General belief holds the Black Death as an indiscriminate killer that cut down anyone it took hold of regardless of sex, age, or health level. A new study by a pair of anthropologists have revealed, however, that the pandemic was actually more selective than previously thought. More in the full article.

Researchers from Harvard University and Pennsylvania State University are undertaking an ambitious project to beat the heat. They have currently invented a technology which will reduce the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide caused by human emissions and help speed up nature's natural process of cleaning up greenhouse gases.

Read more about the proposed project after the jump!

Researchers from UC San Francisco have finally found some solid evidence that points to a potential cause of the widespread Colony Collapse Disorder that is affecting bees in the U.S. And no, it's not mobile phones.

According to the LA Times, a single-celled parasite called Nosema ceranae has been found in affected hives from across the country. This fungus was responsible for widespread loss of bee colonies in Europe and Asia and may be playing a crucial role in the disappearance of bees in the U.S.

The fungus was also found in some hives where bees had survived. Two other fungi and half a dozen viruses have also been found in the dead bees.

Researchers have cautioned though that the results are still "highly preliminary" and are from only a few hives found in Le Grand in Merced County. "We don't want to give anybody the impression that this thing has been solved," said UCSF biochemist Joe DeRisi. Entomologist Diana Cox-Foster of Pennsylvania State University echoed DeRisi's caution, noting that by itself, N. ceranae "is probably not the culprit ... but it may be one of the key players."

Bee researchers haven't ruled out other factors such as pesticide exposure and inadequate food resources following a drought. "There are lots of stresses that these bees are experiencing," said Cox-Foster, noting that a combination of these factors could be responsible.

If the N. ceranae is found to play a role in CCD, there is still some hope for the bees, which are used to pollinate a third of the country's agricultural crops. There is evidence that the antibiotic fumagillin, used mainly against a closely related parasite called Nosema apis which also affects bees, will also work on N. ceranae.

The belief regarding how modern mammals came about has always been linked with the extinction of the dinosaurs. After the giant lizards were allegedly killed by a meteor crash, theorists claim that mammals smashed into the scene and took over the Earth.

A new study, however, seeks to challenge the established theory by attacking the spatial and chronological integrity of the theory. Scientists at the Texas A&M University and the Pennsylvania State University say that there may actually have been three installments on how everything came about after the monumental reptilian wipeout.

Contrary to popular belief, mammals did not diversify in species as a result of enjoying spatial and food opportunities after the dinosaurs vacated the lot. The researchers say that the fossils found closest in date to dinosaurs were unlikely to be the ancestors of modern furry critters. The mammals of that time were dead-ends in terms of evolution and died out in time like dinosaurs.

What actually happened was that a huge number of mammalian species burst into the scene about 85 million years ago, then some more 55 million years ago, then the most likely ancestors 35 million years ago.

The old theory still holds some water, but rather than one huge burst originally claimed, more and more scientists are realizing that the appearance of species took a serious amount of time. The updated family tree has been raised to 4,510 and paleontologists are working on securing more fossils to verify the new study.

You can read more about this exciting new study by clicking the read URL.

Do you hate your neighbor's blaring radio? Is the dog next door keeping you awake at night? If you're looking for the ultimate quiet neighborhood you can try downtown Mars. Researchers say the cold, thin air on the red planet does not carry sound waves very far. Using a model simulating the Martian atmosphere, they said even a lawnmower's annoying mechanical roar can only be heard within a hundred meters or so.

All kinds of sounds travel the same way - waves of pressure generated by colliding molecules move through air, water or solid objects. The denser the object, the farther sound waves go. In fact, hoofbeats travel faster through the ground than the air. When moving through air, molecules have to travel greater distances to bump to each other and lose energy faster. This is the the principle behind the ear-to-the-ground technique used by Native Americans to detect approaching or departing calvaries. Because the Martian atmosphere is only 0.7% (and mostly CO2) as dense as Earth is, sound waves fade more quickly.

Based on the computer model of how sound moves on Mars developed by Amanda Hanford and Lyle Long of Pennsylvania State University, noise that would travel several kilometers on Earth would die after a few tens of meters on Mars. Henry Bass, a University of Mississippi physicist said, based on these findings, people on Mars need devices that can work with the lower frequencies transmitted by the Martian atmosphere for long distance communication. You mean like cell phones