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Anthropology

Children of Prehistory

Accumulating evidence suggests that children and teenagers produced much prehistoric cave art and perhaps left behind many fledgling attempts at stone-tool making as well.

Humans

Letters from the April 28, 2007, issue of Science News

Long ago gas Finding CO2 levels that are 2,500 times higher in 5,000-year-old fulgurites than in modern samples, scientists have speculated that the extra CO2 resulted from vaporization of organic material by lightning (“Stroke of Good Fortune: A wealth of data from petrified lightning,” SN: 2/17/07, p. 101). Could some of this gas reflect elevated […]

Earth

Earth 911

Earth Day comes only once a year, but you can give Mother Earth a gift every day. The site Earth 911 makes it easy to be environmentally responsible. The Web portal offers ideas on how to recycle old electronics, dispose of hazardous materials, conserve energy, and shop green—and all its tips are tailored to your […]

Humans

From the April 17, 1937, issue

Signs of spring, new elements in space, and the future of atomic energy.

Astronomy

Back to (Near) the Beginning: Galactic springtime

In their quest to capture ever-earlier moments of cosmic history, astronomers may have found some of the first galaxies.

Health & Medicine

Tenacious STD: Drug-resistant gonorrhea is spreading

Responding to a surge in tough-to-treat gonorrhea, the CDC has stopped recommending Cipro-class antibiotics for the disease.

Health & Medicine

Visual Clarity: People with MS maintain eyesight with drug

A drug for multiple sclerosis seems to prevent subtle vision loss in many patients.

Tech

A New Low: Lilliputian pipette releases tiniest drops

Physicists have constructed a pipette that dispenses a billionth of a trillionth of a liter.

Planetary Science

Northern Exposure: The inhospitable side of the galaxy?

Our solar system's periodic motion from one side of the galaxy to the other could expose life on Earth to massive amounts of cosmic rays and cause recurring, catastrophic mass extinctions.

Paleontology

Forest Primeval: The oldest known trees finally gain a crown

Recently unearthed fossils provide new insights about the appearance of the world's oldest known trees, plants that previously were known only from preserved stumps.