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Our electric universe

2 November 2018 0

The Electric Universe theory has been described as “a controversial but promising theory where plasma and electric charge are responsible for most things that we take for granted”(1). If true, what implications does it have […]

The Cave Bear vs our Forebears

7 October 2018 0

The cave bear went extinct some 24,000 years ago. It was a largely vegetarian species, whose remains were mostly found in caves, hence the name. There is some contested evidence that ancient humans venerated the […]

Orkney – Britain’s Neolithic heartland (part 1)

13 September 2018 0

The Heart of Neolithic Orkney is a World Heritage Site, which has also been dubbed Britain’s Ancient Capital in a recent BBC TV series. It is described as a major prehistoric cultural landscape in the […]

Orkney – Britain’s Neolithic heartland (part 2)

13 September 2018 0

Continued from part 1… The Ness of Brodgar The final site to mention is the Ness of Brodgar, which has been the location of archaeological digs since it was discovered through geophysical survey work in […]

Scientists discover how birds and dinosaurs evolved to dazzle with colourful displays
on 10 December 2018 at 3:19 pm
Iridescence is responsible for some of the most striking visual displays in the animal kingdom. Now, thanks to a new study of feathers from almost 100 modern bird species, scientists have gained new […]
Tiny Australian wallaby the last living link to extinct giant kangaroos
on 10 December 2018 at 2:28 pm
Scientists reveal that Australia's pint-sized banded hare-wallaby is the closest living relative of the giant short-faced kangaroos which roamed the continent for millions of years, but died out […]
Biggest mass extinction caused by global warming leaving ocean animals gasping for breath
on 6 December 2018 at 7:12 pm
By combining ocean models, animal metabolism and fossil records, researchers show that the Permian mass extinction in the oceans was caused by global warming that left animals unable to breathe. As […]
An ancient strain of plague may have led to the decline of Neolithic Europeans
on 6 December 2018 at 5:00 pm
Researchers have identified a new strain of Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that causes plague, in DNA extracted from 5,000-year-old human remains. Their analyses suggest that this strain is the […]
A detailed look at the microorganisms that colonize, and degrade, a 400-year-old painting
on 5 December 2018 at 7:27 pm
What's a feast for the human eye may be a literal feast for microorganisms that colonize works of art, according to a new study. The researchers characterized the microbial community on a 17th […]
Soft tissue shows Jurassic ichthyosaur was warm-blooded, had blubber and camouflage
on 5 December 2018 at 6:41 pm
An ancient, dolphin-like marine reptile resembles its distant relative in more than appearance, according to an international team of researchers. Molecular and microstructural analysis of a […]
Enhancing our vision of the past
on 5 December 2018 at 2:38 pm
Scientists have advanced our understanding of how ancient animals saw the world by combining the study of fossils and genetics. […]
Navigation system in rodents akin to ancient, open ocean direction-finding
on 4 December 2018 at 8:52 pm
The navigation system used by rodents is similar to that used by Pacific Islanders in finding their way through the open ocean without a compass, a team of neuroscientists has found. […]
Ideal marriage partners drive Waorani warriors to war
on 4 December 2018 at 2:54 pm
In a new study, a team of researchers examined the social composition of raiding parties and their relationship to marriage alliances in an Amazonian tribal society, the Waorani of Ecuador. The […]

