|  Ancient Celtic Prince's Grave and Chariot Unearthed  | The 2,500-year-old lavish tomb and chariot of an ancient Celtic prince have been unearthed in France. The ancient princely tomb, which was discovered in a large burial mound, was filled with stunning grave goods, including gorgeous pottery and a gold-tipped drinking vessel. The giant jug was decorated with images of the Greek god of wine and revelry, and was probably made by Greek or Etruscan artists. The stunning new finds "are evidence of the exchanges that happened between the Mediterranean and the Celts," Dominique Garcia, president of France's National institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP), told journalists at a field visit, according to France 24.
| Read More » Search for Alien Life Should Consider All Possibilities, Experts Say  | Scientists scanning the atmospheres of exoplanets for gases produced by alien life should look for more than just oxygen, methane and the other familiar biosignatures that swirl about in Earth's air, Sara Seager and William Bain, both of MIT, wrote in a review article published today (March 6) in the journal Science Advances.
| Read More » ISIS' Attack on Ancient History Called a 'War Crime'  | Last week, ISIS released a video of the group ransacking the Mosul Museum in northern Iraq. Yesterday (March 5), Iraq's Ministry of Culture announced that ISIS had razed one of the famous capitals of the Assyrian empire, the 3,300-year-old city of Nimrud, near the banks of the Tigris River. "The deliberate destruction of cultural heritage constitutes a war crime," UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova said in a statement today. The bulldozing of Nimrud was especially shocking because it is one of the most important archaeological sites not just in Mesopotamia, but the world, said Ihsan Fethi, director of the Iraqi Architects Society.
| Read More » Post-menopausal orcas take lead role in food search, study shows  | Female killer whales live long and productive lives after they stop having babies, playing a critical role in survival of the pod as they lead the hunt for food, particularly in lean times, according to a study released on Friday. Resembling in many ways their human counterparts, female killer whales breed between ages 14 and 40 but can survive well into their 90s, while male orcas, by contrast, die much younger, rarely making it past 50, according to the study in the journal Current Biology. Killer whales join short-finned pilot whales and humans as the only species in which the females can live decades after menopause. In that time, the female killer whales, not burdened by childbearing, pass on important information to the other whales, says the study.
| Read More » Post-menopausal orcas take lead role in food search, study shows  | Female killer whales live long and productive lives after they stop having babies, playing a critical role in survival of the pod as they lead the hunt for food, particularly in lean times, according to a study released on Friday. Resembling in many ways their human counterparts, female killer whales breed between ages 14 and 40 but can survive well into their 90s, while male orcas, by contrast, die much younger, rarely making it past 50, according to the study in the journal Current Biology. Killer whales join short-finned pilot whales and humans as the only species in which the females can live decades after menopause. In that time, the female killer whales, not burdened by childbearing, pass on important information to the other whales, says the study.
| Read More » Cold Comfort: Winter Was No Record-Breaker, NOAA Says  | The bone-chilling cold weather that blasted the eastern United States this winter was miserable for some (and bliss for kids), but no record-breaker. In California, the winter temperature was 1.5 F (0.8 C) above last year's record high, NOAA said.
| Read More » Geologists Climb Into Iceland Volcano, Come Out With Stunning Images  | Four geologists in Iceland had one of the hottest jobs on Earth this week. To capture accurate measurements of toxic volcanic gases, the scientists climbed directly into Iceland's Baugur crater on Wednesday (March 4), where lava bubbled and frothed only three weeks ago. Baugur crater was the tallest and largest crater in the long line of sputtering cones built by the Barbarbunga eruption's spectacular fire fountains. The surface is still a red-hot 1,110 degrees Fahrenheit (600 degrees Celsius) in spots, and the scientists had to wear gas masks and carry oxygen, according to Evgenia Ilyinskaya, a volcanologist with the British Geological Survey.
| Read More » Laser Weapon Stops Truck in Its Tracks — from a Mile Away  | A laser weapon made by Lockheed Martin can stop a small truck dead in its tracks from more than a mile (1.6 kilometers) away, the company announced this week. The laser system, called ATHENA (short for Advanced Test High Energy Asset), is designed to protect military forces and key infrastructure, Lockheed Martin representatives said. The milestone is the highest power ever documented by a laser weapon of its type, according to the company. Lockheed is expected to conduct additional tests of ATHENA.
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