Peruvian Mythical Temple

A thousand-year-old temple complex has been excavated near the city of Chiclayo in northwestern Peru, dating back to the pre-Inca Lambayeque (Sicán) civilization, including a tomb with evidence of human sacrifice and torture.

Dinosaur Colors Revealed

Scientists have extracted fossilized melanosomes (pigment-bearing organelles) from the feathers and thin "protofeathers" of Sinosauropteryx to establish the first accurate recreations of a dinosaur's natural color.

X-rays and Crystal Formation

Normally based on the attractive forces between atoms or molecules, researchers have discovered that the application of x-rays to a solution of peptide nanofibers forced a repulsive electrostatic force that drove the formation of a crystalline structure that disappears when the x-rays are turned off.

Unusual Martian Rock

A strange surface rock examined by NASA's Mars rover Opportunity is believed to have formed deep within the crust, possibly ejected from a nearby crater upon impact, and may reveal information about the composition of the planet's interior.

Antarctica's "Ghost Mountains"

New images from ground-penetrating radar give the first views of Antarctica's "ghost mountains," a previously unseen mountain range of 8500-foot peaks buried beneath miles of polar ice.

Australia's Megafauna Hunted

New research reveals that human hunting or habitat disturbance, not climate change, led to the extinction of Australia's giant marsupials, reptiles and flightless birds some 40,000 years ago.

Exotic Electron Symmetry

The exotic symmetry known as E8, suggested by string theory, has been observed experimentally for the first time in the patterns formed by the magnetic spins in crystals of cobalt niobate cooled to near absolute zero and placed in a strong magnetic field.

Light Tied in Knots

Using specialized holograms to create and manipulate optical vortices, physicists were able to literally tie knots in beams of light using the science of knot theory, an abstract mathematics specialty that previously had no physical application.

Neanderthal Body Ornaments

New analysis of pigment-stained and perforated seashells has led to new insight into the mind of Neanderthal man, providing evidence of cosmetics and body ornamentation—and therefore symbolic thinking that was previously believed beyond the capabilities of Neanderthals.

Pyramid-Builders' Tombs

The recent discovery of the Fourth Dynasty tombs of workers who built the Egyptian pyramids reveals that they were not slave labor but a highly skilled, well-fed and paid workforce that was honored by their burial within the shadow of the sacred pyramids.

Human Genes from Virus

A new study reveals that as much as 8% of the human genome contains DNA derived from bornaviruses, RNA viruses whose replication and transcription takes place in the cell nucleus, through a process known as endogenization.

Bones Made from Wood

Medical researchers have developed a process for turning rattan wood into biocompatible bone substitute, with the final product mirroring natural bone's structure and porous properties so much that they will fuse together in a permanent bond.

Record Calculation of Pi

The mathematical value of the constant pi has been calculated to almost 2.7 trillion decimal places, a leap of some 123 billion digits more than the previous record, using a desktop computer and an algorithm that is 20 times more efficient.

Two Unknown Objects Found

NASA's Kepler Telescope has discovered two objects orbiting two different stars that are too hot to be planets, even thousands of degrees hotter than the stars they orbit, and do not fit the definition of any known astronomical object.