Stories by Stephanie Pappas

The plague preferentially killed the very old and those already in poor health. Natural selection or better diets may have allowed those who remained to thrive

Several fisheries depend on the river's estuary and are at risk of collapse

The original set of tracks has since been divided up and partially lost

The skeletons of four kittens and two cats in a cemetery may push back the date of cat domestication in Egypt to 3600 B.C.

The determination on children's faces as they struggled with a difficult task was not observed in chimpanzees involved in the same study, suggesting that the expression is an evolutionary trait

The detailed map could be used to help scientists understand the basis of neurological or psychiatric disorders in humans

Long unnoticed, the skull may represent a new species of extinct sperm whale

Writing about love made students rank candy and water as sweeter-tasting than writing about jealousy or other topics

A new study suggests why estimating distances is so difficult

The existence of the Higgs boson particle was confirmed, a strong case for human-caused climate change was released and scientists analyzed the oldest-known human DNA

To predict and prevent the collapse of streets in Rome, geoscientists mapped high-risk areas of the quarry system

The bone is the first snout ever found that belongs to the Apatosaurus, commonly referred to as the Brontosaurus

Buildings constructed during the Middle Ages in Liechtenstein ride out earthquakes better than those built to modern standards

As air pressure in New Jersey dramatically fell last October, more photographs were taken. And when air pressure in the state rose again, fewer photos were taken

A series of tracks in Oklahoma reveal where a dinosaur most likely slipped and caught itself before continuing on

Prolonged warm and dry conditions have provided extra fuel for four large fires and 53 smaller ones currently burning in New South Wales

Major or clinical depression seems to alter the genes that regulate sleep and waking

Dinosaurs — or at least their ancestors — may have gotten an earlier start than once believed

People who anticipate discrimination do their best to represent their group well

The West, Texas, fertilizer plant explosion on April 17 echoes an April 16, 1947, event when a ship loaded with ammonium nitrate, also a chemical fertilizer, docked at the Port of Texas City erupted in flames and exploded, killing nearly 600 people

Microbiome changes might explain how circumcision reduces HIV risk, possibly by eliminating bacteria that activate immune cells in the skin that themselves present the retrovirus to the immune system, making infection more likely

The cancer, which has wiped out 70 percent of devils, doesn't alert the animals' immune systems to its presence. On the up side, these genetic instructions are reversible

Doctors in medieval Europe weren't as idle as it may seem, as a new analysis of the oldest-known preserved human dissection in Europe reveals

What swinging couples and committed polyamorists can teach monogamists about love