Egyptian mummy's big toe oldest known prosthesis

A superbly preserved artificial big toe found strapped to the mummified remains of an Egyptian woman is the oldest functional prosthesis ever found, experts said Monday.

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• Canadian quarry find could help scientists track early organisms
• Dinosaur bone discovery suggests some lived long after meteorite
• T. rex still king, says dino study

Football-playing Japanese robots in Peru exhibit

Eight robots that play football, engage in sumo wrestling and play music have been unveiled at a Peruvian university by the creator, Japanese scientist Hiroshi Ishiguro.

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• Japan eyes humanoid robot mission in space
• Computer creams human Jeopardy! champs
• Military Robot Markets to Exceed $8 Billion in 2016, According to ABI Research
• Robo doc performs historic surgery

Fossil find in Ontario quarry points to protein that aids in preservation

The discovery of a near-perfect 417-million-year-old fossil of a scorpion-like creature in a Canadian quarry has revealed how adaptations in the armourlike "exoskeletons" of primitive organisms first allowed for their excellent preservation in stone and began giving science its rich record of animal evolution.

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• Canadians ID dinosaur prints
• 'Dawn runner' find offers clues about early dinosaurs
• T. rex still king, says dino study
• Big cities are not always biggest polluters
• Arctic current warmer than for 2,000 years: study
• Arctic current warmer than it's been for 2,000 years

Foot bone shows Lucy walked upright

An arched fossilized foot bone found in Ethiopia shows that human ancestors walked upright 3.2 million years ago and were no longer tree dwellers, said a study Thursday in the journal Science.

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• 'Dawn runner' find offers clues about early dinosaurs
• Dinosaur trove spills more secrets
• Canadian scientists wipe away misconceptions about sponges
• Waterfalls and dinosaur tracks inspire awe
• Harnessing sunlight led to surge in life on Earth: study

Photos: 'Sexual Nature' exhibit in London

Did you know that the barnacle's penis can be 30 times its body length, and the word 'orchid' is Greek for testicles? These and other fascinating facts are the subject of a new exhibition at London's Natural History Museum, entitled ‘Sexual Nature’. Aimed at adults and children aged over 16, it contains ‘frank information and imagery about sex’, including wildlife videos from the BBC and specially commissioned exhibits.

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Scientists make nanosheets with high-tech potential

A novel way of splitting materials into sheets just one atom thick could lead to new electronic and energy storage technologies, scientists said Thursday.

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• Freezing the tick tick tock of the biological clock
• Computer worm changed appraisals of Iranian nuclear threat
• ‘Toylets’ games make a splash in Japan urinals
• Top gadgets at electronics trade show