Ancient Human Ancestor Had Feet Like an Ape
Fossil foot hints that tree-dwellers lived alongside species built for walking.
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Can Astronauts Survive Rigors of Long Space Journeys?
As the United States considers a manned mission to Mars by the mid-2030s, ongoing research is beginning to raise doubts about the ability of human astronauts to survive such a multi-year journey in zero gravity without severe and possibly permanent physical or psychological damage. One of the most pressing concerns, researchers say, would be the…
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Geologists Correct a Rift in Africa
The Great Rift Valley of East Africa – the birthplace of the human species – may have taken much longer to develop than previously believed. Scientists now believe the western portion of the rift is approximately as old as the eastern part – about 25 million years old. Previous studies have repeatedly suggested the Eastern…
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Billions of Habitable Alien Planets Should Exist in Our Galaxy
There should be billions of habitable, rocky planets around the faint red stars of our Milky Way galaxy, a new study suggests. Though these alien planets are difficult to detect, and only a few have been discovered so far, they should be ubiquitous, scientists say. And some of them could be good candidates to host…
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Teaching and Researching Big History
The largest-ever gathering of Big History scholars, scientists, professors, teachers and graduate students will converge on Grand Rapids, Michigan, August 2-5, 2012 as the International Big History Association holds its inaugural conference.
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Findings Cast Doubt on Moon Origins
The moon, that giant lump of rock that has fascinated poets and scientists alike, may be about to get even more interesting. A new analysis of isotopes found in lunar minerals challenges the prevailing view of how Earth’s nearest neighbor formed. Most scientists believe Earth collided with a hypothetical, Mars-sized planet called Theia early in…
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The Artist Who Saw Through Time
Richard Milner’s new book is about Charles R. Knight, who is famous for his elaborate depictions of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.
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Possible New Lead in Peking Man Fossils Mystery
The memories of a World War II-era Marine have renewed hopes of solving one of the greatest archaeological mysteries — the whereabouts of the lost Peking Man fossils, South African and Chinese scientists said. Renowned South African paleontologist Lee Berger and two Chinese colleagues say the fossils may be lying under a parking lot in…
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Planets Hurtling Near the Speed of Light? It’s Possible
Scientists want to know if planets can form near the supermassive black hole at the core of the galaxy. If so, the black hole could fling them out into space at enormous speeds that, from our vantage point, could appear to approach the speed of light. One way to answer the question, at least as…
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Big History for the Era of Climate Change
Lack of understanding of environmental issues is an education problem and requires an education solution. So do we need more science education? Not necessarily, because understanding environmental issues requires some familiarity with the social sciences and humanities as well as the natural sciences; it requires a global perspective and also a sense of how the…