Archaeology & Paleontology

Mayan glyphs detail priest's life, blood sacrifices (PhysOrg, Dec. 29)

Turkey seeks return of Santa Claus' bones (BBC News, Dec. 28)

Dinosaur-Killing Firestorm Theory Questioned (Yahoo News/Space.com, Dec. 28)

First molars provide insight into evolution of apes, humans (PhysOrg, Dec. 28)

China says discovers tomb of famed general Cao Cao (Yahoo News/Reuters, Dec. 27)

Pakistan's Turmoil Endangers Its Archaeological Treasures (Time, Dec. 25)

Brewing Up a Civilization [Alcohol's Neolithic origins] (Spiegel, Dec. 24)

Early Whale Was Dwarf Mud-Sucker, Fossils Hint (National Geographic News, Dec. 23)

Ancient Mayans Likely Had Fountains and Toilets (LiveScience, Dec. 23)

Threshold to Cleopatra's mausoleum discovered off Alexandria coast (Guardian, Dec. 23)

Environment

More Carbon Dioxide May Create a Racket in the Seas (N.Y. Times, Dec. 28 Site requires free registration)

Fuel spill at same Alaska reef as Exxon Valdez (EnergyDaily/AFP, Dec. 25)

Global warming will cause plants and animals to migrate (Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 24)

Obama Says Disappointment At Copenhagen Justified (Planet Ark/Reuters, Dec. 24)

Ecosystems strain to keep pace with climate (Reuters, Dec. 24)

Byproducts Of Urban Life Smother Chesapeake Bay (NPR, Dec. 24)

EPA Curbs Ship Emissions (ENN, Dec. 24)

Exploration & Adventure

Antarctic Expeditioners To Have A Truly White Christmas (Planet Ark/Reuters, Dec. 29)

Glider robot a sleek ocean explorer (PhysOrg, Dec. 27)

Behind the Scenes: The First Women in Antarctica (LiveScience, Dec. 24)

Medicine & Health

Disinfectants 'train' superbugs to resist antibiotics (BBC News, Dec. 28)

In New Way to Edit DNA, Hope for Treating Disease (N.Y. Times, Dec. 28) Site requires free registration

Old Ideas Spur New Approaches in Cancer Fight (N.Y. Times, Dec. 28) Site requires free registration

Sugar-free satisfaction: Finding the brain's sweet spot (New Scientist, Dec. 27) Site requires free registration

Study blames two genes for aggressive brain cancer (BBC News, Dec. 27)

Synesthetic Experiences, Such as Seeing a Certain Color Associated With a Number, Are Real and Automatic (ScienceDaily, Dec. 27)

Troubleshooters that block cancer (BBC News, Dec. 26)

Peoples & Culture

French Mosque’s Symbolism Varies With Beholder (N.Y. Times, Dec. 27) Site requires free registration

Pain or prayer? Two ways to grow a religion (New Scientist, Dec. 24) Site requires free registration

Natural Disasters & Weather

'Back to nature' cuts flood risks (BBC News, Dec. 28)

Magma building up in Philippines' Mayon volcano (Yahoo News/AP, Dec. 26)

Monks, tourists, villagers mark Asian tsunami (Yahoo News/AP, Dec. 26)

Tsunami 2004: How 'Noah's Ark' saved 59 lives (Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 24)

Indonesia's Next Big Quake Due Under Mentawais (Planet Ark/Reuters, Dec. 24)

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

Wild horse roundup to begin in Nevada amid protest (Yahoo News/AP, Dec. 28)

Africa-wide "Great Green Wall" to Halt Sahara's Spread? (National Geographic, Dec. 28)

Borneo mega-dams proposal raises fears for tribes, wildlife (TerraDaily/AFP, Dec. 27)

Yellowstone Supervolcano Bigger Than Once Thought (NPR, Dec. 27)

Japan weather agency ends cherry-blossom forecasts (BBC News, Dec. 25)

Edwin Krebs Dies at 91; Discovered a Crucial Bodily Process (N.Y. Times, Dec. 24) Site requires free registration

Plants & Animals

India's Last "Dancing", Endangered Bear Set Free (Planet Ark/Reuters, Dec. 29)

125 pilot whales die on NZ beaches, 43 saved (Yahoo News/AP, Dec. 28)

Body of Sea Urchin is One Big Eye (LiveScience, Dec. 28)

Scientists Start a Genomic Catalog of Earth’s Abundant Microbes (N.Y. Times, Dec. 28) Site requires free registration

Acacia plant controls ants with chemical (BBC News, Dec. 27)

Chimps use cleavers and anvils as tools to chop food (BBC News, Dec. 24)

Ducks fight the battle of the sexes in their genitals (New Scientist, Dec. 23) Site requires free registration

Mystery of Amazon manatee migration solved (BBC News, Dec. 23)

Science & Technology

Cockroaches offer inspiration for running robots (PhysOrg, Dec. 28)

Airport Security: Why It Failed (LiveScience, Dec. 28)

North Magnetic Pole Moving East Due to Core Flux (National Geographic News, Dec. 24)

Space

Giant Planet Set for Cataclysmic Show (ScienceDaily, Dec. 28)

Voyager makes an interstellar discovery (PhysOrg, Dec. 26)

Researchers claim most distant galaxies yet (Nature News, Dec. 24)

Astronauts Get Two Christmases in Space (Yahoo News/Space.com, Dec. 24)

How Some Stars Stay Young (ScienceNOW, Dec. 23)

Are we looking in the wrong places for water on the moon? (New Scientist, Dec. 22) Site requires free registration

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