Researchers suggest 'Little Foot' is an entirely new species of early human
on 10 December 2018 at 2:22 pm
Several teams of researchers have announced that the skeletal remains of a hominin believed to have lived approximately 3.67 million years ago […]
South African skeleton shows humans learned to walk upright in the trees
on 10 December 2018 at 1:56 pm
The analysis of the world's most complete skeleton of an early human ancestor, conducted by a research collaboration involving the University of […]
Oldest ever traces of the plague found in Falköping
on 7 December 2018 at 2:50 pm
In a 5,000 year old grave outside Falköping, scientists have found the oldest traces of the plague bacterium's DNA in the world. An […]
Study forces a rethink on population history of Ibiza
on 7 December 2018 at 12:34 pm
Otago researchers have discovered a rare case of genetic population discontinuity on the Mediterranean Island of Ibiza. Essentially, the original […]
Scientists find new giant dinosaur
on 7 December 2018 at 12:05 pm
Paleontologists from Russia have described a new dinosaur, the Volgatitan. Seven of its fossilized vertebrae, buried in the ground for about 130 […]
The medieval mystery of the booted man in the mud
on 6 December 2018 at 1:53 pm
A mysterious male skeleton, lying face-down deep in the Thames mud, with a pair of in-situ thigh-high leather boots has been discovered by our […]
New study upends timeline of Iroquoian history
on 6 December 2018 at 1:17 pm
New research by an international team raises questions about the timing and nature of early interactions between indigenous people and Europeans in […]
Soft tissue shows Jurassic ichthyosaur was warm-blooded, had blubber and camouflage
on 5 December 2018 at 6:00 pm
An ancient, dolphin-like marine reptile resembles its distant relative in more than appearance, according to an international team of researchers […]
Medullary bone found in Cretaceous birds
on 5 December 2018 at 3:10 pm
A team of scientists led by Jingmai O'Connor from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, […]

Foundations of Medieval Friary Found 8 December 2018
KINGUSSIE, SCOTLAND—BBC News reports that human bones dating to the Middle Ages have been found in the Scottish Highlands, near the foundations of what may have been a Christian chapel built by Carmelite friars, who arrived in Britain in the thirteenth century. Archaeologist Steven Birch of West Coast Archaeology Services said the bones, which are […]
Excavation of Scotland’s Mote of Urr Revisited 7 December 2018
DALBEATTIE, SCOTLAND—The Scotsman reports that the 1950s excavation of the Mote of Urr, a motte-and-bailey castle in Scotland’s Southern Uplands, has been published by a team of researchers from Guard Archaeology. The structure was first built in the late twelfth century and is thought to have been destroyed by fire. When it was rebuilt, a […]
Looted Middle Kingdom Burials Unearthed in Egypt 7 December 2018
CAIRO, EGYPT—According to an Egypt Today report, a team of researchers has investigated three burial chambers in a tomb in a Middle Kingdom (1842-1799 B.C.) cemetery in the southern Fayoum. Ayman Ashmawy, head of the archaeological mission, said the chambers were probably looted in antiquity and later reused. The site is then thought to have […]

Early Jurassic Ichthyosaur Was Warm-Blooded, Had Blubber and Camouflage, Well-Preserved Soft Tissues Show 10 December 2018
An international team of paleontologists has found the exceptionally preserved remains of a Stenopterygius ichthyosaur that lived 180 million years ago (Early Jurassic epoch). The fossil is so well-preserved that its soft-tissues retain some of their original flexibility. Molecular and microstructural analyses of the fossil have revealed that this creature was warm-blooded, had insulating blubber […]
New Dinosaur Species Discovered in Australia: Weewarrasaurus pobeni 6 December 2018
Paleontologists in Australia have found a fossil fragment from a new species of ornithopod dinosaur that walked the Earth approximately 100 million years ago (Cretaceous period). The new Australian dinosaur, named Weewarrasaurus pobeni, was about the size of a large dog. The ancient creature was an ornithopod dinosaur, part of a group of small plant-eating […]
Oligocene-Epoch Whale Had Neither Teeth Nor Hair-Like Baleen 3 December 2018
A team of U.S. paleontologists has described a remarkable new species of whale that lived about 33 million years ago (Oligocene epoch). The researchers found that this toothless whale, named Maiabalaena nesbittae, had no baleen, showing a surprising intermediary step between the baleen whales that live today and their toothed ancestors. “Maiabalaena nesbittae represents a […]

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