Stories by Stephanie Pappas

DNA analysis confirms that bones excavated from underneath a parking lot in Leicester, England, are the remains of the vilified English king, Richard III

Ancient Pompeii’s political elite vied for advertising space on the “private walls” of wealthy citizens

Exercise is good for you, whereas high heels are not, and calling an ambulance saves lives

Pachyderms moved away from human populations often wander back, ransacking houses and killing villagers

Carvings etched on rocks near the Nile River depict the ceremonial processions of a pharaoh—the oldest known illustrations of the kind

Great apes who display the sense of curiosity and playfulness generally associated with extroverts generally outlive their shyer counterparts

While most of its relatives perished with the dinosaurs, the molelike creature lived 45 million years longer than expected

Selfish behavior proves to be good for the group when it comes to staying warm

The risk of destroying a career is nothing compared with the evolutionary drive to reproduce

A year-long trial about downplayed risks from a 2009 quake came to a close with the verdict, which alarmed Earth scientists worldwide

Other studies have found that different groups of chimps use tools differently, but new findings reveal the first example of different social interactions between groups

Evolution might underlie the different processing of female versus male bodies. Both genders do it

A new computer simulation support a long-held theory that social interactions may have triggered brain evolution in human ancestors

This harmless phenomenon, called a roll cloud, forms where cold air drives low-hanging, moist warm air upward. Cooler temperatures condense the moisture to form clouds. Winds create the rolling effect

The Heartland Institute funds climate skeptics, including Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change founder Craig Idso, physicist Fred Singer and geologist Robert Carter

The Fukushima nuclear disaster and interest in nuclear power from Turkey, Indonesia and the UAE raised scientists' concern about the threat of humanity's destruction

There are no plans to create human chimeras, a researcher emphasized. This research by itself should help with biomedical studies more relevant to humans

Better knowledge of what governs the patterns of life at deep-sea vents will enable responsible decisions about how to manage these deep-ocean resources

From men suppressing pain to the dangers of driving while high, this year had its share of confirming what we had already figured

A reformed calendar, with a pattern of two 30-day months, followed by one 31-day month, would be more business friendly

Young women in areas where teen pregnancy rates are highest may struggle most in trying to get the morning-after pill, which can prevent ovulation--and thus pregnancy--after unprotected sex

Researchers report that the shark's single eye is made of functional optical tissue, so it's not a fake

A trial such as that starting today in Italy is unlikely in the U.S. but American seismologists are watching closely

Paleontologists have uncovered the skull of a species of rhino that came equipped with a built-in snow shovel on its face