Archaeology & Paleontology

Neanderthals cooked and ate vegetables (BBC News, Dec. 27)

Ancient rock art's colours come from microbes (BBC News, Dec. 27)

Unearthing Prehistoric Tumors, and Debate (N.Y. Times, Dec. 27) Site requires free registration

"Chilling" Child Sacrifices Found at Prehistoric Site (National Geographic News, Dec. 23)

Did the Scots visit Iceland? New research reveals island inhabited 70 years before Vikings thought to have arrived (Unreported Heritage News, Dec. 23)

Ancient Bone's DNA Suggests New Human Ancestors (NPR, Dec. 23)

Environment

Deepwater Horizon’s Final Hours (N.Y. Times, Dec. 25) Site requires free registration

China to spend $30 billion on water conservation in 2011 (ENN/Reuters, Dec. 25)

U.S. Issues Timetable For Carbon Emissions Cuts (Planet Ark/Reuters, Dec. 24)

Waterways Contribute To Growth Of Potent Greenhouse Gas (TerraDaily/SPX, Dec. 22)

Exploration & Adventure

A Female Explorer Discovered On The High Seas [Jeanne Baret] (NPR, Dec. 26)

Frank Bessac, Scholar and Adventurer, Dies at 88 (N.Y. Times, Dec. 25) Site requires free registration

ExplorersWeb 2010 Year in Review (ExplorersWeb, Dec. 22)

Medicine & Health

Delaying Sex Makes Better Relationships, Study Finds (LiveScience, Dec. 28)

Genetic Variant That Can Lead to Severe Impulsivity Identified (ScienceDaily, Dec. 27)

Malaria: A Disease Close to Eradication Grows, Aided by Political Tumult in Sri Lanka (N.Y. Times, Dec. 27) Site requires free registration

Perceptions: Positive Spin Adds to a Placebo’s Impact (N.Y. Times, Dec. 27) Site requires free registration

Aging: Paying the Physical Price for Longer Life (N.Y. Times, Dec. 27) Site requires free registration

Amygdala at the centre of your social network [A larger emotion-processing brain centre is linked to a bigger circle of friends.] (Nature News, Dec. 26)

Seven-month-old babies can 'read minds' (Nature News, Dec. 23)

Major Breakthrough in the Fight Against Melanoma (ENN, Dec. 23)

Peoples & Culture

Muslim Women Gain Higher Profile in U.S. (N.Y. Times, Dec. 27) Site requires free registration

Political Leanings Revealed by the Eyes (LiveScience, Dec. 27)

Visitors See North Korea Still Stunted by Its Isolation (N.Y. Times, Dec. 26) Site requires free registration

Iraq’s Wild Ones Are Mainly Looking to Impress (N.Y. Times, Dec. 26) Site requires free registration

Necessity Pushes Pakistani Women Into Jobs and Peril (N.Y. Times, Dec. 26) Site requires free registration

Preserving Heritage, and the Fabric of Life, in Syria (N.Y. Times, Dec. 26) Site requires free registration

Yurok seek land for a tribal park on the North Coast (L.A. Times, Dec. 26)

Secularists, Islamists Clash In Iraqi Culture War (NPR, Dec. 23)

Natural Disasters & Weather

Wintry Weather and Global Warming (N.Y. Times, Dec. 27) Site requires free registration

Wheels spin in US winter wonderland (Yahoo News/AFP, Dec. 27)

Sri Lanka's last tsunami orphans (BBC News, Dec. 26)

7.3 quake triggers Pacific tsunami on disaster anniversary (TerraDaily/AFP, Dec. 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

Uganda yellow fever outbreak kills more than 40 (BBC News, Dec. 27)

African Huts Far From the Grid Glow With Renewable Power (N.Y. Times, Dec. 24) Site requires free registration

Magma Chamber Surprisingly Close to Hawaii's Surface? (National Geographic News, Dec. 23)

US to make 'wild' public land eligible for protection (BBC News, Dec. 23)

8-Year-Olds Publish Scientific Study on Bees (LiveScience, Dec. 22)

Plants & Animals

Tiger team marks 20 years of conflict resolution (BBC News, Dec. 24)

Bat cull 'will not stop white-nose syndrome spreading' (BBC News, Dec. 24)

Elusive Saharan Cheetah Captured in Photos (LiveScience, Dec. 24)

Hong Kong duck returns from epic Arctic trip (BBC News, Dec. 24)

Growing Hypoxic Zones Reduce Habitat for Billfish and Tuna (ScienceDaily, Dec. 23)

Polar bear status at heart of climate war (SpaceDaily/UPI, Dec. 23)

Africa Has Two Species Of Elephants, Not One (Planet Ark/Reuters, Dec. 22)

Science & Technology

The Economist Speculates on the Future of Vertical Farming (TriplePundit, Dec. 27)

A Master’s for Science Professionals Sweeps U.S. Schools (N.Y. Times, Dec. 26) Site requires free registration

In Budget Crunch, Science Fairs Struggle to Survive (N.Y. Times, Dec. 25) Site requires free registration

'Eternal' solar plane's records are confirmed (BBC News, Dec. 24)

New solar fuel machine 'mimics plant life' (BBC News, Dec. 23)

Space

Cassini Spacecraft Photos Show Saturn's 'Blue Moon' in All Its Glory (SPACE.com, Dec. 22)

What's new with Titan? Five intriguing findings about Saturn's moon (Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 22)

Solar Sail flotilla could prevent potential giant asteroid impact (Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 22)

New Zealand releases UFO government files (BBC News, Dec. 22)

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