ScienceDaily: Fossils & Ruins News

Big toe's big foot holds evolutionary key Posted: 13 Mar 2015 07:18 AM PDT Our skeletons hold tell-tale signs that show that human bipedalism are unique to humans especially when compared to our closest living relatives, apes. Exactly when these signs first appear in our evolutionary history is one of the fundamental questions driving Palaeoanthropology studies today. Scientists have now combined visualization techniques, engineering principles, and statistical analysis into a powerful new way of analyzing the structure of long bones.

Ancient Caribbean tsunami caused by volcano collapse smaller than thought Posted: 12 Mar 2015 11:27 AM PDT Tsunamis triggered by the partial collapse of the Caribbean Monserrat volcano, 13,000 years ago, would have been much smaller than previously thought, according to research. It was previously thought that a large submarine deposit of sediment at the base of the Monserrat volcano was the result of the abrupt, large scale collapse of the volcanic island into the sea. Therefore it had been thought that a high magnitude tsunami must have followed.