Archaeology & Paleontology

Two Explosive Evolutionary Events Shaped Early History Of Multicellular Life (ScienceDaily, Jan. 4)

Insect Attack May Have Been Death Knell for Dinosaurs (ENN, Jan. 3)

Neanderthals Stitched Too Little Too Late (Discovery News, Jan. 3)

"Hobbits" May Have Been Genetic Mutants (National Geographic News, Jan. 3)

Brick by Brick, History Re-Created[St. Mary's, Maryland] (Washington Post, Jan. 3)Site requires free registration

Riddle Of The Jade Jewels Reveals Vast Trade Arena (ScienceDaily, Jan. 2)

Yungang Grottoes in urgent need of attention (Xinhuanet, Jan. 2)

Fresh Fossil Evidence Of Eye Forerunner Uncovered (ScienceDaily, Jan. 2)

Bodies point to Alaska's past (BBC News, Dec. 31)

Grisly discovery of headless bodies gives insight into justice Saxon style (Yorkshire Post, Dec. 31)

Ancient Pandas Competed With Giant Apes for Bamboo (National Geographic News, Dec. 28)

Environment

California sues government for rejecting bid to curb emissions (L.A. Times, Jan. 3) Site requires free registration

Alaska oil exploration to begin (BBC News, Jan. 3)

Alaska Sea Drilling Will Harm Animals, Groups Say (National Geographic News, Jan. 3)

Arctic Warming Faster Above Ground Level, Study Finds (National Geographic News, Jan. 2)

Whatever Happened to Energy Conservation? (LiveScience, Jan. 2)

Germany begins ban on polluting cars in city centres (Physorg.com, Jan. 2)

Gulf Dead Zone Grows With Ethanol Demand(emagazine, Jan. 2)

Climate Pollution From Aviation Increasing (ScienceDaily, Jan. 2)

Cyclists' cellphones help monitor air pollution (New Scientist, Jan. 2)

In a Forest's Breath, Deciphering Climate Clues (NPR, Dec. 31)

Beijing’s Olympic Quest: Turn Smoggy Sky Blue (N.Y. Times, Dec. 29)Site requires free registration

Exploration & Adventure

Southside man reaches South Pole (Dublin People, Jan. 3)

Antarctic marathon tests runners’ patience (Chieftain, Jan. 1)

Gigantic White Bear Hinders Polar Expedition from Setting Record (Russia IC, Dec. 30)

British explorer breaks 'Three Poles' record: newspaper(AFP, Dec. 29)

Medicine & Health

Universal flu jab works in people (BBC News, Jan. 4)

Happiness may be good for your health (YahooNews/Reuters, Jan. 3)

Carbon Dioxide Emissions Linked To Human Mortality (ScienceDaily, Jan. 4)

The fattest state of the union (BBC News, Jan. 3)

Anti-Alzheimer's Mechanism In Omega-3 Fatty Acids Found (ScienceDaily, Jan. 2)

On a Remote Path to Cures(N.Y. Times, Jan. 1)

Politics and graft undermine African health care (ENN/Reuters, Jan. 1)

Peoples & Culture

A Mexican Sweet 15 and a bluejean girl becomes a woman(Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 4)

Designer’s Rainbow Brightens Iranian Women’s Look (N.Y. Times, Jan. 2)Site requires free registration

New Year rat craze grips Russia (BBC News, Jan. 1)

Gay Muslims Pack a Dance Floor of Their Own(N.Y. Times, Jan. 1)Site requires free registration

Corporate India's caste consciousness (BBC News, Jan. 1)

A Joker Woos a President, and Keyboards Clatter (N.Y. Times, Dec. 29)Site requires free registration

Natural Disasters & Weather

Reason for Earthquake Season Revealed (LiveScience, Jan. 4)

Sound Waves Can Trigger Earthquake Aftershocks (ScienceDaily, Jan. 3)

Anger and Blame After Deadly Flood in Northwest (N.Y. Times, Jan. 3)Site requires free registration

Australia Hit by Floods, Fires Amid Global Warming (PlanetArk, Jan. 3)

"Oddball" Weather Events Add to Record-Breaking 2007 (National Geographic News, Jan. 2)

Chile volcano forces evacuations (BBC News, Jan. 2)

2007 A Top Ten Warm Year For U.S. And Globe (ScienceDaily, Dec. 31)

Global and U.S. Hazards/Climate Extremes (updated weekly on Wednesdays)

Earthweek: A Diary of the Planet [pdf] (updated late Fridays)

