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SCIENCE IN THE NEWS WEEKLY

Archaeologists Locate Gate in Ancient Viking Wall

The fact that the Vikings were avid masons as well as warriors may be surprising to some, but archaeologists say this summer they found a long-sought gate through a 19-mile stone wall in northern Germany that was built by the Vikings.

Evolutionary theory was in the news last week. Scientists reported finding a species of Australian lizard that is progressing from egg-laying to live birth. In another article, researchers said that killer whale evolution led to two distinct orca species. And two prominent biologists at Harvard University disputed the long-held theory that helping one's relatives has some evolutionary value.

Meanwhile, high in the Canadian Rockies, not far from the famous Burgess Shale location, paleontologists have discovered a smaller fossil trove in the valley of the Stanley Glacier in Kootenay National Park.

The fossilized remains of a stocky dinosaur have been unearthed in Romania. Scientists say it closely resembles a Velociraptor but has two large, sharp claws on each foot instead of one.

And, finally, a new study suggests that the dinosaurs may have been wiped out 65 million years ago by at least two meteorite impacts, one in the Gulf of Mexico and another in Ukraine.