Natural History

Dogs lived alongide humans more than 15,000 years ago

Ancient DNA recovered from archaeological excavations in central Türkiye has revealed some of the earliest genetic evidence of domestic dogs, providing new insights into how dogs developed close relationships with humans and spread rapidly across prehistoric Europe and Anatolia.

Ice Age mammoth from Bavaria shows evidence of human butchery

A woolly mammoth unearthed in Bavaria bears signs that Ice Age humans butchered its carcass more than 25,000 years ago, offering an insight into life in one of the coldest periods of the last Ice Age.

Ötztal Alps: 6,000-year-old glacier archive is melting rapidly

Researchers, including members of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, have extracted and analysed an ice core from the Weißseespitze peak in Tyrol, documenting millennia of climate and environmental history. The findings also highlight the rapid rate of glacier retreat in the Eastern Alps: compared to 2019, only about half of the ice mass remains on the summit today.

Archaeologists find ancient evidence of “Lost World” beneath the North Sea

A vast prehistoric landscape now hidden beneath the North Sea may have supported forests and wildlife thousands of years earlier than scientists previously believed.

New study finds indirect evidence for existence of Moctezuma’s Zoo

A recent archaeological study has renewed interest in the role of animals within the ceremonial and urban landscape of ancient Tenochtitlan.

Decoding the genetic history of the Texas longhorn

The study of the genome of the Longhorn and related breeds tells a fascinating global history of human and cattle migration.

UF study shows spiders, not birds, may drive evolution of some butterflies

Butterflies are among the most vibrant insects, with colorations sometimes designed to deflect predators. New University of Florida research shows some of these defenses may be driven by enemies one-tenth their size.

Earth Is Warmer Today Than During 70 to 80 Percent of the Past 11,300 Years

With data from 73 ice and sediment core monitoring sites around the world, scientists have reconstructed Earth's temperature history back to the end of the last Ice Age.

The making of Antarctica’s hidden fjords

Antarctica's topography began changing from flat to fjord-filled starting about 34 million years ago, according to a new report from a University of Arizona-led team of geoscientists.

Toxic oceans may have delayed spread of complex life

A new model suggests that inhospitable hydrodgen-sulphide rich waters could have delayed the spread of complex life forms in ancient oceans.

Caves point to thawing of Siberia

Evidence from Siberian caves suggests that a global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius could see permanently frozen ground thaw over a large area of Siberia, threatening release of carbon from soils, and damage to natural and human environments.

Volcanic aerosols, not pollutants, tamped down recent Earth warming, says CU-Boulder study

A team led by the University of Colorado Boulder looking for clues about why Earth did not warm as much as scientists expected between 2000 and 2010 now thinks the culprits are hiding in plain sight -- dozens of volcanoes spewing sulfur dioxide.

Snails signal a humid Mediterranean

An international team of researchers has shown that old wives' tales that snails can tell us about the weather should not be dismissed too hastily.

Greenland ice cores provide vision of the future

Ice cores drilled in the Greenland ice sheet, recounting the history of the last great warming period more than 120,000 years ago, are giving scientists their clearest insight to a world that was warmer than today.

Warning signs from ancient Greek tsunami

San Francisco -- In the winter of 479 B.C., a tsunami was the savior of Potidaea, drowning hundreds of Persian invaders as they lay siege to the ancient Greek village.

Scans Catch Prehistoric Mite Hitching Ride On 50 Million Year Old Spider

Scientists have produced amazing three-dimensional images of a prehistoric mite as it hitched a ride on the back of a 50 million-year-old spider.

Decline and recovery of coral reefs linked to 700 years of human and environmental activity

Degradation of coral reefs has been contributed to by human activity

Ancient wild horses help unlock past

The lack of genetic diversity in modern horses has been shown to be caused by methods of modern domestication processes. 

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