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Extinction

Ongoing studies of Neanderthal skeletons unearthed in Iraq during the 1950s suggest the existence of a more complex social structure than previously thought.

The Skeletons of Shanidar Cave

A rare cache of hominid fossils from the Kurdistan area of northern Iraq offers a window on Neanderthal culture

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Ask Smithsonian 2017

Why Did Mammals Survive When Dinosaurs Perished?

Had the non-avian dinosaurs not been wiped out 65 million years ago, our species would probably never existed

The 2012 doomsday prophecy isn't the first to predict the end of civilization.  Such warnings have been around for millenia.

Ten Notable Apocalypses That (Obviously) Didn’t Happen

Apocalyptic predictions are nothing new—they have been around for millennia

Heading to Canada from as far away as Argentina, red knot sandpipers stop to feast on the eggs of horseshoe crabs at Delaware Bay.

Return of the Sandpiper

Thanks to the Delaware Bay’s horseshoe crabs, the tide may be turning for an imperiled shorebird

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A Terrifying Iguanodon

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Much Ado About Chicxulub

Foxes ate so many Aleutian cackling geese that by 1940, the birds were thought to be extinct.

Wild Goose Chase

How one man’s obsession saved an “extinct” species

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What Good are Dinosaurs?

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