Vast swathes of "pristine" Amazon rain forest may have been sophisticated "garden cities" prior to the arrival of European colonists, anthropologists say.

The newfound species may have been a staple of some early humans. And its overharvesting may have helped spur humans out of Africa, a new study says.

On the eve of Hurricane Katrina's three-year anniversary, Gustav is poised to blossom into a similarly catastrophic storm, prompting communities all along its path to prepare for the worst.

In Buñol, Spain, residents and tourists pelt each other with more than 200,000 pounds of ripe tomatoes in the annual Tomatina festival.

Dental pulp from a wisdom tooth could be a new source of therapeutic stem cells, sidestepping the ethical concerns of embryonic cells, Japanese researchers claim.

An "exquisitely carved" statue of Roman leader Marcus Aurelius, with lion-skin boots and a feathery beard, has been discovered in an artifact-rich site in Turkey.

Just 48 hours of sunlight can kill germs that cause cholera, typhoid, and other diseases—a discovery that's already helping Kenya's poor.

The U.S. is likely to grant national-monument status to Pacific island regions that together are larger than Alaska and Texas combined—a "great choice," conservationists say, if the areas are actually protected.

A rare albino right whale frolics in the water, a mother giraffe nuzzles its baby, and more in our new weekly roundup of animal photos.