* Astronomy

Palaeontologists in northern Greece have unearthed the intact skull of a prehistoric primate that lived at least five million years ago, a member of the research team has said.

"The skull still carries the bite marks of a large carnivore, it ranks among the best preserved ever found. It gives us a complete image of the animal, as it preserves all its facial characteristics" Evangelia Tsoukala, Aristotelio University assistant professor of geology.

The primate, Mesopithecus pentelicus, measuring 1.3 metres to the tip of its long tail, lived during the Late Miocene period between five and seven million years ago.
Though the species was herbivorous, the primate's skull has long, sharp canines, identifying it as a male.
The skull was found in a cliffside in the Halkidiki peninsula, 80 kilometres southeast of Salonika. The area was once savannah and forest.
The bones of over 20 animal species, including prehistoric horses, gazelles, giraffes, hyenas, a mastodon and small rodents have already been found in the region.

Read more