http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/ Articles in anthropology, archaeology, evolution theory and paleontology. Read the latest discoveries from archaeological sites and research institutes around the world. Images, updated daily. en-us Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:05:01 EDT Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090703070846.htm Scientists have discovered three new species of Australian dinosaur discovered in a prehistoric billabong in Western Queensland: two giant, herbivorous sauropods and one carnivorous theropod. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090703070846.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630163529.htm People find it very easy to recognize a face, even under very different circumstances. For a computer, on the other hand, it is extremely difficult. Researchers have developed a new analytical technique which enables the computer to better interpret the content of photos and images, but also of data. Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630163529.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630215938.htm Scientists have performed the first DNA-based reconstruction of the giant extinct moa bird, using prehistoric feathers recovered from caves and rock shelters in New Zealand. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630215938.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701082712.htm Charles Darwin postulated that animals eat as much as possible while food is plentiful, and produce as many offspring as this would allow. However, new research shows that, even when food is abundant, intake reaches a limit. One theory for this is that animals actively limit their energy turnover to maintain a higher level of reproductive success over their lifetime. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701082712.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630203955.htm Microbes and bacteria were the first living organisms on Earth, and they can be preserved in Archean silica-rich rocks. One such outcrop from western Australia, dated to 3.5 billion years ago, may hold the oldest "microfossils." Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630203955.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701131307.htm When glaciers advanced over much of the Earth's surface during the last ice age, what kept the planet from freezing over entirely? This has been a puzzle to climate scientists because leading models have indicated that over the past 24 million years geological conditions should have caused carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere to plummet, possibly leading to runaway "icehouse" conditions. Now researchers report on the missing piece of the puzzle -- plants. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701131307.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630203041.htm The late Pliocene onset of major Northern Hemisphere glaciation is one of the most important steps in the Cenozoic global cooling. Although most attempts have been focused on high-latitude climate feedbacks, no consensus has been reached in explaining the forcing mechanism of this dramatic climate change. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630203041.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702110459.htm As flowering plants like giant trees quickly rose to dominate plant communities during the Cretaceous period, the ferns that had preceded them hardly saw it as a disappointment. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702110459.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702080354.htm Researchers have drawn together 200 years' worth of oceanographic knowledge to investigate the distribution of a notorious deep-sea giant - the king crab. The results reveal temperature as a driving force behind the divergence of a major seafloor predator; globally, and over tens of millions of years of Earth's history. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702080354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630202125.htm A new fossil primate from Myanmar (previously known as Burma) suggests that the common ancestor of humans, monkeys and apes evolved from primates in Asia, not Africa as many researchers believe. Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630202125.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701102856.htm The composer Richard Wagner is well-known, even notorious, for writing operas that can challenge both performers and listeners. A new study reveals that Wagner set his text to music in a way that uses the acoustics of the soprano voice in a manner that helps both performers and listeners. Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701102856.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629165110.htm Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have zeroed in on the genes responsible for changing flower color, an area of research that began with Gregor Mendel's studies of the garden pea in the 1850's. Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629165110.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629081131.htm When the ancestors of present marine mammals returned to the oceans, their physiology had to adapt radically. Scientists have been studying how myoglobin, the molecule responsible for delivering oxygen to the muscles during locomotion, has been modified in seals and whales to help them cope with the needs of a life at sea. Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629081131.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629200632.htm Microscopic analysis of scratches on dinosaur teeth has helped scientists unravel an ancient riddle of what a major group of dinosaurs ate -- and exactly how they did it! Now for the first time, a study led by the University of Leicester, has found evidence that the duck-billed dinosaurs -- the Hadrosaurs -- in fact had a unique way of eating, unlike any living creature today. Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629200632.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616080135.htm It was Darwinian theory that did away with the werewolf. The publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species exactly 150 years ago focused minds on a different kind of monster – ape-men such as the Yeti, Bigfoot and Sasquatch. From then onwards, werewolves were relegated to a fictional footnote. Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616080135.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090626140126.htm Historical collections that include everything ever written in a dozen American and British newspapers since they started are now available electronically. Researchers have now carried out the first comprehensive study that makes use of this resource in order to track changes in language usage, a method that makes it possible to attain an entirely new degree of precision in dating. Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090626140126.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090619130016.htm Historical buildings and structures should be maintained as cultural monuments in their rich architecture and with preferably authentic materials for the coming generations. Scientists have now developed an intelligent wireless systems for the long-term monitoring of historical buildings. Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090619130016.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615112217.htm One of the mechanisms governing how our physical features and behavioral traits have evolved over centuries has been discovered. Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615112217.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090626084425.htm Paleontologists have discovered one of the oldest modern ungulates related to the elephant order. Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090626084425.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617131356.htm One long-standing climate puzzle relates to the Late Eocene and Early Oligocene. Profound changes were underway. Globally, carbon dioxide levels were falling and the hothouse warmth of the dinosaur age and Eocene Period was waning. In Antarctica, ice sheets had formed and covered much of the southern polar continent. But what exactly was happening on land, in northern latitudes? Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617131356.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624213346.htm Researchers in Germany have unearthed new evidence for Paleolithic music in the form of the remains of one nearly complete bone flute and isolated small fragments of three ivory flutes. The discovery suggests themusical tradition was well established when modern humans colonized Europe over 35,000 calendar years ago. Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624213346.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090612202952.htm Many of us have broken bones in our bodies at one time or another, and when this happens a healing process begins. The same was true of animals in the past, and has been well documented in all groups of dinosaurs. But how can we study and understand the healing process? Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090612202952.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625133102.htm Researchers have demonstrated for the first time rhesus monkeys and humans share a specific perceptual mechanism, configural perception, for discriminating among the numerous faces they encounter daily. The study provides insight into the evolution of the critical human social skill of facial recognition, which enables us to form relationships and interact appropriately with others. This study with rhesus monkeys suggests the human ability to distinguish faces is 30+ million years old. Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625133102.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624111021.htm New investigations have shown that rather than simply being a provincial Roman town, Caistor may represent the development of a major settlement from the Iron Age until the 9th century AD. Crucially, however, the site was ultimately superseded by medieval Norwich and reverted to green fields. This is quite unlike other Roman towns that have the same long occupation sequence which now lie buried beneath the modern towns of Britain and Europe. Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090624111021.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090609220721.htm Researchers have discovered a group of closely related living species that independently repeated the different step-like changes that occurred in the major diversification of their kind during the Cretaceous Period, roughly 100 to 90 million years ago. But remarkably, this group of species arose some 80 million years later. Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090609220721.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622171359.htm Researchers have developed the first detailed images of a primitive primate brain, unexpectedly revealing that cousins of our earliest ancestors relied on smell more than sight. Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622171359.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622200028.htm Thanks to the skills of artists who work on cold case investigations, people have a chance to see what the mummy Meresamun may have looked like in real life. Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622200028.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622152041.htm For the past 2 million years, the size of the human brain has tripled, growing much faster than other mammals. Examining the reasons for human brain expansion, researchers studied three common hypotheses for brain growth: climate change, ecological demands and social competition. The team found that social competition is the major cause of increased cranial capacity. Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622152041.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623150619.htm A new study describes recent excavations in Jordan that reveal evidence of the world's oldest known granaries. Scientists provide evidence that these granaries precede the emergence of fully domesticated plants and large-scale sedentary communities by at least 1,000 years. Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623150619.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090621195620.htm The largest animals ever to have walked the face of the earth may not have been as big as previously thought, according to a new article. Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090621195620.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090621143315.htm Modern glaciers, such as those making up the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, are capable of undergoing periods of rapid shrinkage or retreat, according to new findings by paleoclimatologists. Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090621143315.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090604124023.htm Researchers have devised a more accurate method of dating ancient human migration -- even when no corroborating archaeological evidence exists. Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090604124023.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622152033.htm Archaeologists have used stone tools to answer many questions about human ancestors in both the distant and near past and now they are analyzing the origin of obsidian flakes to better understand how people settled and interacted in the inhospitable Kuril Islands. Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622152033.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622103904.htm Researchers have compared an Allosauroidea tooth found in deposits in Riodeva, Teruel, with other similar samples. The palaeontologists have concluded that this is the largest tooth of a carnivorous dinosaur to have been found to date in Spain. Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622103904.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622103831.htm An artificial underground cave, the largest in Israel, has been exposed in the Jordan Valley in the course of a new survey. Archeologists reckon that this cave was originally a large quarry during the Roman and Byzantine era. Various engravings were uncovered in the cave, including cross markings, and it is assumed that this could have been an early monastery. Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622103831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618161150.htm Scientists have unearthed striking evidence for a sudden ancient collapse in plant biodiversity. A trove of 200 million-year-old fossil leaves collected in East Greenland tells the story, carrying its message across time to us today. Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618161150.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618144002.htm The mystery of giant sperm present in some living animal groups today has now taken on a new dimension -- in one group of micro-crustaceans new evidence shows that it is a feature at least 100 million years old. Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618144002.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090619152137.htm Chile peppers have long played an important role in the diets of Mesoamerican people. Capsicum annuum is one of five domesticated species of chiles and is one of the primary components of these diets. However, little is known regarding the original location of domestication of C. annuum and the genetic diversity in wild relatives. Researchers have now found a large amount of diversity in individuals from the Yucatan Peninsula, making this a center of diversity for chiles. Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090619152137.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617201758.htm Research finally proves that bones found in Shropshire, England, provide the most geologically recent evidence of woolly mammoths in Northwestern Europe. Analysis of both the bones and the surrounding environment suggests that some mammoths remained part of British wildlife long after they are conventionally believed to have become extinct. Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617201758.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618084304.htm New evidence underscores the theory of human origin that suggests humans most likely share a common ancestor with orangutans. The researchers reject as "problematic" the popular suggestion, based on DNA analysis, that humans are most closely related to chimpanzees, which they maintain is not supported by fossil evidence. Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618084304.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617171816.htm Scientists have discovered a unique beaked, plant-eating dinosaur in China. The finding, they say, demonstrates that theropod, or bird-footed, dinosaurs were more ecologically diverse in the Jurassic period than previously thought, and offers important evidence about how the three-fingered hand of birds evolved from the hand of dinosaurs. Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617171816.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617131400.htm Scientists have shown that microorganisms can "learn" through evolution to anticipate upcoming events and prepare for them. Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617131400.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616133940.htm Archeologists have uncovered an ancient and previously unknown Maya agricultural system -- a large manioc field intensively cultivated as a staple crop that was buried and exquisitely preserved under a blanket of ash by a volcanic eruption in present-day El Salvador 1,400 years ago. Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616133940.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616103307.htm Geologists have shown that an ancient ice age, once regarded as a brief "blip," in fact lasted for 30 million years. Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616103307.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617104905.htm Plants or meat: that's about all that fossils ever tell paleontologists about a dinosaur's diet. But the skull characteristics of a new species of parrot-beaked dinosaur and its associated gizzard stones indicate that the animal fed on nuts and/or seeds. These characteristics present the first solid evidence of nut-eating in any dinosaur. Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617104905.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608125103.htm Rushing to salvage fossils from the Panama Canal earthworks, a paleontology intern unearthed a set of fossil teeth. Experts identified the fossil as Anchitherium clarencei, a three-toed browsing horse. Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608125103.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615185428.htm Charles Darwin wrote about it 150 years ago: animals don't pick their mates by pure chance -- it's a process that is deliberate and involves numerous factors. After decades of examining his work, experts agree that he pretty much scored a scientific bullseye, but a very big question is, "What have we learned since then?" asks a biologist who has studied Darwin's theories. Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615185428.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615171728.htm Researchers here have used sediment from the deep ocean bottom to reconstruct a record of ancient climate that dates back more than the last half-million years. The record, trapped within the top 20 meters (65.6 feet) of a 400-meter (1,312-foot) sediment core drilled in 2005 in the North Atlantic Ocean by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, gives new information about the four glacial cycles that occurred during that period. Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615171728.htm