Going to waste: Virologists say sewage systems are flush with opportunity
In May 2013, Israeli health authorities made a disturbing discovery. A virulent strain of poliovirus had returned to the country for the first time in 25 years—and it was spreading. To make matters worse, the virus had an opportunity to spread further by exploiting a vulnerability in Israel’s vaccination strategy. Image: TheMichaelPDX
The mystery of the dinosaur with crocodile jaws, bear claws and a sail
Look at the jaws of Spinosaurus and you might conclude it was like a crocodile. Examine its gigantic claws and it is like a bear. Its broad, flat toe bones are like those of a wading bird. What could the life of a creature with such apparently conflicting features have been like? Image: Ryan Somma
Have humans been sailors for a million years?
Some researchers say humans have been building and using watercraft to reach new lands for the best part of a million years. It is still a minority view, but one with profound implications. The ancient mariners theory could completely change our perspective on how early humans behaved and communicated with each other. Image: Rodrigo_Soldon
Identity crisis: When is a dinosaur not a dinosaur?
Harry Seeley looked like your typical Victorian gentleman, but he was a killer. In 1887, he destroyed the dinosaurs. Seeley looked at the fossil bones and reached a radical conclusion: technically, he said, there was no such thing as a dinosaur – and for a century, almost everyone agreed with him. Image: p_a_h
The tamed ape: were humans the first animal to be domesticated?
Over the past 30,000 years or so, humans have domesticated all manner of species for food, hunting, transport, materials, to control pests and to keep as pets. But some say that before we domesticated any of them, we first had to domesticate ourselves. Image: Jerzy Kijewski
