed in their eggs.
Ancient Civilization had Methods of Water Conservation, Purification
April 10, 2013 7:00 am | by Univ. of Cincinnati | News | CommentsResearch at an ancient Maya site is revealing how populations in more remote areas– the hinterland societies– built reservoirs to conserve water and turned to nature to purify their water supply.