People & Places in the News

Even France, Haven of Smokers, Is Clearing the Air (N.Y. Times, Jan. 3)Site requires free registration

Naples 'suffocated' by rubbish, again (TerraDaily/AFP, Jan. 3)

Flathead: Next National Park? (The Tyee, Jan. 3)

Canada's climate change boomtown (BBC News, Jan. 2)

Unique Kenyan Game Park Under Human Threat (PlanetArk, Jan. 2)

Oil in North Dakota Brings Job Boom and Burdens (N.Y. Times, Jan. 1)Site requires free registration

Declining Water Levels In The Great Lakes May Signal Global Warming (ScienceDaily, Jan. 1)

Brazil's oil 'blessing' is no energy panacea (Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 31)

Searching for Life in Greenland's Icy Interior (NPR, Dec. 29)

Plants & Animals

Bio-rich Costa Rica's new marvels (BBC News, Dec. 4)

Nearly 50 endangered Indian crocs found dead (TerraDaily/AFP, Jan. 4)

Brazil's rare alligators 'stolen' (BBC News, Jan. 4)

Unemployed to sterilize monkeys in India(YahooNews/AP, Jan. 3)

Danger: Chimps --Animals Need Help, and Need to Remain Wild (Washington Post, Jan. 3)Site requires free registration

Lions Devour S.African Man at Game Farm (PlanetArk, Jan. 3)

New Owl Butterfly Species Naming Rights Auctioned For $40,800 (ScienceDaily, Jan. 3)

Drunken flies get hypersexual (Nature News, Jan. 3)

Climate change threatens wolverines in Glacier (Great Falls Tribune, Jan. 3)

Parasitic butterflies fool ants with smell (New Scientist, Jan. 3)

Look who, who is moving to the city [owls] (Oregonian, Jan. 2)

Unpigmented penguin something special for Antarctic scientists(ABC News Online, Jan. 2)

Cost of coitus: Male monkeys pay for sex (YahooNews/AFP, Jan. 2)

'Laughs' not exclusive to humans (BBC News, Jan. 2)

A Divide as Wolves Rebound in a Changing West (N.Y. Times, Jan. 2)Site requires free registration

Do polar bears need U.S. protection?(Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 2)

Wood pigeons 'flocking to towns' (BBC News, Jan. 1)

Can They Stay Out of Harm’s Way? [jaguars] (N.Y. Times, Jan. 1)Site requires free registration

Showing Mushrooms' True Colors(Washington Post, Dec. 31)Site requires free registration

Returning the Condor To South America's Skies (Washington Post, Dec. 29)Site requires free registration

Science & Technology

Las Vegas to Build World’s First 30 Story Vertical Farm (ENN< Jan. 4)

Quest For A New Class Of Superconductors (ScienceDaily, Jan. 4)

Sugarcane ethanol: Brazil's biofuel success (ENN, Jan. 3)

Diamond's Structural Secrets Revealed (LiveScience, Jan. 3)

Strange-behaving crystals could have impact on research, technology(Physorg.com, Jan. 3)

Life at the jolt: New insights into fuel cell that uses bacteria to generate electricity(Physorg.com, Jan. 3)

When It Comes To Metal, Smaller Is Stronger: Now Scientists Know Why (ScienceDaily, Jan. 3)

People power to warm new building in Stockholm: project leader (Physorg.com, Jan. 2)

Purdue students sniff manure for science (YahooNews/AP, Jan. 1)

Space

Hot Cyclones Churn at Both Ends of Saturn(Physorg.com, Jan. 4)

Must-See Meteor Shower Friday Morning (LiveScience, Jan. 3)

Saturn's Spots Mystify Astronomers (Space.com, Jan. 3)

Mars rovers continue to amaze after four years (MSNBC, Jan. 3)

Asteroid's Martian Impact: What Might Happen (Space.com, Jan. 3)

Red Dust In Planet-forming Disk May Harbor Precursors To Life (ScienceDaily, Jan. 3)

Airborne astronomers to track intense meteor shower(New Scientist, Jan. 3)

First planet discovered around a youthful star(New Scientist, Jan. 2)

Lectures, Meetings, & Conferences

Sources:

Conference Calendar for Zoology (BIOSIS)

Meridian International Center Events

National Academy of Sciences Events

National Air and Space Museum Events

National Journal Daybook [includes environment-related events in Washington]

National Museum of Natural History Events

National Press Club

Smithsonian Resident Associate Programs