These Tsunami Detectives Search for Ancient Disasters The gigantic waves have been decimating coastlines since time immemorial. We ignore these prehistoric warnings at our own peril.

Nobody can predict the future, of course -- but we can learn from the past. The past could teach us a lot about how natural disasters influence society at many different levels.

Long buried under the woods of west central Louisiana, stone tools, spearpoints and other evidence of people living in the area as long as 12,000 years ago have become more exposed and vulnerable ...