Free Republic

Whales, as the largest mammals on Earth, have long been an important resource for human societies, whether it be for food, oil, or other materials. According to a report by Popular Science, hunter-gatherers in present-day Spain and France have been crafting essential tools from whale bones for much longer than previously thought. A new study analyzed 83 bone tools found at sites along the Bay of Biscay and 90 additional bones from the Santa Catalina cave in Spain. The investigation relied on mass spectrometry and radiocarbon dating to determine that humans living in the region have been making whale-bone tools,...

RANCHO PALOS VERDES (CBSLA.com) — A record number of whales are migrating southbound through the waters off the Palos Verdes Peninsula, according to scientists with the American Cetacean Society Los Angeles Gray Whale Census and Behavior Report. Some 1,055 gray whales have been tracked southbound en route to nursing and calving waters off Baja California so far this season, compared to 704 at the same time last year. Scientists also said December was the highest month on record. This weekend marked the third highest count of southbound gray whales since the ACS/LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project began 31...