Ancient rock etchings along a dried-up lake bed in Nevada have been confirmed to be the oldest recorded petroglyphs in North America, dating back at least 10,000 years. The petroglyphs found on limestone boulders near Pyramid Lake in northern Nevada's high desert are similar in design to etchings found at a lake in Oregon that are believed to be at least 7,600 years old. Unlike later drawings that sometimes depict a spear or antelope, the carvings are abstract with tightly clustered geometric designs - some are diamond patterns, others have short parallel lines on top of a longer line. Scientists can't tell for sure who carved them, but they were found on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe's reservation land. "We initially thought people 12,000 or 10,000 years ago were primitive, but their artistic expressions and technological expertise associated with these paints a much different picture," said Eugene Hattori, the curator of anthropology at the Nevada State Museum in Carson City who … [Read more...] about CBS News Logo Nevada petroglyphs the oldest in North America
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CBS News Logo Paleontologists identify oldest horned dinosaur in North America
Paleontologists have identified the fossil of a horned dinosaur the size of a house cat that is the oldest of its kind ever discovered in North America - by 15 million years. The skull and the jaw of Aquilops americanus were found by Scott Madsen back in 1997 in what is called the Cloverly Formation of southern Montana. It languished for years before they published findings recognizing it as being a milestone artifact. "Scott initially thought it was generic, plant-eating dinosaur but it turned out it was one of these early horned dinosaurs. That is a really exciting find," said Andrew Farke, a paleontologist with Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology and a co-author on a study in PLOS One Wednesday that described the discovery. "Up to this point, all that was known for horned dinosaurs were just isolated teeth and fragment bones," he said. "This new find is the first one that allows us to say exactly what kinds of horned dinosaurs lived in North America about 108 million years ago." … [Read more...] about CBS News Logo Paleontologists identify oldest horned dinosaur in North America
CBS News Logo Ozone hole over Antarctica is larger than North America
The hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica is nearing record-breaking size again, scientists say. In fact, new observations show that the infamous "ozone hole" is currently larger than the entire continent of North America. Researchers at the German Aerospace Center are using Earth-observing satellites to monitor the protective ozone layer and recently reported that a large, nearly circular hole over Antarctica extends over an area measuring 26 million square km (10 million square miles). Losing part of the ozone layer over Antarctica is an annual phenomenon, but for the past nine years, the ozone hole has been consistently smaller than the record-breaking 27 -million-square-km (10.4 million square miles) ozone hole measured in 2006, according to annual records from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Scientists thought the apparent stabilization indicated that the ozone layer was recovering very gradually. But this year's ozone hole surprised them because it formed a whole month … [Read more...] about CBS News Logo Ozone hole over Antarctica is larger than North America
CBS News Logo Disasters down overall in 2017, but North America couldn’t catch a break
NEW ORLEANS -- North America couldn't catch a break in 2017. Parts of the United States were on fire, underwater or lashed by hurricane winds. Mexico shook with back-to-back earthquakes. The Caribbean got hit with a string of hurricanes. The rest of the world, however, was spared more than usual from the drumbeat of natural catastrophes. Preliminary research shows there were fewer disasters and deaths this year than on average, but economic damages were much higher. While overall disasters were down, they smacked big cities, which were more vulnerable because of increased development, said economist and geophysicist Chuck Watson of the consulting firm Enki Research. Puerto Rico authorities: Nearly half of power customers still lack electricity In a year where U.S. and Caribbean hurricanes set a record $215 billion in damages, according to insurance giant Munich Re, no one in the continental U.S. died from storm surge, which traditionally is the No. 1 killer during … [Read more...] about CBS News Logo Disasters down overall in 2017, but North America couldn’t catch a break
The oldest white oak tree in North America is on its last limbs
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. -- At the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church in Basking Ridge, New Jersey -- they don’t need stained glass to make their windows breathtaking. Parishioner John Klippel says that for the entire 300-year history of this church, one of the most magnificent oak trees known to man has been filling the panes here. The church was intentionally built beside the tree and the town grew up around the church. “Everybody that has ever lived here has recognized that tree as sort of a symbol of home,” John said. George Washington walked past it. Some of his soldiers are buried under it. The tree predates America and Columbus – pretty much everything we know came after this one, 600-year-old oak. But now our matriarch is fading. After decades of leaning on cables and crutches, experts say the oldest white oak tree in North America is on its last limbs. Local residents can’t believe … [Read more...] about The oldest white oak tree in North America is on its last limbs