Robotic Evolution of Flight

Experiments with adding powered wings to a robotic bug have demonstrated that although the addition aided the robot's mobility it did not provide enough for powered flight from the ground, lending support to the idea that full flight evolved instead from gliding tree-dwellers.

Weird New Form of Carbon

A new type of "reversible" carbon allotrope has been discovered, a pliable commercial substance used for industrial purposes for decades, which obtains diamond-like hardness under extreme pressures and returns to its softer state when the pressure is removed.

Ancient Greek Ships' Cargo

Modern DNA analysis of amphorae recovered from Mediterranean shipwrecks show that ancient Greek merchant ships carried a wide range of foods including fish, olives, legumes, ginger, walnut and juniper and herbs such as mint, thyme and oregano.

Most Complete Dinosaur Fossil

Athough yet to be named or scientifically described, the fossil remains of a therapod dating back 135 million years found in southern Germany may be the most complete dinosaur fossil ever found, with 98% of its skeleton perfectly preserved with an unmatched clarity.

Oldest Artist's Workshop

Researchers have discovered a prehistoric paint pot at a site described as an "artist's workshop" in the Blombos cave of South Africa, revealing evidence of grinding tools and powdered mineral mixing some 100,000 years ago.

Computer Analysis of Torah

Researchers have developed a computing algorithm specifically to analyze the books of the Bible to identify individual contributing sources by focusing strictly on writing style instead of content, specifically the use of function words and synonyms.

T. rex Computational Analysis

Using advanced three-dimensional solid modeling techniques, researchers have computationally reconstructed Tyrannosaurus rex growth patterns beginning from high-definition scans of actual bones, revealing that the dinosaur grew significantly heavier and faster than previous calculations predicted.

Channel-type Nanostructure Laser

Inspired by the structure of bright, iridescent bird feathers, researchers have constructed a new type of laser with a channel-type nanostructure that will allow them to self-assemble, making their fabrication easier, cheaper and faster.

Bacteria Affecting Climate

Scientists have discovered bacterial communication via secretion of various chemical signals (often to determine if other similar bacteria are in the proximity), and that such chemical means of communication in ocean-based microorganisms at depth could affect Earth's natural carbon cycle.

Piranhas Use Sound

Using underwater microphones, scientists have discovered piranhas use at least three distinct sounds to communicate when confronting one another by vibrating their swim bladders using high-speed muscles.

DNA of Black Death

Scientists have sequenced the full genome of the bacterium that causes the plague (Yersinia pestis) from teeth samples taken from victims buried in London in 1348, the first time an ancient pathogen has been restored for scientific study.

Fossil Rodent Teeth

Tiny fossil teeth of ancient rodent species found in Peru date back some 41 million years, 10 million years older than previously known examples, and indicate an evolutionary line descended from similar African species.

"Substanial" Roman Ruins

A supermarket construction site at Camelon, Scotland, has yielded a "substantial" cache of Roman artifacts at an ancient fort including discarded shoes, jewelry, pottery, coins and animal bones dating back to the second century A.D., one of the largest Roman sites ever found in Scotland.

Rensch's Rule Holds for Plants

Researchers have confirmed that Rensch's rule, which states that males are larger in big-bodied species like humans and females are larger in small-bodied species like insects, applies just as well for dioecious plant species.