• An ancient forest of cypress trees, estimated to be eight million years old, has been discovered in Hungary. Archaeologists found the 16 preserved trunks in an open cast coal mine in the north-eastern city of Bukkabrany.
  
• Parts of a huge, exquisitely carved statue of the Roman Emperor Hadrian have been found at an archaeological site in south- ( Read more... )

The amount of rain we've had here recently is insane. Admittedly it was Glastonbury last weekend and now Wimbledon has started so I shouldn't be surprised, it always seems to rain then, but this is excessive by anybody's standards. They reckon we've had the same amount of rain we'd usually have over an entire month in the last couple of days ( Read more... )

An archaeological find in Russia has shed light on the migration of modern humans into Europe. Artefacts uncovered at the Kostenki site, south of Moscow, suggest modern humans were at this spot about 45,000 years ago. The first moderns may have entered Europe through a different route than was previously thought, the international team reports ( Read more... )

A UK-led team is challenging cherished ideas on Greek mythology by proposing an alternative site for Ithaca. The island was said to be the home of Odysseus, whose 10-year journey back from the Trojan War is chronicled in Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Most people think the modern-day Ionian island of Ithaki is the location, but geologists are this ( Read more... )

I'm in a snippets kind of mood today so, after mooching about the BBC's website, my picks of the day:

Palaeontologists have discovered a bizarre whale fossil in Australia with a set of fearsome teeth. The specimen has surprised scientists because it belongs to the group known as baleen whales. Scientists had thought that two groups of ancient ( Read more... )

Yesterday I did updates on mythos over at Elemmiire, food related stuff. I'm not entirely sure why that sprang to mind, but it did. It all links together better now though anyway so that's a good thing.

Today, I'm planning to research Chromatophores. They are pigment-containing and light-reflecting cells that are largely responsible for ( Read more... )