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Scientists discover world’s oldest forest at Gilboa Dam

GILBOA - Scientists say it was like discovering the botanical equivalent of dinosaur footprints. They're talking about the floor of the world's oldest forest, discovered during repair of the Gilboa Dam.

It dates back roughly 385 million years.

Previously scientists thought the area was just a stagnant swamp with only one type of tree growing. Thanks to this discovery that's no longer the case.

“Now we know that there were at least three trees growing, other plants," paleontologist Linda Vanaller Hernick explained. "This area was near a coastal area and it was also disturbed by a lot of high and low water.”

That means an ocean wasn't far away from where countless homes and roads now stand. The discovery is being highlighted in Thursday's issue of the journal "Nature."

People can see some of the fossilized trees and other artifacts at the New York State Museum.

Billboards link obesity with cheese in school

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - An organization that promotes a vegan diet is using billboards showing fat bellies and thighs to make a case against cheese on school lunch menus.          

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine says cheese products play a big role in the epidemic of childhood obesity. The group wants the Albany city school district to cut cheese from its lunch menu, which is loaded with the stuff.          

Dr. Neal Barnard of the Physicians Committee wrote in a letter to school board President Daniel Egan that one in three students in New York are overweight or obese.          

The billboards went up on Tuesday. One shows a man's potbelly and says "Your abs on cheese." Another shows a woman's cellulite-dimpled thigh and says "Your thighs on cheese."

UAlbany study: 92% of top 10 songs mention sex

UAlbany study: 92% of top 10 songs mention sex

Songs that made Billboard's Top 10 during 2009 were studied...

UAlbany professor Gordon Gallup must have the sexiest lab on campus, what with all the research on interpersonal attraction, semen chemistry, voice attractiveness, kissing, and other topics that stick out... Read More

Americans desire time travel, mind reading powers

	Americans desire time travel, mind reading powers

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (AP) - Being able to fly would be nice, so would invisibility. But given a chance to pick one superpower, more Americans say they would want to travel through time or read other people's minds.

Time travel and mind reading tied for first place in a Marist College poll released Tuesday. Both superpowers received 28 percent of the votes out of five choices. Flying came in third followed by the ability to teleport and invisibility.

Pollsters surveyed 1,020 people across the country Nov. 15 through Nov. 18. The margin of error is plus or minus three percentage points.

      

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

WNYT lights it up like it's 'Dynamite'

We were so impressed by what the students at Monument Mountain Regional High School did that we were inspired to create our own lip dub.

Paul Caiano's Zombie Warning Forecast

According to meteorologist Paul Caiano, Halloween looks to have a mix of sun and clouds with a chance of zombies.

Doing the Time Warp again

It looks like quite a crowd turned out for a showing of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" last night at the Palace Theatre.

The Palace shared 60 photos from the evening on their Facebook page.  It looks like many fans showed up in costume, armed with toilet papaer, decks of cards, newspapers and everything else needed to enjoy the cult comedy classic.

A group called The Whip-It Outskirts performed along with the movie and led the audience participation.

Were you in the audience? Share your stories in comments below...