Archaeologists on the island of Crete have discovered what may be evidence of one of the world's first sea voyages by human ancestors, the Greek Culture Ministry said Monday. A ministry statement said experts from Greece and the U.S. have found rough axes and other tools thought to be between 130,000 and 700,000 years old close to shelters on the island's south coast.
Crete has been separated from the mainland for about five million years, so whoever made the tools must have traveled there by sea (a distance of at least 40 miles). That would upset the current view that human ancestors migrated to Europe from Africa by land alone.
Full StorySeven insurance companies have sued Toyota Motor Corp. in an attempt to recover money paid to cover crashes they blame on sudden acceleration.
The insurers cite data that blames 725 crashes on the problem and fault the Japanese automaker for failing to equip its cars with an override system that would cause a car to idle if the brake and gas were deployed simultaneously. They are seeking damages in excess of $230,000 from 14 crashes throughout the United States.
Full StoryMilitary flights rushed Monday to restock the Australian city of Brisbane before it is cut off by floodwaters that have turned a huge swath of the Outback into a lake, while police confirmed two more deaths in the crisis.
The death toll from some of Australia's worst flooding in a decade is three since Saturday, though police in Queensland state say several other people have drowned in separate incidents involving swollen rivers and water accidents since tropical deluges began in late November. In total, 10 people have died, police said Monday.
Full StoryThe white two-piece suit John Lennon wore on the cover of the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album has been sold at auction in Connecticut for $46,000.
The suit and other Beatles memorabilia were sold Saturday at the Braswell Galleries' annual New Year's Day auction to an online bidder who wished to remain anonymous.
Full StoryReal Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has included Kaka in his squad for the first time this season, selecting the Brazil playmaker in his squad for the Spanish league derby against Getafe.
Kaka has not played for the Spanish club since undergoing surgery on his left knee on Aug. 5.
Full StoryToshiba Corp. is hoping to lure consumers to its new tablet computer by including a screen that is slightly larger than the iPad and offering a version of Google Inc.'s Android mobile operating software geared toward such devices.
Tentatively called the Toshiba Tablet, the device will include a touch screen that measures 10.1 inches diagonally — compared with 9.7 inches on Apple Inc.'s iPad. Toshiba's device will also have the forthcoming version of Android, called Honeycomb.
Full StoryVenus Williams says she's looking forward to a healthy season for herself and sister Serena after an injury-plagued year for the siblings.
The Williams sisters, who have 20 Grand Slam singles titles between them, both saw their years cut short in 2010. Serena missed the rest of the season after winning Wimbledon in July, following a cut on her right foot. She is still recovering and will miss the Australian Open, which starts on Jan. 17.
Full StoryWildlife officials are trying to determine what caused more than 1,000 blackbirds to die and fall from the sky over an Arkansas town.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said Saturday that it began receiving reports about the dead birds about 11:30 p.m. the previous night. The birds fell over a 1-mile (2-kilometer) area, and an aerial survey indicated that no other dead birds were found outside of that area.
Full StoryA blood test so sensitive that it can spot a single cancer cell lurking among a billion healthy ones is moving one step closer to being available at your doctor's office.
Boston scientists who invented the test and health care giant Johnson & Johnson will announce Monday that they are joining forces to bring it to market. Four big cancer centers also will start studies using the experimental test this year.
Full StoryAC Milan striker Robinho had to be replaced with a knee injury after colliding with a tevelvision camera near the sidelines during the Italian team's friendly against local club Al Ahli.
The Brazil forward had to be helped off the pitch in the 85th minute and didn't return in Milan's 2-1 victory on Sunday.
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