Archaeology

A figure engraved in the bedrock of a Brazilian cave dates back at least 10,000 years. Cynthia Graber reports

Eight equines that paved the way for the massive modern horse

The sizes of the earliest equines followed the ancient temperatures through major climate change, adding evidence to a centuries-old evolutionary theory

A preserved forest has given researchers the unusual opportunity to examine an ecosystem essentially frozen in place, including plant communities and the climate

Ecuadorian scientists have revived a new species of yeast from pre-Incan tomb, illuminating prehistoric life

Based on the remains of a long-extinct bushcricket, researchers have reconstructed its call. Sophie Bushwick reports

In honor of Darwin's birthday, we take a look back at diverse species being readied for display at the American Museum of Natural History

Letters to the editor from the October 2011 issue of Scientific American

What the journey of a handful of dust tells us about our fragile planet

A chemical analysis found evidence of nicotine in a Mayan flask dating back to A.D. 700. Sophie Bushwick reports

During an archaeological dig in Butrint, Albania, Michigan State University (M.S.U.) anthropologist Todd Fenton was busy classifying human bones by age and sex when he discovered several skeletons that were dramatically different from the others.

A theoretical physicist searched for years to find the only known natural occurrence of an exotic type of structure, the discovery of which netted the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry