Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 9:26:04 AM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

desert

desert news stories

8 Stories

 Sahara Yields Ancient Cemetery 

Find shows desert was once lush, green, populated

National Geographic National Geographic Aug 15, 08 2:13 PM CDT
(Newser) - Explorers hunting for dinosaur bones have found a Stone Age cemetery deep in the Sahara desert, National Geographic reports. The team of paleontologists discovered bones from two separate ancient human cultures that lived in the region as long as 10,000 years ago, when monsoon rains turned parts of the desert lush and green. More »

More about:  archaeology • paleontology • desert • cemetery • ancient cities • Sahara • Niger

Archeologists Uncover Treasures Via Google Earth

Lost ruins spotted
in Afghan desert

Sydney Morning Herald Sydney Morning Herald Jul 21, 08 3:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - Google Earth has made detailed satellite imagery readily accessible to planetary voyeurs—but academics are also using it to get things done in ways never before possible. A team of university archeologists are uncovering hundreds of sites in the Afghan desert that might never have been discovered on foot, reports the Sydney Morning Herald . More »

More about:  Afghanistan • Google Earth • desert • archeology

'Big Dig' Seeks More Manson Bodies

Investigators
pore over cult's
Death Valley ranch

Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times May 20, 08 2:06 PM CDT
(Newser) - Investigators with high-tech equipment and shovels will be spending the next few days combing the Manson Family's desert hide-out for bodies, the Los Angeles Times reports. Rumors that murder victims are buried at the isolated ranch have persisted for decades. Police called in scientists after corpse-sniffing dogs became agitated at ranch locations. Many locals are skeptical about the hunt, and suspect investigators will only find an old Indian burial ground. More »

More about:  murder • cult • Charles Manson • desert • forensic science • bodies

More Manson Victims?

Amateur sleuths and a corpse-sniffing dog search Manson ranch in the Calif. Desert

Associated Press Associated Press Mar 16, 08 9:37 AM CDT
(Newser) - A rag-tag group of forensic investigators, a gold miner, and a corpse-sniffing dog say they have turned up evidence of long suspected killings by the Manson family in the California desert, AP reports. Using the tools and techniques of chemistry and archeology, the group has concluded that there may be bodies in the ground—and suggested that the cops get digging. More »

More about:  murder • Los Angeles • cult • Charles Manson • desert • forensic science • Sharon Tate • Susan Atkins

No Signals Mean Fossett Likely Dead: Experts

Millionaire aviator missing 10 days in Nevada desert

Daily Telegraph (UK) Daily Telegraph (UK) Sep 12, 07 12:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - As the search for Steve Fossett entered its 10th day, experts told the Telegraph the millionaire adventurer’s chances of survival were slim. Fossett hasn’t been seen or heard from since he left a Nevada airstrip Sept. 3, and authorities haven’t received signals from his plane or watch. Searchers would be “lucky to find him alive,” one wilderness expert said. More »

More about:  Nevada • pilot • disappearance • crash • aviation • Steve Fossett • desert

Surfers Scour Google Earth for Signs of Aviator

Internet volunteer army pores over photos in Fossett search

Guardian (UK) Guardian (UK) Sep 11, 07 3:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - An army of web surfers—even the guy in the next cubicle—has joined the search for missing aviator Steve Fossett. Google Earth has released fresh images of the Nevada desert, and surfers can scour chunks of wilderness for aircraft wreckage. One problem: "We're finding them left and right—Nevada is a graveyard" for downed planes, said a state spokesman. More »

More about:  Google • airplane • Amazon.com • Nevada • pilot • aviation • Steve Fossett • Google Earth • desert

Mystery Illness Kills Camels

Saudi government denies contagious disease is behind it

Reuters Reuters Aug 19, 07 11:10 AM CDT
(Newser) - In Saudi Arabia, hundreds of camels have suddenly died for unknown reasons—232  were counted in the last four days in the Dawasir Valley, 250 miles south of Riyadh, Reuters reports. The Agriculture Ministry denies that an infectious disease is behind the deaths and blames problems with animal feed. Owners have been promised compensation for the lost animals, which are big business in the desert. More »

More about:  Saudi Arabia • King Abdullah • desert • Riyadh • camels

Deserts Eat
Up China's Usable Land

In arid provinces, farms and families feel pinch of policy gone awry

Christian Science Monitor Christian Science Monitor Aug 16, 07 5:03 PM CDT
(Newser) - With China's deserts spreading another 950 square miles each year, the government is evicting families and replanting farms to stem the tide, the Christian Science Monitor reports from Gansu province. With 20% of the world's population but 7% of its arable land, China's decades-old problem has worsened due to overfarming, deforestation and global warming. More »

More about:  China • climate change • environment • global warming • farming • deforestation • desert

8 Stories

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »