How Neanderthal DNA helps explain why our faces look the way they do
Every human face is different, but scientists still know surprisingly little about how our DNA shapes these differences.
To learn more, researchers are turning to...
Ancient Roman glass cups hold secret messages from their creators
In early 2023, art historian and glassblower Hallie Meredith stood inside a quiet gallery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art when she noticed something...
Ancient DNA reveals a 40,000-year story of human–Denisovan interbreeding across Eurasia
New genetic research has shed fresh light on one of the most mysterious chapters in human evolution—the relationship between modern humans and Denisovans, an...
Ancient stone tools from Kenya reveal a turning point in human evolution
In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have uncovered one of the oldest and longest-lasting collections of stone tools ever found—evidence that early humans had already...
Neanderthals were Europe’s first landscapers—long before farming began
Imagine Europe tens of thousands of years ago—thick forests filled with elephants, bison, aurochs, and small groups of humans armed with fire and spears.
A...
Humans evolved faster than any other ape, 3D skull study reveals
Humans evolved their unique skull shape—large brains and flat faces—at a much faster rate than any other ape species, according to new research from...
How eating dead animals may have helped make us human
A new study suggests that scavenging—the act of eating the meat of dead animals—may have played a much bigger role in human evolution than...
Why the Maya built—and abandoned—their great cities
Why do people move to cities—and why do they leave?
Today, the reasons might include jobs, lifestyle, pollution, or even a pandemic.
But these same questions...
Archaeologists discover 5,000-year-old ceremonial site in Jordan
Archaeologists from the University of Copenhagen have uncovered a fascinating 5,000-year-old ceremonial site in Murayghat, Jordan, that could reveal how early societies adapted to...
World’s first known butt-drag fossil trace was left by a rock hyrax in South...
Rock hyraxes, known in southern Africa more often as "dassies," are furry, thickset creatures with short legs and no discernible tails. They spend much...