Dinosaurs and Fossils News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Scientist: Evolution debate will soon be history

Sat, 26 May 2012 15:18:27 -0400

Richard Leakey predicts skepticism over evolution will soon be history.

Slow progress since Earth Summit 20 years ago

Sat, 26 May 2012 02:33:05 -0400

Twenty years after the Earth Summit in Rio pledged to save the environment for future generations, observers and policy makers agree swifter action is required to avert climate catastrophe.

Dinosaur with tiny arms unearthed in Argentina

Fri, 25 May 2012 04:17:33 -0400

Argentine experts have discovered the near-complete remains of a new species of Jurassic-era dinosaur that stood on its rear legs and had tiny arms, according to a leading paleontologist.

Back in Black: 'Men In Black 3' Director Talks Sci-Fi & Space Travel

Thu, 24 May 2012 15:56:28 -0400

After a decade away from the "Men in Black" franchise, director Barry Sonnenfeld returned for "Men in Black 3," which adds Josh Brolin as a younger version of Tommy Lee Jones' Agent K, Agent J (Will Smith)'s long-time partner in top-secret paranormal peacekeeping.

Rich-poor divide reopens at UN climate talks

Thu, 24 May 2012 15:04:55 -0400

U.N. climate talks ran into gridlock Thursday as a widening rift between rich and poor countries risked undoing some advances made last year in the decades-long effort to control carbon emissions that scientists say are overheating the planet.

Why America's Love Affair with Cars Is No Accident

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:20:51 -0400

Drivers may feel spooked by seeing the first self-driving cars appear in coming years. But the new era could prove far less disruptive and bloody than the automobile's 20th-century battle to push pedestrians off U.S. streets.

Auctioned Tyrannosaur Skeleton Possibly Smuggled

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:12:08 -0400

A fossilized dinosaur that was once at the top of its food chain is now caught in the jaws of a legal battle over whether or not its remains can be sold in the United State.

Streetlights Lure Beasts of the Tiny Kind

Tue, 22 May 2012 19:07:27 -0400

Beware streetlights: A new study finds that well-lit areas of cities and towns are more likely to be home to predators and scavengers.

Stubby-Armed Dinosaur Was T. Rex of Southern Hemisphere

Tue, 22 May 2012 18:53:49 -0400

A newfound giant predatory dinosaur with even stubbier arms than Tyrannosaurus rex may now hint that a vast desert once existed in the heart of a lost supercontinent, potentially barring this carnivore and its kin from spreading across the entire ancient world, researchers say.

Rhine Fossils Push River's Age Back 5 Million Years

Tue, 22 May 2012 18:07:38 -0400

Fossilized antlers, teeth and wood dug up near Europe's storied Rhine River indicate the waterway is 5 million years older than many scientists had thought, according to new research.

Houston museum unveils $85 million dinosaur hall

Tue, 22 May 2012 11:56:23 -0400

Pups in her womb, a large eye visible behind the rib cage, one baby stuck in the birth canal: all fossilized evidence that this ancient marine beast, the Ichthyosaur, died in childbirth.

Why Dogs' Origins Are Still Mysterious

Tue, 22 May 2012 07:39:02 -0400

Humans' close relationship to dogs has so far obscured their history so much that it's not yet possible to use genetic data to tease out the details of their domestication, new research indicates.

Study finds permafrost thaw, glacier melt releasing methane

Mon, 21 May 2012 23:46:57 -0400

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Methane from underground reservoirs is streaming from thawing permafrost and receding glaciers, contributing to the greenhouse gas load in the atmosphere, a study led by scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has found. The study, published online on Sunday in the journal Nature Geoscience, is the first to document leakage of deep geologic methane from warming permafrost and receding glaciers, said its lead author, Katey Walter Anthony. ...

Science Fiction Barely Ahead of Space Exploration Reality

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:49:07 -0400

Science and space exploration have caught up to science fiction in many ways, producing marvels beyond the imaginings of the visionary writers of the past. Yet there are staples of science fiction that current technology is still leagues away from attaining, and which some doubt can ever be achieved.

