The latest in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Smithsonian Human Evolution

2010-03-17T14:03:49Z

The David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins exhibit is seen at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, on Wednesday, March 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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Hobbit ancestors once colonized Indonesia island

2010-03-17T13:32:53Z

<div><p>HONG KONG (Reuters) - Ancestors of a hobbit-like species of humans may have colonized the Indonesian island of Flores as far back as a million years ago, much earlier than thought, according to a new study published Thursday.</p><p>These early ancestors, or hominins, were previously thought to have arrived on the island about 800,000 years ago but artifacts found in a new archaeological site suggest...

Wrong religion: Israeli ruins re-identified

2010-03-17T12:30:57Z

<div id="subtitle">Galilee ruins, thought to be synagogue, now believed to be palace of Muslim caliphs</div><div><p>Israeli archaeologists have announced that ruins long thought to be of an ancient synagogue are actually the remains of a palace built by Arab caliphs 1,300 years ago.</p><p>The site, on the banks of the Sea of Galilee, was identified as a sy...

'Hobbit' island colonised much earlier than thought

2010-03-17T11:16:50Z

<div><p>Flores, the Indonesian island where skeletal remains of famous "hobbit hominids" were found in 2003, was colonised by humans much earlier than thought, scientists said on Wednesday.</p><p>Humans settled in Flores around a million years ago, at least 120,000 years sooner than previously estimated, they reported in the journal Nature.</p><p>Flores leapt into the headlines seven...

Smithsonian opens $21M human evolution hall

2010-03-17T06:45:17Z

<div id="subtitle">Smithsonian's Natural History museum opens $21 million permanent exhibit on human evolution</div><div><p>The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History is opening a new permanent exhibit exploring human evolution over 6 million years.</p><p>The nearly $21 milli...

Poll: Public attitudes toward US census improving

2010-03-16T14:16:31Z

<div id="subtitle">With 2010 census under way, public awareness improving but concerns about intrusion linger</div><div><p>With the 2010 census under way, about 1 in 10 people may not participate in the population count, with many saying they see little personal benefit from the government survey or have concerns that it may be intrusive, according to a poll released Tuesday.</p><p>The Pew Resea...

Amenhotep III and Thoth statues unearthed in Luxor

2010-03-16T13:15:39Z

<div><p>CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian archaeologists have discovered two red granite statues in Luxor, one of Tutankhamun's grandfather Amenhotep III who reigned about 3,350 years ago, Egypt's antiquities chief said Tuesday.</p><p>The second statue was of the ancie...

3,400-year-old statues unearthed in Egypt

2010-03-16T08:00:34Z

<div id="subtitle">Archaeologists unearth 2 red granite statues in Luxor dating back 3,400 years</div><div><p>A team of archaeologists unearthed two large red granite statues in southern Egypt at the mortuary temple of one of the most powerful pharaohs, who ruled nearly 3,400 years ago, the Culture Ministry said Tuesday.</p><p>A ministry statement said the team discovered a 13 ...

Taiwan offers cash prize for birth-boosting slogan

2010-03-15T23:15:52Z

<div><p>Taiwan offered one million Taiwan dollars (31,250 US) Tuesday for a catchy slogan to help boost the island's dwindling birth rate, one of the world's lowest.</p><p>"We are seeking a creative slogan that would appeal to the public and make everybody want to have children," an interior ministry statement said.</p><p>Taiwan's authorities have been offerin...

US census forms arrive in the mail: What to expect

2010-03-15T13:30:15Z

<div id="subtitle">With money and politics at stake, US census forms arrive in the mail; next few weeks critical</div><div><p>Let the count begin.</p><p>More than 120 million U.S. census forms begin arriving Monday in mailboxes around the country, in the government's once-a-decade population count that will be used to divvy up congressional seats and more than $400 billion in federal aid. Fast-growing s...

CENSUS COUNT

2010-03-15T02:32:34Z

U.S. map shows participation rate in 2000 Census by county

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Common problems when filling out US census forms

2010-03-15T00:45:26Z

<div id="subtitle">Some common problems when filling out US census forms: Household, residence and race</div><div><p>Some common problems when filling out U.S. census forms, which arrive by mail beginning Monday:</p><p>_HOUSEHOLD AND RESIDENCE: These are determined by where people live or sleep most of the time as of April 1. Household members should include babies born on or before April 1, 2010, as we...

Census Let the Count Begin

2010-03-15T01:30:26Z

FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2010 file photo, U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Groves stands outside the during a media interview in the remote Inupiat Eskimo village Noorvik, Alaska. More than 120 million U.S. census forms begin arriving Monday, March 15, 2010, in mailboxes...

Varna, Bulgaria: The Sea Capital

2010-03-14T10:09:48Z

Varna is the sea capital of Bulgaria. It is also referred as the summer capital of the country. Varna is the major tourist destination of Bulgaria along with being the Bulgarian?s naval headquarters. It is one of the busiest yet most beautiful ports of the country enriched with a number of archaeological marvels. The port of Varna was discovered by the Greeks way back in 570 BC. The city is surrounded wi...

Roller Skates For Kids

2010-03-14T08:32:35Z

The 80's and 90's saw an explosion of different types of rollers and roller skates, this has now become of form of exercise and sport, best for sociable meetings and really effective in burning fats and raising muscle mass. The rest is history, the roller blade and roller skate hysteria has caused city's to shut down as thousands take to the streets with their skates and join together in a demo of amazing human traffic, new sorts of sports were created as skates started to be the new way to m...

Stolen sarcophagus returns to Egypt from US

2010-03-13T07:00:10Z

<div id="subtitle">3,000-year-old stolen sarcophagus returns to Egypt from US; wooden coffin belonged to noble</div><div><p>A 3,000-year-old wooden sarcophagus confiscated at the Miami airport was returned to Egypt Saturday, as the antiquities chief pressed forward with his campaign to recover Egypt's stolen heritage.</p><p...

Piltdown Man ? Most Influential Hoax

2010-03-13T08:47:01Z

In 1912 Charles Dawson an amateur British archaeologist discovered the first skull of apparently primitive hominid, ancestor of man - Piltdown man or Eoanthropus dawsoni in the Piltdown quarry of Sussex, England. The finding was exquisitely unique as the skull was expected to be the fossilised remains of a concealed form of early man - Homo sapiens with a primitive jaw.<br><br>A...

Chianciano Terme Italy

2010-03-12T18:39:34Z

The city of Chianciano Terme is located in the region of Tuscany in Italy. The city lies in the Province of Siena and it can be found about 90 kilometers southeast of Florence. It is also 50 kilometers southeast of Siena. The city of Chianciano Terme is situated between the Val d?Orcia and the ...

U.S. Marines Man Outpost In Restive Helmand Province

2010-03-12T06:33:02Z

KHAN NESHIN, AFGHANISTAN - MARCH 11: (FRANCE OUT) A Pashtun boy goat herder smiles on March 11, 2010 near Khan Neshin in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Marines in the area have been assigned to help gather census data for planned Afghan government in the area, and are m...

Decapitated skeletons were Vikings: scientists

2010-03-12T06:15:27Z

<div><p>Dozens of decapitated skeletons which were uncovered during an excavation in Dorset were those of 1,000-year-old Vikings, scientist said Friday.</p><p>The macabre discovery in June of a neatly stacked pile of skulls next to a mass of male bones in a Weymouth burial pit sparked speculation about who the victims were.</p><p>Scientists from