Ancient farmers spared us from glaciers but profoundly changed Earth’s climate
Glaciers have long served as Earth’s predominant source of freshwater.
But glaciation has stopped in the present day, apparently partially because of the actions...
Scientists discover cheese making evidence from 7200 years ago
Analysis of fatty residue in pottery from the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia revealed evidence of fermented dairy products -- soft cheeses and yogurts --...
Amber unveils evolution of ancient antlions
Myrmeleontiformia (antlions and their relatives) are an ancient group of lacewing insects characterized by predatory larvae with unusual morphologies and behaviors.
An international team led...
Scientists discover three unknown ancient primates
Biological anthropologists from The University of Texas at Austin have described three new species of fossil primates that were previously unknown to science.
All of...
Soil hasn’t fully recovered from ancient Maya cutting down trees
The Maya civilization’s deforestation decimated carbon reservoirs in the tropical soils of the Yucatán peninsula region long after people abandoned ancient cities and the...
228-million-year-old fossil turtle didn’t have a shell yet, but had the first toothless turtle...
There are a couple of key features that make a turtle a turtle: its shell, for one, but also its toothless beak.
A newly-discovered fossil...
Our everyday fruits and nuts have their roots in the Silk Road
New research reveals that many of the most familiar fruits in our kitchens today were cultivated in Central Asia over a millennium ago.
These arboreal...
Easter Island’s society might not have collapsed
You probably know Easter Island as “the place with the giant stone heads.”
This remote island 2,300 miles off the coast of Chile has long...
Scientists discover a 99-million-year-old beetle trapped in Burmese amber
This discovery offers clue to gymnosperm pollination
Flowering plants are well known for their special relationship to the insects and other animals that serve as...
Prehistoric mummy shows ancient Egyptian embalming ‘recipe’ was around for millennia
It is the first time that extensive tests have been carried out on an intact prehistoric mummy, consolidating the researchers' previous findings that embalming...