2+ day, 14+ hour ago   (320+ words) Published Sep 10, 2026 4:10 PM EDT W. linsterorum is a belemnite, a group of prehistoric cephalopods who left behind some of paleontology’s most common fossils. Examples of their bullet-shaped structures known as a rostrum have regularly shown up at dig sites around the…...

3+ day, 21+ hour ago   (408+ words) Published Sep 9, 2026 9:00 AM EDT FACT: Hector the tickle robot is real, and they’re spectacular FACT: How prickly ash and chili pepper combine to create a fascinating taste explosion This week’s episode features special guest Priya Mani. She’s a food historian,…...

4+ day, 15+ hour ago   (128+ words) Published Sep 8, 2026 3:06 PM EDT Combined with other archaeological findings, it now appears that cannibalism during the European Neolithic historically occurred in three eras:the late sixth millennium BCE, the middle fifth millennium BCE, and the end of the third millennium…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago   (146+ words) Published Sep 4, 2026 11:00 AM EDT “It’s really surprising and exciting to identify another predator present in Beringia,” Molly Cassatt-Johnstone, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), said in a statement. Berinigia is the ancient stretch of land…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago   (403+ words) Published Aug 31, 2026 11:00 AM EDT “There is a touch of mystery to spirals,” explained University of British Columbia zoologist Alexandra Weber. “We are only beginning to understand how these shapes are produced in animals, such as our looping intestine, snail shells,…...

2+ week, 3+ day ago   (480+ words) Published Aug 26, 2026 9:00 AM EDT Longtime listeners (and readers) already know that I love naked mole rats. More importantly, you already know that naked mole rats are freaky. They’re basically impervious to pain and seemingly immune to cancer. They’re mysteriously cold-blooded....

3+ week, 2+ day ago   (233+ words) Published Aug 20, 2026 2:03 PM EDT A major key to their survival? They weren’t picky eaters. Based on ancient bones discovered in the Nahal Me’arot Nature Reserve on Mount Carmel, Natufian diets were heavy on lizards, snakes, and other desert reptiles. The…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago   (228+ words) Published Aug 18, 2026 12:00 PM EDT Evolutionary biologists have long assumed that there was something about Neanderthals that could explain their unique skeletons, but a reexamination of two nearly complete pelvises suggests an alternative theory. After comparing the pair to dozens of…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago   (658+ words) Published Aug 18, 2026 11:00 AM EDT Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) tusks may not really be magical, but they do have some mathematical magic. Their tusk is actually made up of two spirals (or helices) instead of one. The tusk’s outer structure twists to…...

4+ week, 1+ day ago   (153+ words) Published Aug 14, 2026 12:00 PM EDT “Our research revealed that mummified remains sold online exhibit signs of biodeterioration, yet sellers provide no safety guidance, suggesting limited awareness or deliberate disregard of hazards,” bioarchaeologist Kirsty Squires at the University of Staffordshire in the…...