Reprieve
A discussion of research, controversy and silliness in the field of human evolution
MY BLOGS
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EvoAnth
http://evoanth.wordpress.com/
A discussion of the latest research into human origins.
LATEST ARTICLES ( 510 )
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The Chimp-human “missing Link” Wasn’t That Chimp-like
Humans and chimps split from each other 7 - 14 million years ago. What did those first members of the human family look like? Since chimps and other apes are al... Read more
Posted on 15 October 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Ancient DNA Reveals the IN to Africa Migration
Modern humans evolved in Africa ~195,000 years ago. But - as you may have noticed - we didn't stay there. By ~100,000 years ago modern humans had began spreadin... Read more
Posted on 13 October 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Chimp Takes Down Drone
At this point it seems like a Planet-of-the-Apes-style uprising amongst chimps is almost inevitable. They've invented spears, gone to war with other primates an... Read more
Posted on 10 October 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Did Homo Naledi Bury Its Dead?
The recent discovery of the new member of the human family - Homo naledi - is very important for our understanding of human evolution. It helps confirm a lot o... Read more
Posted on 06 October 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Homo Naledi Disproves Creationism
Homo naledi is an important new fossil from Africa that is a huge boon to our understanding of human evolution. It helps provide solid evidence for many... Read more
Posted on 05 October 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Attractive People Receive Less Punishment
Humans are social animals. We work together to achieve things that none of us could create individually. However, this makes it possible for some people to... Read more
Posted on 01 October 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Homo Naledi: the First, Most Boring Human
Last year the Rising Star expedition recovered more than 1,000 fossils from a cave in South Africa. After a year of intense analysis - just like I predicted -... Read more
Posted on 29 September 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
First Farmers Didn’t Do Well
Around 10,000 years ago humans began to shift from hunting and gathering towards farming. This settling down marked a key turning point in our history; paving... Read more
Posted on 25 August 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Fear Drives Technological Evolution
Chimp archaeology is a legitimate thing. It studies "ancient" chimp technology. Chimp archaeologists in Africa have discovered that this ancient chimp technolog... Read more
Posted on 20 August 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Neanderthals Didn’t “evolve”
Evolution describes how animals change over time. Often this is driven by natural selection - a process which results in animals becoming better adapted for... Read more
Posted on 18 August 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Monkeys and Humans Make the Same Mistakes
Monkeys are primates just like us; but most would argue that they don't have our intelligence. They are smart, with some species figuring out how to use tools t... Read more
Posted on 15 August 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Petition for LEGO Charles Darwin & HMS Beagle
Charles Darwin's voyage aboard the HMS Beagle was one of wonder and curiosity. These are some of ideas LEGO fosters. So why not pair the two? A reader recently... Read more
Posted on 12 August 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Aboriginal Australians Result of Earlier Migration out of Africa
Humans originally evolved in Africa around 200,000 years ago. However, as you may have noticed we didn't stay there forever. It wasn't long before we had... Read more
Posted on 11 August 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Chimps Have Morality, They Just Don’t Care About It
A new study on captive apes has revealed that chimps have morality. Or at least, one key component of it: the ability to recognise when social norms are being... Read more
Posted on 08 August 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
How Often Do New Genes Evolve?
Mutation is the bread and butter of evolution. It provides the "raw material" which allows adaptation to happen. Often, mutations are just changes to existing... Read more
Posted on 06 August 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Trillions of Artifacts Are REALLY a Problem for Creationists
For more than 2 million years the pinnacle of human technology was stone tools. During this period - known as the stone age - trillions of artifacts were made b... Read more
Posted on 03 August 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Chimpanzees Are Hunting Their Prey to Extinction
Chimps mostly eat fruits, leaves, and other wholesome vegetarian foods. However, they also hunt monkeys for ~2% of their diet. Sometimes - scarily enough -... Read more
Posted on 01 August 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
Massive Prehistoric Monolith Found in the Mediterranean
Ocean scientists have just announced the discovery of a huge prehistoric monolith off the coast of Sicily. The monument is on it's side now, but would have... Read more
Posted on 30 July 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
How to Spot an Evolving Gene
It's Wednesday, which means its time to answer a question from you lovely folks. Today's comes from Paul, who asks More interesting to laymen like me would be... Read more
Posted on 29 July 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE -
The Evolution of Infertility in Humans
Evolution is all about passing on your genes. Reproduction is obviously an important part of that, hence why animals are willing to go to such extremes to... Read more
Posted on 28 July 2015 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE