Christopher Joyce

Tiny, Ancient Tree-Dweller Was One of Earth's Earliest Primates

Christopher Joyce — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 22:19:00 +0000

The origin of the first primates — the group that includes humans, apes and monkeys — is thought to lie in the deep past, about 55 million years ago.

Fossils from that period are rare. But now, there's an exciting new one. It's called Archicebus achilles, roughly meaning "beginning long-tailed monkey." Actually, this creature lived before the monkeys we know of today, a mere 10 million years after the dinosaurs died out.

But A. achilles had some primitive features we associate with monkeys and the rest of the primates.

Big-Mouthed Toucans Key To Forest Evolution

Christopher Joyce — Fri, 31 May 2013 09:16:00 +0000

Brazil is a paradise for birds; the country has more than 1,700 species. Among them is the colorful toucan, a bird with an almost comically giant bill that can be half as long as its body. There are lots of different types of toucan — red-breasted, channel-billed, keel-billed, saffron toucanet — each with its own color-scheme and distinctive call.

Unfortunately, as more humans have moved into Brazil's Atlantic coastal forests, the increase in hunting, logging and farming has taken a toll on the number of toucans.

With Rising Seas, America's Birthplace Could Disappear

Christopher Joyce — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:35:00 +0000

By the end of the century, the birthplace of America may be underwater.

The first successful English colony in America was at Jamestown, Va., a swampy island in the Chesapeake Bay. The colony endured for almost a century, and remnants of the place still exist. You can go there and see the ruins. You can walk where Capt. John Smith and Pocahontas walked. But Jamestown is now threatened by rising sea levels that scientists say could submerge the island by century's end.

You wouldn't know that by looking. In springtime, Jamestown is a carpet of bright new grass.

Bones Tell Tale Of Desperation Among The Starving At Jamestown

Christopher Joyce — Wed, 01 May 2013 22:40:00 +0000

"First they ate their horses, and then fed upon their dogs and cats, as well as rats, mice and snakes."

So says James Horn of the historical group Colonial Williamsburg, paraphrasing an account by colony leader George Percy of what conditions were like for the hundreds of men and women stranded in Jamestown, Va., with little food in the dead of winter in 1609.

They even ate their shoes.

How Doctors Would Know If Syrians Were Hit With Nerve Gas

Christopher Joyce — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:06:00 +0000

President Obama affirmed Tuesday that there's evidence Syrians have been attacked with chemical weapons — in particular, nerve gas.

But that's not the same as proof positive.

"We don't know how they were used, when they were used, who used them," Obama said.