A groundbreaking study published by an international team, including faculty from Binghamton University, State University of New York, has documented the first known case of Down syndrome in Neanderthals. This discovery sheds new light on the social behaviors of our ancient relatives, revealing their capacity for altruistic care and support for vulnerable members within their … Read more
Neanderthal children (who lived between 400,000 and 40,000 years ago) and modern human children living during the Upper Paleolithic era (between 50,000 and 12,000 years ago) may have faced similar levels of childhood stress but at different developmental stages, according to a study published in Scientific Reports. The authors suggest that these findings could reflect differences in childcare … Read more
Human evolution is the process by which Homo sapiens, the modern human species, emerged and diversified from earlier hominin ancestors over millions of years. It is a complex and fascinating journey that spans millions of years and involves numerous species, environmental changes, adaptations, and migrations. Understanding human evolution requires interdisciplinary approaches, drawing insights from paleontology, … Read more
The history of life on Earth spans billions of years, from the formation of our planet to the evolution of diverse life forms. This epic tale of biological evolution is intertwined with geological events, environmental changes, extinction events, and the emergence of complex organisms. The story of life on Earth is a testament to the … Read more
A new Netflix documentary has recreated the face of a 75,000-year-old female Neanderthal whose flattened skull was discovered and rebuilt from hundreds of bone fragments by a team of archaeologists and conservators led by the University of Cambridge. The team excavated the female Neanderthal in 2018 from inside a cave in Iraqi Kurdistan where the … Read more
Humans, Homo sapiens, have unique features compared with other closely related hominin species and primates, including the shape of the base of the skull. The evolutionary changes underlying these features were significant in allowing the evolution of our increased brain size. Now, in a study recently published in The American Journal of Human Genetics, a … Read more
Although a relatively large number of late Middle Pleistocene hominins have been found in East Asia, these fossils have not been consistently included in current debates about the origin of anatomically modern humans (AMHS), and little is known about their phylogenetic place in relation to contemporary hominins from Africa and Europe as well as to … Read more
A relative of modern humans that lived at least 104,000 years ago in northern China showed evidence of dental growth and development very similar to that of people today, a new study found. An international team of scientists performed the first systematic assessment of dental growth and development in an East Asian archaic hominin fossil … Read more
When did populations of Homo sapiens first arrive in China and what happened when they encountered the Denisovans or Neanderthals who lived there? A new study in Nature by an international team of researchers opens a window into hunter-gatherer lifestyles 40,000 years ago. Archaeological excavations at the site of Xiamabei in the Nihewan Basin of … Read more
Carbon dating, also known as radiocarbon dating, is a revolutionary scientific technique that has transformed the field of archaeology by providing researchers with a powerful tool for dating organic materials and determining the chronology of archaeological sites and artifacts. Since its development in the 1940s by Willard Libby and his colleagues, carbon dating has become … Read more
Senckenberg scientists have studied the diet of anatomically modern humans. With their recent study, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, they were able to refute the theory that the diet of early representatives of Homo sapiens was more flexible than that of Neanderthals. Just like the Neanderthals, our ancestors had mainly mammoth and plants … Read more
Scientists from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (HEP) in Tübingen have studied the Neanderthals’ diet. Based on the isotope composition in the collagen from the prehistoric humans’ bones, they were able to show that, while the Neanderthals’ diet consisted primarily of large plant eaters such as mammoths and rhinoceroses, it also included … Read more
Neanderthals created stone tools held together by a multi-component adhesive, a team of scientists has discovered. Its findings, which are the earliest evidence of a complex adhesive in Europe, suggest these predecessors to modern humans had a higher level of cognition and cultural development than previously thought. The work, reported in the journal Science Advances, … Read more
A study led by researchers at the Nagoya University Museum in Japan may change how we understand the cultural evolution of Homo sapiens at the time of their dispersal across Eurasia about 50,000 to 40,000 years ago. These findings challenge traditional beliefs about the timing and nature of cultural transitions during this critical period in … Read more
A genetic analysis of bone fragments unearthed at an archaeological site in central Germany shows conclusively that modern humans—Homo sapiens—had already reached Northern Europe 45,000 years ago, overlapping with Neanderthals for several thousand years before the latter went extinct. The findings establish that the site near Ranis, Germany, which is known for its finely flaked, … Read more
An international team led by researchers at the Centre for Palaeogenetics in Stockholm has sequenced DNA recovered from mammoth remains that are up to 1.2 million years old. The analyses show that the Columbian mammoth that inhabited North America during the last ice age was a hybrid between the woolly mammoth and a previously unknown … Read more
Genetic material inherited from Neanderthal ancestors may contribute to the inclination of some individuals today to be “early risers,” according to a recent research paper published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution. All modern humans trace their origin to Africa around 300,000 years ago. About 70,000 years ago, the ancestors of modern Eurasian humans … Read more
The “Out of Africa” theory, also known as the recent African origin of modern humans, is a widely accepted model explaining the migration and dispersal of Homo sapiens from Africa to populate the rest of the world. This theory posits that anatomically modern humans originated in Africa and then migrated and replaced archaic human populations … Read more
The fossil record is a rich source of information that allows scientists to explore and understand the evolutionary history of life on Earth, including the origins and development of various species, including humans. When it comes to human ancestry, the fossil record plays a crucial role in providing insights into our evolutionary past. This record … Read more
Genetic studies play a pivotal role in unraveling the mysteries of human origins, providing valuable insights into the evolutionary journey of Homo sapiens. By analyzing the genetic material of modern and ancient populations, researchers can trace ancestral lineages, identify migration patterns, and uncover the intricate web of relationships among different human groups. These studies contribute … Read more