| Scientists: We've cracked wheat's genetic code By RAPHAEL G. SATTER 2010-08-27T16:13:36ZLONDON (AP) -- British scientists have decoded the genetic sequence of wheat - one of the world's oldest and most important crops - a development they hope could help the global staple meet the challenges of climate change, disease and population growth.... hosted.ap.org |
David Attenborough in conversation with Richard Dawkins From mayflys and digital dinosaurs to life on Mars and pre-Cambrian fossils, David Attenborough and Richard Dawkins leave no stone unturned as they discuss the state of science guardian.co.uk |
Calif. utility stumbles on 1.4M years old fossils By GILLIAN FLACCUS 2010-09-21T13:38:01ZRIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) -- A utility company preparing to build a new substation in an arid canyon southeast of Los Angeles has stumbled on a trove of animal fossils dating back 1.4 million years that researchers say will fill in blanks in Southern California's history.... hosted.ap.org |
Abu Dhabi shifts plans for $22B clean-energy city By ADAM SCHRECK 2010-10-10T16:29:46ZDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- A $22 billion clean-energy city being built in the desert outside Abu Dhabi will no longer aim to produce all its own power, the developer revealed Sunday following a wide-ranging review that retools some of the project's ambitions.... hosted.ap.org |
Swiss unearth 5,000-year-old door Archeologists find 'remarkable' Neolithic wooden door as old as Stonehenge at site of planned car park in ZurichArchaeologists in Zurich have unearthed a 5,000-year-old door that may be one of the oldest ever found in Europe.The ancient poplar wood door is "solid and elegant" with well-preserved hinges and a "remarkable" design for holding the boards together, archaeologist Niels Bleicher said today.Using tree rings to determine its age, Bleicher believes the door could have been made in 3,063BC, just as construction on Stonehenge began."The door is very remarkable because of the way the planks were held together," he told the Associated Press.Harsh climatic conditions at the time meant people had to build solid houses that would keep out much of the cold wind that blew across Lake Zurich, and the door would have helped, Bleicher said. "It's a clever design that even looks good."The door was part of a settlement of so-called "stilt houses" frequently found near lakes about a thousand years after agriculture and animal husbandry were first introduced to the pre-Alpine region.It is similar to a door found in nearby Pfaeffikon, while a third 窶 made from one solid piece of wood 窶 is believed to be even older, possibly 3,700BC, said Bleicher.The latest door was found at the dig for what is intended to be a new underground car park for Zurich's opera house.Archaeologists have found traces of at least five Neolithic villages believed to have existed at the site between 3,700 and 2,500 years BC, including objects such as a flint dagger from what is now Italy and an elaborate hunting bow.SwitzerlandArchaeologyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |