Arctic ponds that have sustained thriving ecosystems for thousands of years are completely disappearing, a new climate change study shows.

Getting airborne was a challenge for the giant Argentavis magnificens, a condorlike bird that soared over South America about six million years ago.

Hurricanes could speed up recovery of bleached coral reefs by stirring up deep, cool, restorative water, a new study says.

A 1.2-million-year-old tooth discovered last week in northern Spain came from Western Europe's earliest known human, according to the team that made the find.

Our universe may have been born from a previous universe's "big bounce." But we'll never know too much about that universe, a new theory suggests.

Adventurers exploring a cave on an island in the Indian Ocean have discovered the most complete and well preserved dodo skeleton ever found, scientists announced.

The world's largest group of gray-shanked douc langurs, among the world's most endangered primates, was found thriving in the forests of central Vietnam.

The mummy of a salt mine worker, naturally preserved in the mineral for 1,800 years, surfaced recently in Iran—but scientists might just leave it be.

Results from a new Antarctic ice core reveal wild swings of 15 degrees Celsius (27 degrees Fahrenheit) in polar temperatures over the past 800,000 years.

Artifacts that may be the earliest evidence of modern humanity in India suggest that humans there survived a giant volcanic eruption 74,000 years ago.

Ancient genetic material from the southern part of the island suggests that the region supported a diverse forest as much as 800,000 years ago.

Despite its bathtub-ready appearance, Hyperion—Saturn's largest irregularly shaped moon—is anything but spongy.

See Crittercam footage and ride underwater with a pod of whales that work together to form a net of bubbles.

The massive tempest is currently "starving" the solar-powered rovers, so NASA has put the robots on regular nap-time schedules to try and wait out the storm.

A rare species of squid, dubbed "octosquid" because of its eight tentacles and squidlike body, has surfaced through a deep-sea pipeline in Hawaii.

Scientists need to rethink what constitutes life in their search for ETs and seek out so-called "weird" life-forms that could thrive in extreme environments, a new report says.

China's widespread air pollution—a side effect of its booming economy—causes about 656,000 deaths annually, says a new report.

Previous measurements of Earth's girth were slightly off, but the difference is enough to affect forecasts of sea-level rise and other effects of global warming.

Remains of chili peppers prepared and eaten by Zapotec Indians as far back as A.D. 600 reveal a surprisingly diverse diet similar to modern Mexico's.

The love life of an unusual African fish has been revealed—mates engage in electrical "duets" when they feel the spark of romance, a new study finds. With audio.

Using a technique that measures how much gravity bends light, astronomers say they have spotted early stars in galaxies more than 13 billion light-years away.

New medical scans bolster the theory that an unidentified corpse is Akhenaten—the heretic pharaoh married to Nefertiti who some believe was Tut's father.

Photos: Who Was Tut's Father?

Texas has sprouted a veritable jungle of foliage following one of the state's rainiest Junes on record.

At least one affected region reports killing 90 tons of rats in an effort to curb a rodent invasion, linked to recent flooding, that is ravishing crops and threatening public health.

Some comets streaking through the atmosphere may have a more uniform mixture of ingredients than scientists had previously believed.

Paintings and etchings found in cliffs south of Cairo look just like—and are as old as—the iconic Stone Age art of Spain and France.

A six-month-old baby mammoth found in Russia's remote Siberian north is the best preserved example of the species ever recovered.

One of the largest giant squid ever found washed up on a beach in southern Australia yesterday, offering potentially crucial clues to the animal's habits and habitat.

A gas giant orbiting a distant star shows signatures of water vapor in its atmosphere, a find that some say is the first evidence of water on a so-called exoplanet.

When a baby beluga whale accidentally beaches itself on an Arctic shore, every hour counts. Will the life-saving tide return in time to save the calf?

In less than five years, a Pacific butterfly has developed defenses against a parasitic bacterium, showing evolution can move at "warp speed," scientists say.

Seven skeletons found in a remote canyon were victims of a massacre that may have been part of an ancient campaign of genocide, archaeologists say.

Photos: Mysterious Culture Unearthed

Cyclical changes in the sun's energy output are not responsible for recent global warming, a new study asserts—placing the blame mostly on people.

Understanding the source of gases that cause some volcanoes to pop like a bottle of champagne could help protect tourists and others from the unpredictable and explosive blasts.

An ancient jawbone found in Ethiopia could rekindle the debate about how many species of human ancestors roamed East Africa three to four million years ago.

Dino soup, anyone? For centuries, the Chinese have likely used dinosaur bones—thought to be mythical dragon bones—as ingredients in their medicine and food.

Fleshy corals are vanishing as bleaching events intensify, experts warn, noting that entire species could go extinct before they are even discovered.

Human walkers exert far less energy than their chimp counterparts, suggesting evolution may have steered humans toward moving on two legs.

Elephants appear to have developed the ability to steer clear of the land mines that litter the war-ravaged country, scientists report.

In a crafty evolutionary hoax, six newly discovered orchid species are shaped like female wasps to trick males into pollinating them.

"Killer electrons," supercharged particles that pose a significant hazard to spacecraft and astronauts, are formed right in Earth's back yard, new research shows.

Neandertals and other early human species that lived outside Africa are not among our direct ancestors, a new study says.

Scours and streamlined features on the seafloor of the English Channel provide the best evidence yet that gushing floodwaters cut Britain off from mainland Europe, scientists say.

One of the world's rarest creatures, Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, appears to be alive and well, scientists say. And reportedly it's also quite delicious.

"Geckel," a next-generation tape based on two of nature's greatest clingers, may soon be appearing in clothing and bandages.

A vicious drought has sent hordes of kangaroos hopping through Australia seeking sustenance—and more often than not, their search ends in cities.

The surface of the icy moon Iapetus froze solid during its infancy, locking the moon into its unusual bulging shape, scientists say.

A boat collision may be to blame for the death of a humpback whale recently found in Alaska with a tongue swollen to the size of a small car.

Yes, mother: Honeybee queens wield ultimate control over their subjects' brains, a new study says.

The high-tech iLimb, being sold for £8,500 (U.S. $17,454), is the first prosthetic hand to offer fully independent digits, its manufacturers announced.

A newfound water source could turn deserts green and "change the course of events" in the war-torn African region, a geologist says.

A rich trove of fossils recently found in New Mexico suggests that dinosaurs took a slow path to domination over life on land.

The rapid melt of small glaciers and mountain ice caps will play a major role in a 22-inch (56-centimeter) rise in sea levels by 2100, a new study predicts.

Birdlike dinosaurs began mating and rearing young before they reached full maturity, a trait more associated with the modern-day crocodile than birds.

A U.S. Army barracks in Oahu has enlisted some unlikely help: Solar power, which is part of a wider energy makeover for keeping military households on track.

A 19-year study in a Chinese nature park revealed that the presence of tourists drove more adult macaques to aggressive behavior against each other and their babies.

Adélie penguins in Antarctica apparently gave up a 38,000-year-old fish diet to focus on krill, after whale and seal hunting created a surplus of the tiny crustaceans.

A species of red algae in the coral reefs off Japan depends on being tended by the dusky farmerfish, recent research suggests.

At least four mountain gorillas were shot dead last weekend in Congo's Virunga National Park, a "disaster" for a species numbering scarcely 700, rangers say.

In 2008, volunteer-minded tourists will be welcomed to the polluted Midway Atoll, where they will clear the remote islands of debris and invasive species.

Maybe we can change the weather, after all: Human activities are shifting global precipitation patterns, a new study says.

The three-year project aims to document the world's largest freshwater fishes, from giant catfish to half-ton stingrays. (First in a new series on megafishes.)

Photos: Meet the Megafishes

DNA from a mastodon tooth has revealed surprising insights into the history of elephants—including similarities to human evolution.

A series of "mini-quakes" in east Africa last week has shaken up residents and left scientists wondering if a nearby volcano or a shifting tectonic plate is to blame.

Uganda's biggest source of revenue could dry up completely if temperatures rise even a little, according to a new report.

Smuggled wildlife seized by federal agents in Los Angeles has increased—and the list often reads like a who's who of the world's most exotic animals.

Photos: Exotic Animals Rescued at Airport

Seeding plankton blooms to suck up the greenhouse gas CO2 could grow profits for a U.S. firm—but several scientists and regulators are unsure about the ecological consequences.

Booming construction is revealing droves of exquisitely—but accidentally—preserved mummies in South Korea.

When complete, this truly salt-of-the-earth accommodation will welcome visitors to Bolivia's remote Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt desert.

Chinese paddlefish have not been seen in the Yangtze River since 2003 and are likely on the path to extinction, scientists warn. (Second in a series on the megafishes)

William the Conqueror's 1066 takeover of England spurred a rash of reported possessions by the devil, suggests a new study that draws parallels with the phenomenon's modern-day resurgence.

A newfound underwater fault near Lebanon spurred a tsunami that devastated Phoenicians 1,500 years ago—and it will happen again, experts say.

The recently unearthed remains of the prehistoric mammal include a pair of massive tusks, the longest of which stretches 16.4 feet (5 meters) long.

For Antarctica's penguins, the global-warming plot thickens: Some species seem to be adapting to the heat, while others are experiencing a foreboding population decline.

The 3,000-year-old fort includes the graves of soldiers and horses and once featured a giant water-filled moat, archaeologists say.

Two Egyptian mummies with fake toes could be evidence of the world's earliest known prosthetic aids.

An influx of voracious jumbo squid in Pacific U.S. waters coincides with a decline in hake, a commercial species used to make imitation crab and fish sticks, a new study reports.

Sorry, horror movie fans. There is no longer enough oxygen in the air to support the bird- and person-size insects that roamed Earth 300 million years ago.

The number of hurricanes that form each year is twice what it was a hundred years ago and shows no signs of "backing down," scientists say.

A unique kind of underwater vacuum has helped stop an invasion of an exotic algae, which is smothering Hawaii's native corals and grasses.

The long-rumored town of Rhakotis, Egypt, did exist centuries before Alexander the Great arrived in Alexandria, according to the first evidence taken from underwater samples.

Hungarian miners have uncovered a scientific oddity: an ancient swamp cypress forest that didn't petrify into stone.

Join a dangerous and controversial catch-and-release shark tournament, as sport fishers and scientists join forces to catch and study the ocean's top predators.

See an 800-year-old murder scene recently discovered in New Mexico, and explore the monuments built by the victims' little-known culture.

See pictures of clarion angelfish, Indian star tortoises and other animals that were confiscated at Los Angeles airport.

See top shots from this year's edition of Spain's breathtaking, bone-breaking running of the bulls-and get the story behind the centuries-old tradition.

See pictures of the world's biggest freshwater fishes, including a bear-size catfish and a half-ton stingray.

See pictures of some of UNESCO's new additions to the World Heritage list, from Sydney's famous opera house to an archaeological city in Iraq.

The magnitude 6.6 quake killed at least eight people, set off landslides, derailed a train, and sparked a fire at a nuclear plant.

From Rome's Colosseum to India's Taj Mahal, see how the recently announced "new seven wonders of the world" stack up against the original list of ancient monuments.

Can an engineer bring sexy back—to the future? One scientist might, if her new space suit design makes it off the launching pad.

See a roundup of the week's news and pictures: floods in Mumbai, an annual pilgrimage in Belarus, China's Qiandao Lake, and more.

See a roundup of the week's news and events: Indonesia's Mount Gamkonara rumbles, snow falls in Buenos Aires after 89 years, Boeing launches its 787 Dreamliner, and more.

See a roundup of the week's news and events: Britain's adventurer swims at the North Pole, heat wave sweeps Europe, fishers hook an ancient fish, and more.

See a roundup of the week's news and events: England experiences worst flood in 60 years, Thirty Years' War skeletons unearthed, and more.