Paleo in the News

People who are uninsured or part of a minority racial or ethnic group are underscreened for cervical cancer. Mailing them a self-sample kit may help.

Two bits of amber discovered in a lab basement hold ancient evidence of a fungi famous for controlling the minds of its victims.

Humans established a wild population of brown forest wallabies in the Raja Ampat Islands thousands of years ago for their meat and fur in one of the earliest known species translocations

DNA from a skull found at Newgrange once sparked theories of a royal incestuous elite in ancient Ireland, but new research reveals no signs of such a hierarchy. Instead, evidence suggests a surprisingly egalitarian farming society that valued collective living and ritual.

Drone footage has captured killer whales breaking off stalks of kelp and rubbing the pieces on other orcas, a rare case of tool use in marine animals

The whales use quick body movements to tear pieces of bull kelp for use as tools, perhaps the first known toolmaking by a marine mammal.

With genetic tweaks, E. coli turned 92 percent of broken-down plastic into acetaminophen, charting a path to upcycle plastic waste sustainably.

Two life forms living together helped spark the evolution of all complex life. By learning to appreciate this process more fully, we might be able to harness it to heal our planet too

There is mounting evidence that even surprisingly simple animals, like invertebrates, have a level of consciousness - but not in the way you might think

The Proba-3 spacecraft succeed at creating solar eclipses, kicking off a two-year mission to study the sun’s mysterious outer atmosphere, the corona.

These are the first public images collected by the Chile-based observatory, which will begin a decade-long survey of the southern sky later this year.

Hunting hints An ancient ambush of wild horses at a German archaeological site called Schöningen around 300,000 years ago suggests that communal hunting, along with complex social and mental skills, evolved much earlier in human history than thought, behavioral sciences writer Bruce Bower reported in “Smart hunters.” Bower also noted that Neandertal ancestors in what’s […]

Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses which should scare you more: sharks or ticks and fungus — and why sharks might actually be the least of your worries.

Sea spiders living near deep-sea methane seeps appear to cultivate and eat bacteria on their exoskeletons

Tiny, newly formed tumors shed small fragments of DNA that are swept into the bloodstream. Future cancer screening tests could detect them early.

Nutrition experts say add more greens and beans to your diet; cooking classes can teach people to make these nutrient-dense foods taste delicious.

Humans have driven sharks and their cousins to the brink of extinction. The health of the entire ocean is at stake.

Alix Morris’s new book, A Year with the Seals, explores humans’ complicated relationship with these controversial marine mammals.

Court ruling allows interim nuclear waste storage in Texas, but the U.S. still has no long-term plan for its 90,000 metric tons of spent fuel.

Concerts, fireworks and other hallmarks of summer can hurt your hearing long-term. But there are safe ways to enjoy them.