Explorers in 2008 found a human finger bone in a remote cave in the Altai Mountains of Siberia. At first, the find sparked no great interest. A recent analysis of DNA that was carefully extracted from it, however, has some scientists speculating that it may represent a unique species of Ice Age human.

The beautiful Hawaiian Islands are not only desirable travel destinations, they also provide unique habitats for tropical creatures. When certain caterpillars were found living in the wet mountainous regions, researchers were baffled both by their underwater lifestyle and their nonstandard "evolution." How and why did these insects acquire amphibious traits?

Wood-boring “gribbles” have plagued wooden ships for centuries, and they continue to eat away at piers, docks, and driftwood. Just how do these tiny, pale crustaceans thrive on such tough fare? And do they fulfill any purpose other than destroying man-made marine structures?

Most people are familiar with the barcode labels on items purchased at the store. Silicon-based radio frequency identification, or RFID, tags are another kind of label that has been used for decades to track containers, farm animals, and library books. Now, new nanotube-based tags may replace bar codes and revolutionize the way goods are tracked, shipped, and purchased.