The area surrounding what is now Wuda, Inner Mongolia, once teemed with tropical plants before a tremendous ancient volcanic explosion overwhelmed it. The ash-entombed forest, buried between coal layers, left such remarkably preserved fossilized plants that artists and paleontologists have been able to reconstruct the former wet-forest landscape.

A pair of recent reports in the journal Science have added new insight into the incredible design and function of the human brain.^1,2 The studies focused on the cortex—the part of the brain in the forefront that controls behavior, cognitive processes, and perception.

Where on earth did humans first speak?

According to a 2011 study published in Science, evidence points to language beginning in Africa, which goes along with the very popular "out of Africa" story of human origins.

Octopuses are not warm-blooded animals, yet the speed with which their nerves transmit signals depends on temperature. So how do those that live and move in sub-zero Antarctic waters function just as well as those inhabiting warm, tropical waters? The answer surprised researchers.