Olives have been essential to life in Italy for at least 6,000 years—far longer...
How far back does the rich history of Italian olives and oil stretch?
My new research, published in the American Journal of Archaeology, synthesizing and...
Scientists discover a dinosaur with hollow skin spikes unlike any seen before
Paleontologists have discovered a remarkable new dinosaur in China—one that carried unusual skin spikes unlike anything ever seen before in dinosaurs.
The find adds a...
When Earth’s magnetic poles took a very long time to flip
Earth’s magnetic field feels steady and dependable, but over geological time it is anything but fixed.
The magnetic north and south poles have swapped places...
Why one of Earth’s most common ocean bacteria is surprisingly fragile
One of the most abundant living organisms on Earth may also be one of the most vulnerable.
A group of ocean bacteria known as SAR11,...
A pocket-sized dinosaur solves a 70-million-year mystery
Paleontologists have identified a new species of dinosaur so small it could almost fit under your arm—and yet it is helping scientists solve a...
Earth’s roof is slowly flowing: Satellites expose hidden motion beneath Tibet
A new satellite-based study is changing how scientists understand the forces shaping the Tibetan Plateau, one of the most dramatic and geologically active regions...
430,000-year-old wooden tools found in Greece rewrite early human history
Archaeologists have uncovered the earliest known hand-held wooden tools ever used by humans, and the discovery is changing what we know about early technology.
Found...
Baby dinosaurs were a key food source for Jurassic predators, study finds
A new study suggests that the babies of the largest dinosaurs to ever walk the Earth were once a crucial food source for meat-eating...
Ancient DNA solves a 12,000-year-old medical mystery
Scientists have uncovered the oldest known genetic diagnosis of a rare inherited disease, thanks to advances in ancient DNA research.
By analyzing the DNA of...
A 40-million-year-old ant hidden in Goethe’s amber still has stories to tell
More than 200 years after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s death, his curiosity about nature is still leading to new discoveries.
Scientists in Germany have now...