Empire State Building Innovations Generate Big Energy Savings

Mon, 21 May 2012 16:26:02 -0400

NEW YORK — The Empire State Building's owners once envisioned floating airships docking with the skyscraper's spire, but windy updrafts forced the dirigibles to abandon that dream. Today, the world-famous building may stand for a more practical vision of the future that can save energy without dimming the lights.

Oldest Fossilized Ink Found in Ancient Squid Cousin

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:09:28 -0400

The oldest fossilized pigment ever found has been discovered inside the preserved ink sacs of an ancient cuttlefish ancestor.

Disputed dinosaur fossil auctioned for $1M in NYC

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:29:08 -0400

A dinosaur dispute is brewing between the Mongolian government and an American auction house, which sold a fossil of a fearsome T. Rex relative despite a court order not to.

Dinosaur skeleton fetches $1.05 million at disputed U.S. auction

Sun, 20 May 2012 22:53:26 -0400

(Reuters) - A nearly intact skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus sold for $1.05 million at auction in New York on Sunday, although the sale has been disputed by the Mongolian government, which has questioned whether it was obtained legally. The skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus bataar, a smaller Asian cousin of the fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex that roamed North America during the Cretaceous period about 80 million years ago, measures 8 feet tall and 24 feet long, according to a statement by Heritage Auctions, which conducted the sale in New York. ...

Despite Legal Challenge, Tyrannosaur Sells for $1 million

Sun, 20 May 2012 20:13:37 -0400

NEW YORK — A nearly complete tyrannosaur skeleton has sold for just over $1 million, in spite of a call to halt its auction because the fossils may have been taken illegally from Mongolia.

Utah paleontologists discover new raptor dinosaur

Fri, 18 May 2012 20:00:11 -0400

SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - Scientists have discovered fossilized bones near Utah's iconic Arches National Park representing a new species of raptor dinosaur that was about the size of a coyote, the state's top paleontologist announced on Friday. The raptor was among several discovered at or near Doelling's Bowl Bone Bed, about 230 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, which has yielded several new species in the last two decades and is thought to be the base of Utah's Cretaceous record. Fossils found at the bone bed are estimated at between 120 and 130 million years old. ...

Tyrannosaur Skeleton For Sale, But Ownership Is Questioned

Fri, 18 May 2012 19:44:45 -0400

The origin of a rare tyrannosaur skeleton, now sitting mounted and prepared at an auction house in New York City, has been questioned, with some saying the specimen is from Mongolia; if so, that would mean it entered the United States illegally.

Apple to use only green power for main data center

Thu, 17 May 2012 19:21:04 -0400

(Reuters) - Apple Inc plans to power its main U.S. data center entirely with renewable energy by the end of this year, taking steps to address longstanding environmental concerns about the rapid expansion of high-consuming computer server farms. The maker of the iPhone and iPad said on Thursday it was buying equipment from SunPower Corp and startup Bloom Energy to build two solar array installations in and around Maiden, North Carolina, near its core data center. Once up, the solar farm will supply 84 million kWh of energy annually. ...

Ancient Turtle Was as Big as Small Car

Thu, 17 May 2012 17:08:02 -0400

A turtle the size of a small car once roamed what is now South America 60 million years ago, suggests its fossilized remains.

Tiny Deep-Sea Life Eats Dinosaur-Era Meals

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:07:44 -0400

Microbes living in the seabed below the deep ocean are taking the slow-food movement to extremes. According to new research, these microorganisms are subsisting on nutrients first laid down when dinosaurs still walked the Earth.

Towering Tyrannosaur Prepares for Auction

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:23:07 -0400

NEW YORK — In a showroom on the west side of Manhattan, minerals worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, tufts of mammoth hair, pieces of the moon, not to mention a nearly complete Tyrannosaur skeleton, are being unpacked and arranged.