6 h. ago Scientists SOLVE the mystery of the 'Dragon Man': Ancient skull is first ever found from lost group of ancient humans that lived 217,000 years ago

Scientists have finally solved the mystery of the ancient 'Dragon Man', confirming that this 146,000-year-old skull belonged to a member of the Denisovans.

Politics

2 w. ago Scientists solve solar system mystery after freak accident at planetarium show

The Oort Cloud’s true shape has remained elusive to scientists until now

Science

3 w. ago Scientists SOLVE the mystery of the Black Death's prolonged reign of terror

Research has revealed that the evolution of a single gene in Yersinia pestis - the bacterium that causes bubonic plague - allowed it to adapt and survive for so long.

Events

3 w. ago Scientists solve mystery of Antarctic mountain range hidden for 500 million years

The ancient Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains in the middle of East Antarctica are entombed beneath kilometres of ice

Science

3 w. ago The curse of Toumaï: an ancient skull, a disputed femur and a bitter feud over humanity’s origins

When fossilised remains were discovered in the Djurab desert in 2001, they were hailed as radically rewriting the history of our species. But not everyone was convinced – and the bitter argument that followed has consumed the lives of scholars ever sinceOn a late-summer day in 2001, at the University of Poitiers in west-central France, the palaeontologist Michel Brunet summoned his colleagues into a classroom to examine an unusual skull. Brunet had just returned from Chad, and brought with him an extremely ancient cranium. It had been distorted by the aeons spent beneath what is now the Djurab desert; a crust of black mineral deposits left it looking charred and slightly malevolent. It sat on a table. “What is this thing?” Brunet wondered aloud. He was behaving a bit theatrically, the professor Roberto Macchiarelli recalled not long ago. Brunet was a devoted teacher and scientist, then 61, but his competitive impulses were also known to be immoderate, and he seemed to take a ruthles...

Politics

4 w. ago Scientists solve the mystery of ginger cats – helped by hundreds of cat owners

Discovery has implications for ‘all cells and tissues’ and research bridged gap between scientists and non-scientistsAfter decades of mystery, new research has shed light on a question that has long stumped scientists and cat lovers alike – what exactly makes orange cats, well orange?Two studies published in Current Biology last week by separate teams at Stanford University and Japan’s Kyushu University at last provided some answers. Scientists have known for more than a century that orange cats inherit coloring differently from other mammals. Now – with help from hundreds of cat owners – researchers have identified the genetic mutation that gives orange cats their signature hue. Continue reading...

Politics