Erin Wayman

Erin Wayman

 

Erin Wayman is a science and human evolution blogger for Hominid Hunting. She has M.As in biological anthropology and science writing.

A giant bust of Peking Man at Zhoukoudian

The Human Evolution World Tour

Hominid enthusiasts can see the highlights of human evolution at evotourism destinations around the world

This ancient rock painting from Zimbabwe depicts a person smoking out a beehive.

Humans, the Honey Hunters

Energy-rich honey may have helped hominids evolve big brains

Fossil leaves from the 77,000-year-old mattress

The World’s Oldest Mattress

A 77,000-year-old grass mattress is the earliest bed in the archaeological record. What did earlier hominids sleep on?

Perhaps necklaces of shell beads were among the earliest gifts our ancestors gave each other (as seen at the National Museum of Natural History).

Hominid Gifts for the Holidays

Human evolution T-shirt, necktie, coloring book and board game are just a few of the hominid-themed gifts you can give your loved ones this holiday season

A replica of a Peking Man, or Homo erectus, skull on display in China.

The Mystery of the Missing Hominid Fossils

Seventy years ago, an important collection of "Peking Man" fossils disappeared in China. They are still missing today

The skeleton of Oreopithecus bambolii

Human Evolution’s Cookie Monster, Oreopithecus

For the past 60 years, scientists have argued over the enigmatic, human-like fossils of the nine-million-year-old Italian ape

On May 29, 2006, mud and steaming hot water squirted up in a rice field in Sidoarjo, East Java, marking the birth of the world's most destructive mud volcano.

The World’s Muddiest Disaster

Earth’s most violent mud volcano is wreaking havoc in Indonesia. Was drilling to blame? And when will it end?

Maui's Haleakala volcano and the rest of the Hawaiian Islands formed out of molten lava as the Pacific plate drifted over the hotspot as three to four inches a year.

What We're Still Learning About Hawaii

The fiery forces beneath the island chain still mystify geologists

Sea otters have teeth that resemble those of Paranthropus

Strange Animal Models of Human Evolution

What do sea otters, wolves and capuchin monkeys reveal about our hominid ancestors?

The outline of a mastodon skeleton, found at a pre-Clovis site in Washington, indicating where a spear hit the animal.

The First Americans

Neanderthals’ successful adaptation to climate change may have contributed to their extinction by leading to more interactions with humans.

Were Neanderthals Victims of Their Own Success?

A new archaeological study shows how Neanderthals' ability to adapt to changing climates may have led to the species' eventual extinction

An artist’s reconstruction of Australopithecus afarensis, a species that can be called a hominid or a hominin.

What’s in a Name? Hominid Versus Hominin

You may have noticed that our ancestors are increasingly called hominins, which is the result of researchers revising how they classify primates

The Colosseum, inaugurated in A.D. 80, seated 50,000 and hosted gladiatorial games, ritual animal hunts, parades and executions.

The Secrets of Ancient Rome’s Buildings

What is it about Roman concrete that keeps the Pantheon and the Colosseum still standing?

These 125,000-year-old stone tools were found in the United Arab Emirates.

Taking a Southern Route Out of Africa

A reconstruction of a Neanderthal, which was named after Germany’s Neander Valley

A Hominid Dictionary

Hominids have complicated names, but their scientific monikers are less mysterious when their Latin, Greek and African roots are decoded

Hominid fossils dating to 1.8 million years ago have been found in Dmanisi, Georgia. Researchers are using computers to find more fossils in the region.

Computers Are Good Fossil Hunters

New technology is allowing researchers to narrow their searches for places where ancient hominids were likely to have lived, traveled and left fossils

The molar tooth of a Denisovan

Modern Humans Once Mated with Other Species

Genetic studies reveal that some modern humans carry DNA from extinct hominid species, evidence of ancient interbreeding

In primates, brain size correlates with group size.

Humans Evolved Big Brains to Be Social?

Some scientists think humans and other primates evolved big brains in response to the social challenges of living in large groups

You don’t have to go to South Africa to see Mrs. Ples, an Australopithecus africanus fossil.

The Best Places to See Hominid Bones Online

It's hard to find hominid bones in museums, but it's easy to see them on the Internet

An artist’s rendition of a group of Neanderthals living in a mountainous region of Eurasia.

Neanderthals: Made for Mountaineering?

Neanderthals' short legs made them well-suited for walking in mountain environments

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