Archaeology & Paleontology

Mass extinction blamed on fiery fountains of coal (NewScientist, Nov. 5)

Evidence found in Ga. of Spanish explorer's trail (AP, Nov. 5)

Before Flowers, Odd Bugs Pollinated Plants (LiveScience, Nov. 5)

Male sabertoothed cats were pussycats compared to macho lions (Physorg.com, Nov. 5)

Oldest American artefact unearthed(naturenews, Nov. 5)

The Many Mysteries of Neanderthals (LiveScience, Nov. 5)

Prehistoric burial ground found on Skye (Press and Journal, Nov. 4)

T. rex's Oldest Relative Discovered (LiveScience, Nov. 3)

Bite Marks Show T. Rex Teens Fought Viciously (LiveScience, Nov. 3)

Environment

Can biodiversity persist in the face of climate change? (Physorg.com, Nov. 6)

Low-Carbon Farms Can Raise Food Output, Food Agency Says (PlanetArk, Nov. 6)

Climate Change, Nitrogen Loss Threaten Plant Life in Arid Desert Soils (Physorg.com, Nov. 5)

Oil spills poison the Red Sea (Christian Science Monitor, Nov. 5)

America’s Most Toxic Cities List Released With Surprising Results (ENN, Nov. 5)

Common Plants Can Eliminate Indoor Air Pollutants (ScienceDaily, Nov. 5)

Study Finds Vital Peatlands Neglected (PlanetArk, Nov. 5)

Carbon trading: How to save a forest (naturenews, Nov. 4)

Timber Harvest Impacts Amphibians Differently During Life Stages (ScienceDaily, Nov. 4)

Taiwan coral reefs need 100 years to recover (TerraDaily/AFP, Nov. 3)

Australia's Emissions Fall As Economy Slows (PlanetArk, Nov. 3)

Degraded Habitats Push More Species to Extinction(Worldwatch Institute, Nov. 3)

Exploration & Adventure

Another alpine-style Himalayan first: Graziani & Trommsdorff climb Nemjung’s south face (mounteverest.net, Nov. 5)

Modern-day explorer re-traces footsteps of Fremont expedition (Wet Mountain Tribune, Nov. 5)

Rocket it and roll[land speed] (BBC News, Nov. 4)

Medicine & Health

Chocolate rich in flavanols may protect the skin from UV (Physorg.com, Nov. 6)

'Spoonful Of Sugar' Makes The Worms' Life Span Go Down (ScienceDaily, Nov. 5)

Amazonian tribe hit by swine flu (BBC News, Nov. 5)

World's Largest Malaria Vaccine Trial Now Underway (TerraDaily/SPX, Nov. 4)

Caffeine Cuts into Sleep, Even Hours Later (LiveScience, Nov. 3)

Peoples & Culture

Babies' language learning starts from the womb (Physorg.com, Nov. 5)

In search of French identity (BBC News, Nov. 5)

Natural Disasters & Weather

Hurricane Ida Pummels Nicaragua East Coast (PlanetArk, Nov. 6)

Tomorrow's weather: Cloudy, with a chance of fractals (New Scientist, Nov. 4)

Flooding deluges Somali refugees (BBC News, Nov. 4)

Pushing Earth With a Breath of Air (ScienceNOW, Nov. 4)

Recent Midwest Quakes Called Aftershocks from 1800s (LiveScience, Nov. 4)

Major quakes could be aftershocks (BBC News, Nov. 4)

Can we manipulate the weather? (Guardian, Nov. 4)

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

Deadly Gas Flows Add to a Lake’s List of Perils (N.Y. Times, Nov. 6)Site requires free registration

Alps Grow and Shrink at Same Time (LiveScience, Nov. 5)

At heart of Yemen's conflicts: water crisis (Christian Science Monitor, Nov. 5)

In unified Germany, split over the past (Washington Post, Nov. 5)Site requires free registration

Radar Reveals Dynamic World Under Antarctica's Ice (npr, Nov. 4)

A City of Mixed Emotions Observes Calvin’s 500th (N.Y. Times, Nov. 4)Site requires free registration

Anthropologist Levi-Strauss dies (BBC News, Nov. 4)

African Desert Rift Confirmed as New Ocean in the Making (University of Rochester News, Nov. 2)

Japanese fishing trawler sunk by giant jellyfish (Telegraph, Nov. 2)

Plants & Animals

Caught In The Act: Butterfly Mate Preference Shows How One Species Can Become Two (ScienceDaily, Nov. 6)

Picking up mates at the white shark café (NewScientist, Nov. 6)

Horse Genome Sequenced (redOrbit, Nov. 5)

Bluefin tuna on edge of extinction, environmentalists warn (TerraDaily/AFP, Nov. 5)

Malaysia Plans To Double Tiger Population By 2020(redOrbit, Nov. 5)

Falklands Wolf First Appeared in North America, Researchers Say (N.Y. Times, Nov. 5)

Scientists 'Unlock' Mystery Of Queen Conch Cultured Pearls (redOrbit, Nov. 4)

Orphan Army Ants Join Nearby Colonies (redOrbit, Nov. 4)

1,147 fish species threatened with extinction: IUCN (Independent, Nov. 4)

Rare whale gathering sighted (BBC News, Nov. 4)

Notorious 'Man-eating' Lions Of Tsavo Likely Ate About 35 People -- Not 135, Scientists Say (ScienceDaily, Nov. 3)

Where Great White Sharks Lurk: Close to Home (LiveScience, Nov. 3)

Science & Technology

Scientists Reproduce a Building Block of Life in Laboratory(Physorg.com. Nov. 6)

What happens when good robots go ‘bad’? (MSNBC, Nov. 5)

History In 3-D: Digitally Archived Works Of Art (ScienceDaily, Nov. 5)

Arabic Speaking Robot Wanted for Mall Employee (redOrbit, Nov. 4)

Light down a wire for solar power (BBC News, Nov. 4)

Family Wind Turbines Gain Momentum in Denmark (National Geographic News, Nov. 4)

Ten inventions that changed the world (New Scientist, Nov. 4)

Space

Carbon Atmosphere Discovered On Neutron Star (redOrbit, Nov. 5)

New type of supernova discovered (MSNBC, Nov. 5)

Success in 'space elevator' competition (YahooNews/AP, nov. 4)

Identity of Puzzling Star Revealed (Space.com, Nov. 4)

Frost-Covered Mars Lander Photographed From Above (Space.com, Nov. 4)

India's space ambitions taking off (Washington Post, Nov. 4)Site requires free registration

NASA Probe Sees Changing Seasons on Mercury (Space.com, Nov. 3)

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