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LATEST ARTICLES ( 510 )

• How One Way Was Human-neanderthal Interbreeding?

  Our species evolved in Africa, but it didn't stay there. We took a dramatic journey around the world, expanding onto every continent. But we weren't the first t... Read more

  Posted on 10 August 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Neanderthal Interbreeding Gave Them Human Genes

  My genome isn't all human. Neither is that of most non-Africans. As our ancestors migrated around the world they interbred with hominin species they found there... Read more

  Posted on 08 August 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Pushing Back the First Humans

  When did our story start? Well, our family split from the other apes 7 - 14 million years ago. But of course, those first members of the human family weren't... Read more

  Posted on 03 August 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• People with More Neanderthal Genes Have More Neanderthal-like Skulls

  Humans and Neanderthals co-existed for thousands of years. During that time we got busy, interbreeding multiple times. Now, most non-Africans have a little bit... Read more

  Posted on 01 August 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Pushing Back the Invention of Fire

  The invention of fire was one of the big developments in our evolutionary history. I'm certainly grateful for it every time we crack out the barbeque. A good... Read more

  Posted on 06 July 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• New Homo Naledi Fossils Found in Lesedi Chamber

  Homo naledi is the latest addition to our fossil family. Since this enigmatic relative of ours was discovered a few years ago news has been trickling out. Each... Read more

  Posted on 15 June 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Persistence Hunting Was Rewarding

  Humans should have trouble hunting. We aren't particularly fast or strong and we don't have sharp teeth or claws. Nowadays we compensate for this with our... Read more

  Posted on 13 June 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Homo Naledi Teeth Reveal Strange Diet

  Homo naledi is the most recent species to join the human family. And since its discovery a couple of years ago it seems to be doing its best to mess up our... Read more

  Posted on 08 June 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Did Humans Evolve in Europe? Graecopithecus is Ambiguous

  Humans are a species with strong African roots. Our species evolved there. So did our ancestors, stretching back to before we split from chimps around 7... Read more

  Posted on 06 June 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Human Evolution Weekly Update #7

  Another week, another bunch of cool discoveries about our ancestors. Here are the highlights. Remmeber, you can get these live by following me on twitter or... Read more

  Posted on 02 June 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Did Humans Evolve to Sniff out Disease?

  One of the biggest evolutionary changes in our species took place under the skin. Our immune system has rapidly evolved to deal with the changing conditions we... Read more

  Posted on 01 June 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Can Historical Science Be Trusted

  

  I've been having an ongoing discussion with a reader called Don about creationism and evolution. We've touched on all the greatest hits. We've gone over the... Read more

  Posted on 31 May 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Homo Naledi Age Reveals Its Ghostly Heritage

  Homo naledi is the newest member of the human family, being discovered in 2014. Since then information about the species has trickled out. We learnt about its... Read more

  Posted on 30 May 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Australopithecus Sediba: Early Human Or Ancient Ape?

  Australopithecus sediba is a South African member of the human family that lived about 1.9 million years ago. And that's about all we can say for sure about... Read more

  Posted on 25 May 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Is There Evolution Between Kinds?

  

  When people object to evolution they typically do so in a handful of ways, like the classic " why are there still monkeys?" An argument so common that the... Read more

  Posted on 25 May 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Chimp Anatomy is Less Different to Ours Than Thought

  Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives. Our lineages split a mere 7 - 14 million years ago. This may be orders of magnitude longer than the entire of huma... Read more

  Posted on 23 May 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• More Fascinatingly Boring Stone Age Art Found in Asia

  Stone age art provides a fascinating glimpse into the minds of our ancestors. However, how much we can infer from the art is limited by the fact almost all of i... Read more

  Posted on 17 May 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Human Evolution Weekly Update #6

  Another week, another set of fun facts about human evolution A super-eruption in Italy 40,000 years ago was the largest the Mediterranean had ever seen. Ash... Read more

  Posted on 13 May 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Neanderthal “calendar” Found

  Keeping track of time is kind of a big deal, particularly when your life depends on the growth of plants and movement of animals. So it should come as no... Read more

  Posted on 09 May 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Prehistoric Cannibalism Not Driven by Hunger

  Nowadays, cannibalism is generally frowned upon; unless you're in a serious survival situation or have found a nice chianti. However, prehistoric cannibalism... Read more

  Posted on 04 May 2017 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE