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Cool Science News

By gregladen on November 12, 2007.

New Fossils, Ancient Candy, and Cute Owls

Md. Scientists Monitor Saw-Whet Owls from PhysOrg.com

(AP) -- The high-pitched, staccato mating call of a northern saw-whet owl pierces the night and lures birds into a gossamer net that researchers have strung along the Appalachian Trail.

[...]

Rare great ape fossil challenges evolutionary theory: study from PhysOrg.com

Archaeologists have discovered the ancient jawbone of what appears to be a new species of ape that was very close to the last common ancestor of gorillas, chimpanzees and humans, a study released Monday said.

[...]

CentrAm natives savored chocolate before 1000 BC from PhysOrg.com

Natives of Central America were drinking beverages made from cacao before 1000 BC, 500 years earlier than previously thought, a study to be released Monday said.

[...]

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The partial faces of Anoiapithecus (left), Pierolapithecus (center), and Dryopithecus (right). (Images not to scale) Our species is just one branch of a withering part of the evolutionary tree, the great apes. Along with the handful of species of chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans, we are all…

Hey, just wanted to say I really like your blog: along with Tetrapod Zoology it is one of my favorites.

It's refreshing to click on a science blog and see a discussion of real science and not complaining about ID or politics (not that it's not warranted, but I like to compartamentalize that stuff sometimes).

Chocolate yes, candy no! The Mayan word for chocolate, chocolatl, means bitter water. The fatty, chocolate seeds were ground into a paste, whipped into a froth in hot water, and flavored with powdered chili pepper and allspice. This hot chocolate packed a stimulating jolt of theobromine and spicy bitterness. Another early use of chocolate that is more to our liking is mole, a nice spicy, chocolaty, nutty cooking sauce. Try it on some leftover turkey.