Story of the Day

A study of DNA extracted from wolf and dog fossils suggests that ancient wolf populations in Europe are the direct ancestors of most modern-day domestic dogs. The study suggests wolves became dogs between 18,800 and 32,100 years ago, before the start of agriculture.

New ordinances adopted in the South Florida city require that new homes feature freshwater cisterns and be built higher than the current flood plain level. Says Key West's planning director, "We are, in all senses of the word, vulnerable to sea level rise."

A New Jersey fire department has hired 43 military veterans on to the force this year. The fire chief says their background makes them well-suited to the job, and the recruits say firefighting gives them the sense of camaraderie and responsibility they've missed.

Kraft says it's ditching two artificial dyes in some of its macaroni and cheese products. But why did we start coloring cheeses orange to begin with? Turn's out there's a curious history here.

It's been a year since Washington state voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use. That's meant some big changes along Interstate 5, sometimes called the "Marijuana Highway." Police are phasing out pot-sniffing dogs, but are becoming more vigilant about what some call "green DUIs."

A Florida school district reached an agreement with the NAACP and law enforcement to reassess tough "zero tolerance" guidelines. Non-violent misdemeanors — like alcohol and marijuana possession — will be dealt with by schools instead of police.

Huge stone slabs weighing up to 300 tons that now reside in Beijing's Forbidden City were slid more than 40 miles in 15th- and 16th-century China over water-lubricated ice roads in the dead of winter. Though spoked wheels had been around for almost 3,000 years, the ice roads were smoother and required less manpower.

The pipeline that brings water out of California's Owens Valley to metropolitan Los Angeles turns 100 this month. The water wars it has spawned over the century still simmer, and the issues of water use, scarcity and stewardship are inextricable — if often invisible — to life in the city.

Seven months into his papacy, Pope Francis is shaking up the Catholic world, with outspoken interviews and cold calls to ordinary people. But some Catholic conservatives are deeply uncomfortable and worried that the Vatican has lost control of the papal message.

Long after we die, many of the microscopic creatures living in and on us continue to thrive. In field experiments, forensic scientists are tracking changes in communities of microbes on human remains that could one day serve as clues.