Catherine Griffin : Science World Report

Sep 23, 2013 09:26 AM EDT

Neanderthals, Not Humans, Created the First Bone Tools to Work with Leather

Who made the first tools: Neanderthals or humans? It turns out that Neanderthals may come out first. Archaeologists have discovered that these ancient hominids may have been the first ones to craft bone tools long before the first modern humans arrived in Europe.

Sep 23, 2013 08:38 AM EDT

New Insight for Body Representation Brain Disorders: Is That Finger Yours?

Does that finger belong to your body? The question may be more difficult than you realize. Scientists have discovered that people can be easily tricked into believing an artificial finger is their own, revealing that the brain does not require multiple signals to build a picture body ownership.

Sep 23, 2013 07:57 AM EDT

NASA Curiosity Rover Finds No Methane on Mars: Hunt for Life Continues

NASA's Curiosity rover continues to reveal more and more about Mars as it treks across the rocky surface. Now, it's shown that the Martian environment lacks methane. This surprising finding flies in the face of previous data reported by U.S. and international scientists.

Sep 23, 2013 07:26 AM EDT

Scientists Explain Mysterious Formation of Third Radiation Belt Around Earth

When the Van Allen radiation belts were first discovered in 1958, scientists believed that these belts encircling the Earth consisted of two doughnut-shaped rings of highly charged particles. Now, they've found that there aren't just two belts; there are three. And scientists have finally explained ...

Sep 21, 2013 02:49 PM EDT

Audubon's Warbler "Borrowed" DNA to Fuel Bird Migration

Could a common songbird have "borrowed" DNA? That's what scientists are claiming. They've found that a bird may have acquired genes from fellow migrating birds in order to travel greater distances.

Sep 21, 2013 09:27 AM EDT

Polar Bear Seal Diet Has Higher Contaminant Load: Impacts of Climate Change

Polar bears have to contend with a lot of threats. Now, they may have to deal with just one more. Over the past 30 years, polar bears have increasingly exchanged ring seal with harp seal and hooded seal in their diets. Scientists have now discovered that this change has exposed polar bears to far mo...

Sep 21, 2013 09:00 AM EDT

Arctic Sea Ice Minimum in 2013 is Sixth Lowest on Record: Comeback or Fluke?

The extent of the sea ice that covers the Arctic has officially reached its minimum--and it's surprisingly high. Due to an unusually cold summer in the northernmost latitudes, the Arctic sea minimum is the sixth lowest on record.

Sep 20, 2013 12:22 PM EDT

Scientists Reveal What May Cause Alzheimer's: Beta-Amyloid

Scientists have learned a little bit more about Alzheimer's disease. They've shown how a protein fragment known as beta-amyloid, strongly implicated in Alzheimer's disease, begins destroying synapses before it clumps into plaques that lead to nerve cell death.

Sep 20, 2013 11:17 AM EDT

Scientists Capture Live Images of Growing Tumors: Combating Cancer

As cancer continues to remain a major health issue around the world, scientists continued to seek new ways to fight the problem. Now, they may have a new way to do so. Researchers have developed a sophisticated new optical imaging tool that enables scientists to look deep within tumors and uncover t...

Sep 20, 2013 09:42 AM EDT

African Dust Storms Impact Air Quality in the U.S. and Caribbean

It goes to show that the weather on Earth really is connected. Scientists have discovered that massive dust clouds from the African Sahara can impact the air quality in both the U.S. and the Caribbean. Now, though, researchers have found a way to help measure and quantify the dust transported by the...

Sep 20, 2013 09:05 AM EDT

Cascade of Events Caused Evolution Explosion 520 Million Years Ago

About 520 million years ago, there was an explosion of animal life. Species began to evolve and change, forming the massive variety of creatures that we see today. Now, scientists have revealed that it was a combination of interlinked factors rather than a single underlying cause that led to this ev...

Sep 20, 2013 08:29 AM EDT

Scientists Detect Largest Deep Earthquake Ever Recorded in Sea of Okhotsk

A massive but unusual earthquake hit the Sea of Okhotsk in Russia. While it was categorized as a magnitude 8.3 quake, it occurred 378 miles beneath the surface. In addition, the intense pressure on the fault that took place should have inhibited the rupture that occurred. Now, scientists are puzzlin...