How the Famous Lucy Fossil Revolutionized the Study of Human Origins
Half a century after its discovery, this iconic fossil remains central to our understanding of human origins
Moon Rocks Wanted
On September 18, 1998, an unusual ad ran in USA Today — a company called John’s Estate Sales was looking to buy a moon rock. The phone number on the…
Internet Vs Ocean: the essential wires we never think about
Did you know that the internet is held together by a network of undersea cables? And did you also know that these cables can trace their origin back to 1850s?…
Short Cuts: Earth
A friendship forged working the land, memories of volcanic eruptions from 800,000 years ago frozen in Antarctica’s ice cores, and the importance of wild, patient gardens. Short documentaries presented by…
Anti-HIV drugs
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Simon never linked the pain in his hands and feet to multivitamins – but a pathology test did
When Simon Bogemann’s hand began cramping around the steering wheel in a claw position on his commute from Geelong to Melbourne, he began to worry. Bogemann, then 43, was also…
Tardigrade Fossils Reveal When ‘Water Bears’ Became Indestructible
The resulting family tree recalibration allowed the researchers to calculate when the two tardigrade lines that perform cryptobiosis could have diverged—putting a latest date on the likely acquisition of that…
Iron Chompers
There aren’t many scenarios in which getting a good look at a bunch of Komodo dragon teeth ends well. The massive lizard’s mouth holds 60 serrated teeth, each up to…
Tiny Babies Who Can Smell Their Mother Recognize Faces Better
Babies experience a torrent of sensory information from the moment they are born. Knowing nothing about the world, they must learn to sort this deluge into categories of things—especially faces.…
Cave Fish Adolescence Means Sprouting Taste Buds in Weird Places
In eastern Mexico’s underground caverns and streams, a blind fish undergoes a peculiar adolescence: as it approaches maturity, taste buds begin to sprout under its chin and on top of…