All Stories by Bruce Bower
- Climate
Monsoon deluges turned ancient Sahara green
The ancient Sahara Desert sprouted trees and lakes for thousands of years thanks to intense rainfall.
- Health & Medicine
Promise and perils of marijuana deserve more scientific scrutiny
Report outlines medical potential and health dangers of cannabis and its components.
- Archaeology
Hunter-gatherers were possibly first to call Tibetan Plateau home
Hunter-gatherers may have been Asia’s first year-round, high-altitude settlers.
- Anthropology
Monkeys have vocal tools, but not brains, to talk like humans
Macaques have vocal tracts, but not brains, built for talking much as people do, scientists say.
- Anthropology
New footprint finds suggest range of body sizes for Lucy’s species
Tracks discovered in Tanzania appear to have belonged to the tallest known Australopithecus afarensis individual, but stature estimates can be tricky.
- Genetics
Year in review: How humans populated the globe
DNA studies put new twists on timing of ancient human migrations – but genetics alone are not enough to tell the full story.
- Anthropology
Buff upper arms let Lucy climb trees
Australopithecus afarensis’ heavily built arms supported tree climbing, scans of Lucy’s fossils suggest.
- Archaeology
Ancient cemetery provides peek into Philistines’ lives, health
Burial site offers new look at Israelites’ mysterious enemies.
- Archaeology
Glassmaking may have begun in Egypt, not Mesopotamia
Ancient Mesopotamians lagged behind Egyptians as glassmakers.
- Archaeology
For some early monks, impaired hearing amplified sounds of silence
Middle-ear ailments probably had little impact on early Christian monks’ lives.
- Humans
Oldest alphabet identified as Hebrew
Contested study indicates ancient Israelites developed first alphabet from Egyptian hieroglyphics.
- Archaeology
Stone adze points to ancient burial rituals in Ireland
A polished stone tool discovered in Ireland’s earliest known gravesite helps scientists revive an ancient burial ceremony.
