Archaeology & Paleontology

Oil spill threatens archaeological sites along Gulf Coast (GulfLive, May 13)

Ancient Fish Story Revealed by Fossilized Tracks (Live Science, May 13)

Feathers too weak for early bird flight [Early flying animals' feathers helpful only for gliding] (Yahoo News/AP, May 13)

Ancient DNA set to rewrite human history (Nature News, May 12)

Weird wonders lived past the Cambrian (Nature News, May 12)

China unearths 114 new Terracotta Warriors (BBC News, May 12)

Easter Island discovery sends archaeologists back to drawing board (EurekAlert, May 12)

Digging up Brahe [A search for clues to the astronomer's death--and life] (Prague Post, May 12)

The mystery of the Ming dynasty galleon and China's 16th-century exports (Telegraph, May 11)

Environment

Gulf Oil Disaster May Cast Long and Costly Economic Shadow (Live Science, May 14)

BP's next try to stem oil gusher: Smaller tube (Yahoo News/AP, May 13)

Size of Oil Spill Underestimated, Scientists Say (N.Y. Times, May 13) Site requires free registration

The E.P.A. Announces a New Rule on Polluters (N.Y. Times, May 13) Site requires free registration

Global warming: Earth could become unbearably hot, researchers say (Christian Science Monitor, May 12)

Senate Gets a Climate and Energy Bill, Modified by a Gulf Spill That Still Grows (N.Y. Times, May 12) Site requires free registration

3 Future Oil-Spill Fighters: Sponges, Superbugs, and Herders (National Geographic News, May 11)

Exploration & Adventure

First Hole in North Pole Ice Drilled by Explorers (Live Science, May 13)

François Bernard and Frederik Paulsen's Ultra-light crossing of the Bering Strait (ExplorersWeb, May 12)

Medicine & Health

Dementia Can Render Flavors Meaningless (Live Science, May 14)

Under-Skin Defibrillators Seen Closer to Reality (N.Y. Times, May 12) Site requires free registration

Mom's Voice Just as Comforting as a Hug (LiveScience, May 12)

Doubt Is Cast on Many Reports of Food Allergies (N.Y. Times, May 11) Site requires free registration

Peoples & Culture

Muslim designers mix the hijab with latest fashions (BBC News, May 14)

In India, Can Schools Offer Path Out Of Poverty? (NPR, May 14)

Kenyan Constitution Opens New Front in Culture Wars (N.Y. Times, May 13) Site requires free registration

Along The Ganges, Old India Meets New (NPR, May 13)

Silent Spring For Mongolians After Winter Kills Herds (Planet Ark/Reuters, May 13)

Navelli Journal: Growers Feel the Squeeze to Sell a Pinch of Saffron (N.Y. Times, May 12) Site requires free registration

Some Indian villages prefer to put women in power (Christian Science Monitor, May 12)

Natural Disasters & Weather

Could Tennessee's Flooding Have Been Prevented? (NPR, May 13)

Hot science from a volcanic crisis [Mount St. Helens left an indelible mark on volcanology] (Nature News, May 12)

Oklahoma tornado chasers nail forecasts, say more tornadoes possible (Christian Science Monitor, May 12)

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

Concerns over Zimbabwe's 'Noah's Ark gift' to N Korea (BBC News, 14)

East Africa seeks more Nile water from Egypt (BBC News, 14)

After Long Ban, Western China Is Back Online (N.Y. Times, May 13) Site requires free registration

Tibetans developed genes to help them adapt to life at high elevations (PhysOrg, May 13)

How do 'lone survivors' of air disasters cope? (BBC News, May 13)

The dinosaur wonders of India's Jurassic Park (BBC News, May 11)

In Haiti, international relief targets rats and bugs (Christian Science Monitor, May 10)

Plants & Animals

Dolphin, Turtle Deaths Eyed For Links To Oil Spill (Planet Ark/Reuters, May 14)

Folk medicine poses global threat to wild dog species (BBC News, May 14)

Fungus hits Afghan opium poppies (BBC News, May 13)

'Unique' frog species discovered by scientists in India (BBC News, May 13)

Mass Lizard Extinctions Looming; Global Warming Blamed (National Geographic News, May 13)

Spiders Devour Ants Front-End First (LiveScience, May 13)

Some Cod Populations at Historic Lows (Live Science, May 13)

What Makes World's Strongest Animal -- The Tiny Copepod -- So Successful? (ScienceDaily, May 13)

Colossal Squid a Soft, Sluggish Drifter (National Geographic News, May 12)

Super Slo-Mo Frog Video Reveals Jumping Secrets (National Geographic News, May 12)

Seafloor Fish Nearly Wiped Out off U.K. (National Geographic News, May 12)

Plants and spiders 'compete for the same food supply' (BBC News, May 12)

Mysterious step in spider silk-making revealed (Christian Science Monitor, May 12)

Scientists stunned as grey whale sighted off Israel (TerraDaily/AFP, May 11)

Tally of marine life reveals a bounty of creatures beneath the surface (Washington Post/AP, May 11) Site requires free registration

Science & Technology

All Species Evolved From Single Cell, Study Finds (National Geographic News, May 13)

China scientists find use for cigarette butts (Yahoo News/Reuters, May 13)

Lasers scan future possibilities (BBC News, May 12)

A Fuel-Saving Car Engine in the Blink of an IRIS (National Geographic News, May 12)

Want to look like a Neanderthal? There's an app for that. (Christian Science Monitor, May 12)

Space

Jupiter has lost one of its cloud stripes (PhysOrg, May 14)

Chaotic space traffic needs rules, less secrecy: US general (Yahoo News/AFP, May 13)

Robot Blimps Could Soar on Other Worlds (Space.com, May 13)

Black hole 'hurled out of galaxy' (BBC News, May 12)

Astronauts Attack Obama’s NASA Plan (N.Y. Times, May 12) Site requires free registration

Russian cosmonauts switch parking spots while moving 17,000 mph (Christian Science Monitor, May 12)

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