Human Remains Double Known Rainforest Occupation Time
Physical remains in Sri Lanka show that people lived in rainforests 20,000 years ago, at least 10,000 years earlier than previous evidence showed. Cynthia Graber reports
Fossils of Huge Sea Creature Shine Light on Early Arthropod Evolution
A fossil discovery of a joint-legged animal foreshadows the appearance of giant filter-feeding sharks and whales in more recent times
Neandertals Turned Eagle Talons into Jewelry 130,000 Years Ago
As longtime readers may have noticed, I have an abiding interest in Neandertals. To help me keep up with the latest scientific insights into these mysterious relatives of ours, I have a Google alert set for "Neandertal" (and the alternate spelling, "Neanderthal").
Some European Languages Came by Steppe
A new genetic analysis reveals a massive migration from the central Asian grasslands into Europe 4,500 years ago—implying that some languages followed. Christopher Intagliata reports
Jawbone Fossil May Mark Dawn of Humankind
A 2.8-million-year mandible and a digital model of a key fossil paint a complicated picture of the genus Homo
After 400 Million Years, Coelacanth at Risk of Extinction
It may have hidden in the ocean for millions of years, but life today poses numerous challenges for the West Indian Ocean coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae), the "living fossil" fish that was famously rediscovered off the coast of South Africa in 1938.
Britain Imported Wheat 2,000 Years before Growing It
Sediments at a Britsh archaeological site include wheat remains dating back 8,000 years, meaning that Britons were bringing in European wheat two millennia before they grew it. Cynthia Graber reports
Humans off the Hook for Alaskan Mastodon Extinction
A reexamination of museum mastodon specimens provides evidence that that last ones were gone from what's called the Beringia region well before any humans showed up. Emily Schwing reports
2 Jurassic Mini Mammals Discovered in China
The fossils, more than 160 million years old, preserve a tree-climber and a tunnel-digger that lived alongside the dinosaurs
Brian J. Ford's Aquatic Dinosaurs, 2014 Edition
Via bizarre and unexpected circumstances I recently* found myself secretly and furtively attending a lecture by Brian J. Ford. Ford is a British author and researcher who dabbles widely in matters of science and science communication.
Nuclear Blasts May Prove Best Marker of Humanity's Geologic Record [in Photos]
When did the Anthropocene begin?
Save Libyan Archaeology Plea Issued
Savino di Lernia, director of the Archaeological Mission in the Sahara at the Sapienza University of Rome, says violence and unrest threaten World Heritage sites and researchers. Cynthia Graber reports