Sci­en­tists have tra­di­tion­ally as­cribed the first peo­pling of the Amer­i­cas to the Clo­vis cul­ture—big-game hunters thought to have roamed North Amer­i­can plains start­ing around 11,500 years ago. Clo­vis spear- or arrow-heads re­cov­ered from the Gault site, Tex­as. (Cour­te­sy Cen­ter for the Study of the First Amer­i­cans, TAMU) But that idea has been wide­ly chal­lenged in re­cent years. Now, an an­thro­po­l­o­gist has found ev­i­dence he claims could be the fi­nal nail in the cof­fin for the ... [full story]

NEW RELEASES   'THE ASTRONAUT FARMER' - Billy Bob Thornton portrays retired NASA astronaut Charles Farmer in the family film 'The Astronaut Farmer.' CNS Photo courtesy of Richard Foreman. THE ASTRONAUT FARMER -- Heading south from the quirks of "Twin Falls Idaho," the Polish brothers (Mark, Michael) have gone to New Mexico, which subs for Texas, and made a sweet, congenial comedy of dreams. "The Astronaut Farmer" contains no murderously jealous astronauts. Billy Bob Thornton, looking more than ... [full story]

She stood holding a prayer book and reading aloud. She wore an emerald green dress and her hair, shiny auburn, rested on her shoulders and sleeves. From a side view, I could see freckles on her face. She was the quintessential, pretty Irish lass. And she was reading Hebrew from her prayer book. Elsa Humphreys had driven from Belfast to Dublin because "the synagogue in Belfast is too Orthodox," she told me. She preferred a ... [full story]

Q: We are wondering if we can have our dog tattooed with our telephone number so that if he gets away from us we can be easily contacted. Reading a tattoo might be easier and quicker than taking him to a shelter or veterinary office to have an implanted microchip read. He does not like to wear collars. A: Depending on the size and temperament of your dog, a tattoo can probably be quickly and ... [full story]

A researcher in the Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute and Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center has found a way to identify which men need a second prostate biopsy because they may be harboring life-threatening prostate cancer even though they were given a clean bill of health after their first biopsy.Mark Garzotto, M.D., has been invited to present his findings on Thursday, Feb. 22, at the Multidisciplinary Prostate Cancer Symposium in Orlando, Fla. He ... [full story]

With Joan Rivers and her daughter/sidekick Melissa working two hours live interviewing major, major celebrities on the Red Carpet leading up to Hollywood's Kodak Theater before the 79th Annual Academy Awards telecast, anything can happen. And, of course, it usually does. Shooting from the hip without the benefit of later video and sound editing, Rivers often manages - however unintentionally - to put a movie star's nose out of joint. Fortunately, only two truly bizarre, ... [full story]

I’ve never had a best friend. I’ve always been the best friend runner-up, as in, “You’ll be my best friend if he dies.” So I work extra hard to be pleasant in the hope that someday, when no one is looking, I’ll catch the best friend bouquet. That is why it burns my briefs when somebody snubs an e-mail. “Me? Snubbed? But I was so good to him.”  Everywhere you turn, e-mails are being dismissed by friends, ... [full story]

Dr. Lori Cudone held one end of an endoscope with her left hand and practiced working the controls with her right as she maneuvered the thin, flexible tube around several corners. Cudone, in her first year of a five-year surgical residency at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, fixed her eyes on a video screen as she snaked the extendable instrument down and around the corners of a cavity she was exploring. Guiding her was ... [full story]

In a whirlwind, life-changing year, Marianne Cusato has gone from an anonymous young designer to a key figure in the effort to resolve the regional housing crisis caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Cusato's "Katrina Cottage," a back-to-basics design for replacing homes destroyed by Gulf Coast storms, captured the Smithsonian Institution's first People's Design Award in October. In December, Cusato was named by Builder magazine as one of the nation's 50 most influential people in ... [full story]

Norm Jensen easily tells a visitor how to make a great wilted-lettuce salad. Jensen's recipe calls for fried bacon, sugar, vinegar, eggs, green onions and fresh leaf lettuce, which grows in his small indoor garden. ”We had wilted lettuce for Christmas," said Jensen, who lives in Springfield, Ill.  The lettuce grows with the help of a Styrofoam base that floats in water that's fortified with three different kinds of liquid nutrients and circulated by an air bubbler. ... [full story]