Stardust in Antarctic snow

The rare isotope iron-60 is created in massive stellar explosions. Only a very small amount of this isotope reaches the earth from distant stars. Now, a research team with significant involvement from the Technical University of Munich has discovered iron-60 in Antarctic snow for the first time. The scientists suggest that the iron isotope comes from the interstellar neighborhood. Read more.

The ‘Skeleton Lake’ Mystery Deepens after Surprising Results of DNA Tests

On the Indian side of the Himalayas, over 16,000 feet above sea level, lies “Skeleton lake,” where a large group of ancient human bones are scattered about at Roopkund Lake, as it is officially called. The 130-foot-wide, shallow glacial lake found in a valley in the Chamoli district of Uttaranchal is frozen most of the year, but on warmer summer days it reveals its harrowing contents. Read more.

Ancient dog bones tell us what was on the menu for both dogs and humans

What dogs ate can reveal clues about 12,000 year old lifestyles

If you’ve ever slipped your Labrador a handful of popcorn, or found that she helped herself to the trash while you were away, you know the human-dog relationship is strongly connected with food. Those wary eyes at Neolithic campsites had much in common with the wistful ones following every bite of your dinner. Dogs have been living alongside us for at least 12,000 years, eating many of the same things we do — both given or scavenged. Read more.

Researchers race to create ultra short-lived medical isotopes

Scientists from the University of Alabama Birmingham, the University of Wisconsin, and Argonne National Laboratory are working on a new process to produce a pair of radioisotopes of the element scandium (Sc) for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The tricky bit is that the isotopes are so unstable that one must be used within four hours of creation, so the process must be extremely fast and efficient. Read more.