Human migration received help from Toba eruption A study on an archaeological site in Ethiopia has added to evidence that indicates the eruption of Mount Toba in Indonesia 74,000 years ago might not have been apocalyptic. The study shows humans adjusted to arid conditions after the eruption in a way that might have aided migration […]
Europe’s heat waves may start with Arctic melting Meltwater from Arctic ice could be setting off recent hot, dry summers in Europe by changing ocean currents and air circulation. A resulting “cold blob” of water in the North Atlantic Ocean could intensify European winter storms and their westerly winds, creating a barrier of warm ocean […]
Amphibian feeds its babies milk-like liquid A legless amphibian, called a caecilian, produces a liquid for its babies that provides lipids and sugars, similar to mammalian milk. Siphonops annulatus babies also eat their mother’s skin once a week, and the team discovered the nutritive fluid after wondering how they could be so active and eat […]
Why did humans evolve without tails? Though humans’ ape ancestors have tails, we evolved without them due to a single gene mutation, which was pinpointed through researching the genomes of six ape species and 15 monkey species. Scientists are unsure whether becoming tailless was an evolutionary benefit or a chance mutation, but one theory is […]
Dinosaur species may have crossed sea to find Africa Fossils in Morocco reveal a previously unknown duckbill dinosaur species, Minqaria bata, which is anatomically similar enough to duckbill species found in Europe to suggest that the pony-size creatures swam or floated across the Tethys Sea and diversified quickly into at least three species in North […]
Stone Age travel story emerges from DNA of “Vittrup Man” Advanced analysis of DNA, teeth and bones of the bog-preserved body of Denmark’s “Vittrup Man” has revealed the individual’s history as well as possible movements and connections between Stone Age cultures. Vittrup Man’s genetics suggest an origin on the Scandinavian Peninsula, where he likely grew […]
Iceland volcano’s magma hits unprecedented speed Magma underneath Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula flows at an “ultra-rapid” 7,400 cubic meters per second, and the same magma river likely caused Thursday’s eruption. The unprecedented speed indicates the role of not only pressure but also tectonic stress and ground fracturing in a volcano’s likelihood to erupt, says Sigrun Hreinsdottir […]
Neolithic burial site poses mystery of missing bones Missing skulls and thigh bones have sparked questions about burial practices in early Neolithic Sweden, where archaeologists have revisited one of Scandinavia’s oldest stone burial chambers from around 3500 BCE. The site, called a dolmen, holds the remains of 12 or more people of varying ages, and […]
Invasive ants disrupt hunting by lions in Kenya Invasive ants have disrupted interspecies patterns in Kenya, triggering a drop in the number of zebras killed by lions. As big-headed ants spread in East Africa, they kill native acacia ants, which leads to the destruction of whistling-thorn trees that lions use as cover when hunting. Full […]
Researchers link reaction inside moon to unique rocks A reaction between magma and solids that occurred beneath the lunar surface 3.5 billion years ago may have created unique rocks now sitting on the moon. The rocks contain high levels of titanium, say researchers, who combined high-temperature molten-rock laboratory experiments with a close review of basalts […]