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The Past Keeps Getting Cooler
As cartoonist Randall Munroe points out, feathers make dinosaurs cooler than ever
September 06, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Early Cannibalism Tied to Territorial Defense?
Researchers say chimpanzee behavior may help explain why human ancestors ate each other 800,000 years ago
September 05, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Collage of Arts and Sciences: Now In Session
Our newest blog explores the fertile ground where art and science meet
September 04, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
How Can a Jellyfish This Slow Be So Deadly? It's Invisible
One of the world's most devastating predators is brainless, slow and voracious
September 2012 |
By Abigail Tucker
How Biomimicry is Inspiring Human Innovation
Creative minds are increasingly turning to nature—banyan tree leaves, butterfly wings, a bird's beak— for fresh design solutions
September 2012 |
By Tom Vanderbilt
Found: A Time Capsule at the National Zoo
While renovating the Elephant House, construction workers discovered a mysterious box hidden in a wall
September 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Timing of Childbirth Evolved to Match Women’s Energy Limits
Researchers find no evidence for the long-held view that the length of human gestation is a compromise between hip width and brain size
August 29, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Who Doesn’t Love Fuzzy Dinosaurs?
Feathered dinosaurs are awesome. Why do so many people hate them?
August 28, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
The Oldest Human Fossils in Southeast Asia?
Researchers claim skull fragments and teeth discovered in a cave in Laos may be the oldest modern human fossils ever found in mainland Southeast Asia
August 27, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Researchers Working on a “Chill Pill” for Sharks
In response to stress, sharks can undergo dangerous changes in blood chemistry, so scientists are attempting to develop a solution
August 24, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Five Accidental Hominid Fossil Discoveries
Sometimes finding Neanderthals, australopithecines and other human ancestors is a complete accident
August 22, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
New Evidence for Climate Change: Butterflies
The meticulous records of an amateur butterfly club in New England are opening a window into changes happening to the regional climate
August 21, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
An Oil Dispersant Made From Ingredients in Peanut Butter, Ice Cream and Chocolate?
New research is yielding oil dispersants that are non-toxic and prevent oil from sticking to birds and wildlife
August 20, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
The Best Places to See Hominid Bones Online, Part II
The Internet is full of great websites where you can play with hominid fossils
August 20, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Neanderthal and Human Matings Get a Date
New research shows modern humans bred with Neanderthals 47,000 to 65,000 years ago as our ancestors left Africa
August 15, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Triclosan, A Chemical Used in Antibacterial Soaps, is Found to Impair Muscle Function
In a new study, the chemical inhibited muscle activity in individual human heart cells, mice and minnows
August 13, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Tooth Chemistry Confirms Early Homo Loved Meat
Two million years ago hominids evolved more specialized diets with early Homo preferring meat and Paranthropus choosing plants
August 13, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Multiple Species of Early Homo Lived in Africa
New fossils unearthed in Kenya confirm that at least two species of Homo co-existed in Africa two million years ago
August 08, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
African Grey Parrots Have the Reasoning Skills of 3-year-olds
A new experiment showed that the birds are capable of abstract logical reasoning, a trait previously shown only by primates
August 08, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
See a Google-Earth-Like View of an Embryo, Down to an Individual Cell
A new technology combines thousands of individual images to create a zoom-able picture of living tissue, down to the cellular level
August 07, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
