Archaeology & Paleontology

Giant dinosaurs 'held heads high' (BBC, May 27)

Rising sea levels: Survival tips from 5000 BC (New Scientist, May 26)

Microfossils challenge prevailing views of the effects of 'Snowball Earth' glaciations on life (PhysOrg, May 26)

Fossil Ida's 'father' defends the media hype [History Channel documentary "Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor"] (New Scientist, May 26)

Brisk trade in WWII planes thwarts efforts to recover missing fliers (Boston Globe, May 25)

Mayan underworld filled with gifts, sacrifices to gods (USA Today, May 24)

Study unlocks history of the seas [Archaeological evidence suggests impacts of humans on fish] (BBC News, May 24)

Human pathogens threaten ancient cave art (New Scientist, May 24)

Ocean life in olden days: Researchers upend modern notions of 'natural' animal sizes, abundance (EurekAlert, May 24)

Ancient teeth hint that right-handedness is nothing new (New Scientist, May 23)

Southwest's earliest known irrigation system unearthed in Arizona (L.A. Times, May 23)

Environment

Deforestation 'faster in Africa' (BBC News, May 26)

In Ecuador, an Unusual Carbon-Credit Plan to Leave Oil Untapped (Washington Post, May 26)

Is Antarctica Cooling After All? (ENN, May 26)

Caps, Trades and Offsets: Can Climate Plan Work? (Washington Post, May 26)

Russia makes major shift in climate policy (Nature News, May 26)

Rapid Climate Change Forces Scientists To Evaluate 'Extreme' Conservation Strategies (ScienceDaily, May 26)

Mining the ocean floor (Christian Science Monitor, May 22)

Chile faces climate change challenge (BBC News, May 22)

Attempts to preserve world's forests falling short (Nature News, May 22)

Exploration & Adventure

Climate Change Making Everest Ascent Harder-Sherpa (Planet Ark/Reuters, May 27)

Sub will explore undersea borders (BBC News, May 26)

Medicine & Health

American Diets Getting Worse (Yahoo/Live Science, May 27)

Zimbabwe Faces Continuing Cholera Threat: Red Cross (Planet Ark/Reuters, May 27)

Brain takes just 200 milliseconds to interpret facial expressions (PhysOrg, May 26)

Socialites and Curmudgeons: Two Brain Types (LiveScience, May 26)

Autopsies of War Dead Reveal Ways to Save Others (N.Y. Times, May 25)

Texting May Be Taking a Toll [Potential physical and psychological effects on teens] (N.Y. Times, May 25)

Virus Tamed To Destroy Cancer Cells But Leave Healthy Cells Unharmed (ScienceDaily, May 25)

Opposites attract in human search for mate (Yahoo News/Reuters, May 25)

Vaccine looks likely for H1N1 strains of swine flu (L.A. Times, May 23)

New Needle So Tiny It "Injects" Meds Into Cell Organs (National Geographic News, May 22)

When is a flu pandemic not a flu pandemic? (New Scientist, May 22)

Genes of new flu virus show it's not so new (Yahoo News/Reuters, May 22)

Peoples & Culture

China At 60: Finding Flaws In The National Character (NPR, May 26)

Where Gifts and Stories Are Crucial to Survival [Social networks among hunter-gatherers] (N.Y. Times, May 25)

The Whole World Is Optimistic, Survey Finds (LiveScience, May 24)

Twitter trackers follow public reaction to swine flu (L.A. Times, May 24)

New ideas for Jordan's traditional Bedouin (BBC News, May 22)

Natural Disasters & Weather

Scores are killed by Cyclone Aila (BBC News, May 26)

Brazil floods displace thousands (BBC News, May 26)

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

Iceland whaling season kicks off amid protests (Yahoo News/AFP, May 26)

Pakistan's Taliban rising? Ask the women. (Christian Science Monitor, May 26)

A Better Life Beckons in Africa [U.S. Downturn drives immigrant professionals back home] (Washington Post, May 26)

Former astronaut nominated as next NASA chief (New Scientist, May 24)

What's in a name? In Macedonia, this is no easy question. (Christian Science Monitor, May 22)

Plants & Animals

Five-Million-Year Old Sloth Fossil Found In Peru (Planet Ark/Reuters, May 27)

Rooks reveal remarkable tool use (BBC News, May 26)

Right Whales Return to Former Killing Ground (National Geographic News, May 26)

Komodo Dragons Attacking Islanders (National Geographic News, May 26)

Link Between Sociality And Brain Increase In Carnivores Questioned By Evolutionary Biologists (ScienceDaily, May 26)

Polar Bear-Climate Connection (TerraDaily/SPX, May 26)

Climate link to mockingbird songs (BBC News, May 25)

How Seahorses Evolved to Swim "Standing Up" (National Geographic News, May 22)

Corals upgrade algae to beat the heat (New Scientist, May 22)

Yosemite's giant trees disappear (BBC News, May 22)

Australia lists Tasmanian devils as endangered (MSNBC/AP, May 22)

Science & Technology

Hi-tech aims to improve lifestyle (BBC News, May 26)

New Memory Material May Hold Data For One Billion Years (ScienceDaily, May 26)

In Hot Pursuit of Fusion (or Folly) (N.Y. Times, May 25)

Can robots ever be like humans? (BBC News, May 24)

Man-made star to unlock cosmic secrets (BBC News, May 22)

Space

Space rock yields carbon bounty (BBC News, May 26)

Opportunity Rover Passes 10-Mile Mark on Mars (Yahoo News/Space.com, May 26)

Finally, space station gets crew to fulfill its science mission (Yahoo News/McClatchy, May 26)

Space storm caught slamming into Earth's atmosphere (New Scientist, May 26)

New Technique Could Find Water On Earth-like Planets Orbiting Distant Suns (ScienceDaily, May 26)

Mars robots may have destroyed evidence of life (New Scientist, May 25)

NASA Scientist Decries Agency's Plans [Hubble leader worries about repair capability] (Washington Post, May 23)

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