Reprieve

LATEST ARTICLES ( 510 )

• Creationist “debate” Finally Breaks out

  

  The creationist debate over Homo naledi is finally kicking off. Kind of. Creationists have been "arguing" over the species since it was discoveered more than... Read more

  Posted on 05 December 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Australopithecus Sediba Jaw Makes Species More Mysterious

  The human family contains around 20 species. Some look recognisably human. Others, less so. But Australopithecus sediba has to take the cake for balancing the... Read more

  Posted on 22 November 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Creationist Seeking Fraud in Human Evolution Exposes Its Rigour

  

  Today's case of psuedoscience comes from Belac. They also pointed me in the direction of the eolith nonsense from last time. Belac is quickly becoming my... Read more

  Posted on 21 November 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Humans Evolved to Be Fat When They Left the Trees

  The human lineage combines several unique traits. One of the most peculiar of these combinations is that we're both fat and smart. Amongst the primates, a... Read more

  Posted on 17 November 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Early “extinct” out of Africa Migration Interbred with Us

  Longtanshan Cave in China contains something it shouldn't. A series of modern human teeth, dated to ~80,000 years ago. These teeth are out of place because... Read more

  Posted on 15 November 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Adam’s Chromosomes Were Fused (and He Lived Earlier Than We Thought)

  We have 23 pairs of chromosomes. However, all of the other great apes have 24 pairs. So our ancestors - some of whom we shared with those apes - must have had 2... Read more

  Posted on 08 November 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Violence in Humans Evolved Because of Fish

  Darwin referred to evolution as a "struggle for survival". This is often visualised as a struggle between species. However, intraspecies violence is also a key... Read more

  Posted on 03 November 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Physiological Superpowers Evolution Gave Humans

  We often think of human evolution as something disconnected from us. Large anatomical changes that happened in the distant past. However, it also made many... Read more

  Posted on 02 November 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Autism and Schizophrenia “evolved”

  Humans gained many new traits over the course of our evolution. However, not all of them were beneficial. New research identifies genes linked with schizophreni... Read more

  Posted on 27 October 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Humans Have Lost Resistance to Fire Toxicants

  Fires have been important to our family for at least a million years. Maybe even longer. However, not everything about this key invention is good for us. Fire... Read more

  Posted on 25 October 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Staying Mobile Was the Secret to Our Evolutionary Success

  Why aren't you (probably) worried about being eaten by a lion tomorrow? Because of our technology. It's the secret to human success. But what's our secret? Why... Read more

  Posted on 18 October 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Eoliths Used by Creationist Cargo-cult Science to Challenge Evolution

  What would disprove evolution? A well-dated species being found far beyond its time. Like if we found a fossil dinosaur gnawing on a modern human. Creationists... Read more

  Posted on 17 October 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Cooking Didn’t Help Our Big Brains Evolve

  What makes humans special? Whichever attribute you pick is probably made possible by our big brains. However, these brains aren't all benefits and sunshine.... Read more

  Posted on 14 October 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Human Brain Evolution Was Uniquely Bloodthirsty

  

  The human brain is spectacular. It's absolutely massive. But beyond that size, is there anything special about brain evolution in our family? A growing body of... Read more

  Posted on 12 October 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Lucy’s Palaeodiet Reveals Her Species’ Success

  Australopithecus afarensis is one of our most famous relatives. Although you might not recognise the name, you're likely familiar with the most famous member o... Read more

  Posted on 11 October 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Status Helps Men Have Sex, So They Evolved to Increase It

  Human groups have finite resources. There's also a limited amount of assistance, admiration, and respect a group can offer. So we all compete for it. We are in... Read more

  Posted on 04 October 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Fourth Left-handed Neanderthal Found

  Only ~10% of Homo sapiens are left-handed. This is true in both modern populations and fossils. The dominant hand of more than 50 European fossils has been... Read more

  Posted on 30 September 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Social Isolation: as Unhealthy as Smoking

  Humans and chimps split around 7 million years ago. Since then our lineage has accumulated many unique traits. Like losing all our hair and walking upright.... Read more

  Posted on 29 September 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Cannibalism May Have Been Common After the Ice Age Ended

  Glaciers covered much of Europe around 20,000 years ago. But that was their peak, called the Last Glacial Maximum. After that, they began retreating and Europe... Read more

  Posted on 27 September 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE

• Recycling Was an Important Part of Making Cave Art

  Hunter-gatherers have a bit of a reputation when it comes to recycling. "Using all the animal", live in balance with nature; all that sort of stuff. In... Read more

  Posted on 23 September 2016 BIOLOGY, SCIENCE