Free Republic

Neanderthals disappeared from Earth more than 20,000 years ago, but figuring out why continues to challenge anthropologists. One team of scientists, however, now says they have evidence to back climate change as the main culprit. The Iberian Peninsula, better known as present-day Spain and Portugal, was one of the last Neanderthal refuges. Many scientists have thought that out-hunting by Homo sapiens and interbreeding with them brought Neanderthals to their demise, but climate change has also been proposed. Francisco Jiménez-Espejo, a paleoclimatologist at the University of Granada in Spain, says a lack of evidence has left climate change weakly supported—until now....

One person is dead after an SUV fleeing from state troopers headed the wrong way across the Howard Frankland Bridge and crashed into oncoming traffic early this morning. Investigators say that a Honda CRV was involved in a minor fender-bender in the Kennedy-Westshore area around 1:40 a.m., but when troopers arrived on the scene, the vehicle took off, striking a trooper in the process. "The gentleman in the vehicle refused all FHP trooper commands to stop and step out of the vehicle, backed his car into two FHP patrol cars, and struck Trooper Maddox with the Florida Highway Patrol's Tampa...

The body of a 34-year-old man was pulled from his automobile yesterday after it ran off a pier into the frigid waters off Staten Island, the police said. Investigators identified the man last night as James Vurckio, of 30 Ramona Avenue in Staten Island. They said his body was removed from his red 1998 Mercury Mountaineer after it was pulled from Great Kills Harbor, the small, circular anchorage adjacent to Great Kills Park on the eastern shore of Staten Island. The police said that there were no signs that Mr. Vurckio had been injured or was involved in a struggle...

<p>Most automakers have agreed to make big sport-utility vehicles and pickups less threatening to cars.</p> <p>The changes, obtained by USA TODAY, include lowering many full-size sport-utility vehicles and pickups and putting head-protecting side air bags in most cars and trucks. They would be phased in by the 2008 model year under a voluntary plan, expected to be announced next month.</p>