Human Evolution
Why Do Mammals Have Outer Ears? Scientists Are Getting Closer to Solving the Mystery
Two new studies offer insights into the evolution and development of external ears, which appear in humans and other mammals but aren't found in reptiles, birds or amphibians
Ape-Like Human Ancestors Were Largely Vegetarian 3.3 Million Years Ago in South Africa, Fossil Teeth Reveal
Scientists suggest meat consumption was pivotal to humans' development of larger brains, but the transition probably didn't start with Australopithecus, according to a new study
For Chimpanzees, Peeing May Be Contagious—Just Like Yawning Is for Humans, Study Finds
Scientists suggest captive chimpanzees engage in 'socially contagious urination'—that is, when one primate starts peeing, others quickly follow suit
Homo Erectus Thrived in a Desert, Study Finds, Suggesting the Early Humans Could Adapt to Extreme Environments
New research suggests modern humans aren't the only hominin species capable of "ecological flexibility"
From Chimps Eating Medicinal Plants to Footprints Tracking Our Early Relatives, Here Are the Most Significant Human Evolution Discoveries of 2024
Smithsonian paleoanthropologists explore how the year brought us closer to understanding ancient human relatives and origins
Researchers Track Down When Neanderthals and Early Modern Humans Interbred Using Ancient Genomes
Two studies came to a similar conclusion, highlighting a single, sustained event of mixing DNA. The findings could impact our understanding of when modern humans reached regions like East Asia and Australia
A Mysterious Boulder Carved to Look Like a Tortoise Shell May Offer Evidence of the Middle East's Earliest Ritual Ceremonies
The 35,000-year-old rock was found in Manot Cave, which was inhabited by both prehistoric humans and Neanderthals
Ten Top Smithsonian Stories of 2024, From a Mysterious Underground Chamber to Dazzling Auroras
The magazine's most-read articles of the year included a close-up look at the adorable yet venomous pygmy slow loris, a profile of a little-known 20th-century street photographer and a majestic journey with divers into Mexico’s underwater caves
Footprints Reveal Two Early Human Species Walked the Same Lakeshore in Kenya 1.5 Million Years Ago
A new, “mind-blowing” discovery reveals evidence that Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei stepped at the same site within days—or hours—of each other
What 'Lucy,' One of the World's Most Important Fossils, Has Taught Scientists in the 50 Years Since Her Discovery
The famous early human is still providing lessons to anthropologists about prehistoric Earth and its inhabitants
These Fossil Teeth From an 11-Year-Old Reveal Clues to Why Humans Developed an Unusually Long Childhood
Roughly 1.77-million-year-old teeth show that slow development in hominids may have had an earlier start than previously thought, according to a new study
Can't Get Enough Carbs? That Craving Might Have Started More Than 800,000 Years Ago
New research traces the genetic underpinnings of the enzyme amylase, which helps humans digest starches and sugars
Ancient DNA Reveals Neanderthal Group Was Isolated for 50,000 Years
A new study, based on the remains of a Neanderthal nicknamed Thorin, is shaking up what archaeologists long thought about these early humans in Europe
Fossils Shed New Light on Small 'Hobbit-Like' Humans That Lived on a Remote Island
Two teeth and a small adult arm bone found in Indonesia suggest the ancestors of Homo floresiensis were even shorter than scientists previously thought
Early Humans Migrated Out of Africa Several Times, DNA Study Suggests
Homo sapiens interbred with Neanderthals as early as 250,000 years ago and may have ultimately bred them out of existence, according to new research
Indonesian Cave Painting Is Oldest-Known Visual Storytelling
The depiction of three human-like figures interacting with a pig dates to 51,200 years ago
50,000-Year-Old Neanderthal Bones Have Remains of Human Viruses, Scientists Find
The preliminary analysis is a first step in testing the theory that infectious diseases played a role in Neanderthals' extinction
Long-Distance Running May Have Evolved to Help Humans Chase Prey to Exhaustion
Scientists found hundreds of recent examples from around the globe of hunters using "endurance pursuits" to tire out their prey, furthering the debate over the hunting technique
Tracking Humans’ First Footsteps in North America
At a site in New Mexico, a new discovery rewrites the human history of the continent
Meet Shanidar Z, a Neanderthal Woman Who Walked the Earth 75,000 Years Ago
After carefully piecing her skull back together, archaeologists and paleoartists have created a lifelike 3D reconstruction of the woman's face
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