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Humans Wore Shoes 40,000 Years Ago, Fossil SuggestsScott Norris for National Geographic NewsJuly 1, 2008 Humans were wearing shoes at least 10,000 years earlier than previously thought, according to a new study. The evidence comes from a 40,000-year-old human fossil with delicate toe bones indicative of habitual shoe-wearing, experts say. A previous study of anatomical changes in toe bone structure had dated the use of shoes to about 30,000 years ago. Now the dainty-toed fossil from China suggests that at least some humans were sporting protective footwear 10,000 years further back, during a time when both modern humans and Neandertals...

GREENSBORO — A polite smile and genteel Southern manners will get you a lot of things. Opened doors, a kiss on the hand and, if you're lucky, help with heavy boxes. But some tasks are beyond even the best efforts of a woman born and bred on this side of the Mason-Dixon line. Turns out top-secret family recipes are one of those things. A few weeks ago I made it my mission to track down the mystery of the hush puppy, a scrumptious glob of fried cornmeal served in seafood and barbecue restaurants across the Triad and around the...

Mr. Jeffries. Mr. Jeffries has stepped into a void created by the death of his famous grandfather to claim the title of the dog with the longest ears in the world. The 2004 Guinness Book of World Records will acclaim the two-year-old English basset hound for his 29.2-centimetre ears. His grandfather, Biggles, the face of Hush Puppies, relinquished the title on his death last year. Mr. Jeffries' owner, Phil Jeffries, claimed his pet's ears were insured for more than $60,000. He said the dog stands on them, trips on them and drags them in his food. The owner's girlfriend says...