Free Republic

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Stone tools and other artifacts unearthed from an archaeological dig at the Cooper’s Ferry site in western Idaho suggest that people lived in the area 16,000 years ago, more than a thousand years earlier than scientists previously thought. The artifacts would be considered among the earliest evidence of people in North America. The findings, published today in Science, add weight to the hypothesis that initial human migration to the Americas followed a Pacific coastal route rather than through the opening of an inland ice-free corridor, said Loren Davis, a professor of anthropology at Oregon State University and...

Minerals, facing shortage, are key for military hardware, cell phones. Boeing has signed a deal to deploy remote sensing technology to map out U.S. deposits of rare earth elements. The rare earth family of minerals is the real-life version of the precious element "unobtanium" in James Cameron's movie "Avatar." They are used to make everything from military hardware to humble cell phones, but could soon be in short supply as worldwide demand outstrips mining production in China. The aerospace and defense giant announced today that it will confirm rare earth mining claims held by U.S. Rare Earths, Inc. at locations...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Three environmental groups sued the federal government Monday to block logging along a river in the northwestern corner of California. The suit was filed in federal court to block logging of 744 acres of old forest along the Salmon River. The suit alleges the latest proposed logging would add to damage already done by three other recent projects in the Salmon River's watershed. Those timber harvests were the targets of environmental lawsuits and tree-sitters two years ago. Forest Service spokeswoman Janice Gauthier said she could not comment on pending litigation, nor had the service had time...