Certain items seem to have just the right combination of shapes and colors to have universal aesthetic appeal. For example, few fail to appreciate the glory of a sunset on the beach, and many varieties of flowers have captivated people since time immemorial. Although the world is filled with a multitude of such wonders, only mankind seems to possess the ability to appreciate beauty.

What do the oldest European artworks and the domestication of animals have in common? A Penn State University paleoanthropologist suggested that they are evidence of a unique connection with animals that profoundly shaped the evolutionary development of early man.

Do chimpanzees have their own culture? If so, some researchers would connect their behaviors to aspects of human culture, which they believe supports an evolutionary relationship. But current developments shed doubt on that idea.

Humans are in rare company when it comes to singing duets. Humpback whales perform original couples' songs, as do a handful of birds. It was thought that bird duets were just for mating purposes, but a study on zebra finches has opened a new window on bird behavior.

Turinah, a woman who lives in south Sumatra, claimed to be 157 years old in the latest Indonesian census. She has no records to prove her claim, but other evidence suggests she might be telling the truth. Is it biologically feasible that a person born in 1853 could still be alive in 2010?