How many Dinosaur species are there?

Many Dinosaur species are named from incomplete specimens, which is a result of the rarity of dinosaur fossils in general. Sometimes it’s hard to know whether you have a new species or a slight variation of something which is already known:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7620621.stm

How old are Earth’s oldest rocks?

The Allende Meteorite tells us that the Earth is about 4.567 billion years old, but the oldest rocks at the surface of the Earth are a bit younger than that. Now a team has found rocks at the surface which as 4.28 billion years old:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7639024.stm

Is life even older than we thought?

The palaeontology of the earliest signs of life is a blend of chemistry and mineralogy. Uncertainty is part of life for people dealing with the most ancient evidence. Geologists are communally convinced that they have solid signs of life which are ~4.2 billion years old, but some samples seem to suggest an even earlier date.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7483451.stm

How serious is fossil theft around the world?

Many sites are left unprotected and are open to abuse by rogue traders who sell to rich collectors without thought for due scientific process. Here is one example:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7489038.stm

What will Yemen’s dinosaur trackways tell us?

Dinosaur trackways have been found in Yeman on the Arabian peninsula, where evidence of dinosaur activity was previously limited:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7410032.stm

Is earthquake forecasting about to become a reality?

After decades of research, geologists now think they will soon be able to accurately predict when earthquakes will occur:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7435324.stm

Major landslip on south Dorset coast

There has been a major landslip between Lyme Regis and CHarmouth on the Dorset “Jurassic Coast”. It’s likely that it will attract fossil hunters and palaeontologists seeking new finds:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/7386923.stm

Will drilling near Japan be the first stage towards an earthquake early warning system?

Geologists are investigating the Nankai Trough, off Japan, in an attempt to beeter understand it’s geology and perhaps develop an early warning system for earthquakes:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7353866.stm

Welcome to the Anthropocene epoch!

For a long time, geologists have wondered what trace the human race would leave in the geological record. The period is now being called the Anthropocene:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7223663.stm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropocene

Did Elephants evolve from an aquatic ancestor?

It has been suggested that elephants evolved from water-loving ancestors, similar in lifestyle to modern hippos:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7347284.stm