A prehistoric, water-filled cave in the Dominican Republic has become a "treasure trove" with the announcement by Indiana University archaeologists of the discovery of stone tools, a small primate skull in remarkable condition, and the claws, jawbone and other bones of several species of sloths.

Bacterial decay was once viewed as fossilization's mortal enemy, but new research suggests bacterial biofilms may have actually helped preserve the fossil record's most vulnerable stuff -- animal embryos and soft tissues. A team of 13 scientists led by Indiana University Bloomington biologists Rudolf and Elizabeth Raff found that the invasion of dying embryo cells by bacteria -- and the subsequent formation of densely packed bacterial biofilms inside the embryo cells -- can completely replace embryo cell structure, generating a faithful replica of the embryo.

Por ironía del destino, se acabó el tiempo y había mucho cieno y lodo en la Bahía Isabela, localizada en la costa norteña de la República Dominicana. A pesar de estos reveses, piensan los arqueólogos de la Universidad de Indiana (IU) que están a punto de descubrir algunos de los barcos perdidos de Cristóbal Colón - y la explicación de un misterio de 500 años, "Qué llevaban aquellos barcos a bordo?"

As luck would have it, time ran short and the silt and mud ran deep. Despite these setbacks, Indiana University archaeologists are confident they are closer to discovering some of Christopher Columbus' lost ships -- and the answer to a 500-year-old mystery, "What was on those ships?"

Charles Beeker, director of the Office of Underwater Science and the Academic Diving Program at Indiana University Bloomington, has been appointed to a four-year term on the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee.