Human Evolution

Abnormalities identified included misshapen skulls and jaws, bowed femur and arm bones

Did Rampant Inbreeding Contribute to Early Humans’ High Rate of Skeletal Deformities?

Researcher identified 75 skeletal or dental defects in sample of just 66 sets of ancient remains

Male Gorillas That Babysit End Up With Larger Brood of Their Own

Male gorillas that participated in child-rearing were also more successful breeders

Comparison of Modern Human and Neanderthal skulls from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Ancient Teeth With Neanderthal Features Reveal New Chapters of Human Evolution

The 450,000-year-old teeth, discovered on the Italian Peninsula, are helping anthropologists piece together the hominid family tree

Scientists analyzed 3D scans of entheses, or scars left at points where muscle attaches to bone

Neanderthals Used Their Hands for Precision, Not Just Power

Researchers suggest that the early human ancestors’ hand usage places them in line with tailors, painters rather than brute-force laborers

Humans' CMAH gene mutation may enable them to exhibit higher endurance over long periods of exercise

Human Gene Mutation May Have Paved the Way for Long-Distance Running

Mice with engineered versions of the CMAH gene exhibited 30 percent better endurance than those without

Chimps and Toddlers Use Same Gestures to Get Attention

A new study shows 12 to 24 month old children and chimps use 46 of the same movements to communicate, including stomping, pointing and clapping

Sometimes, it's okay to skip leg day.

For Men, Gains in the Gym May Come at a Cost to Sperm

There might be a tradeoff between how strong men look and sperm count

The tiny arm or leg fragment belonged to Denisova 11, a 13-year-old hybrid hominin

Meet Denisova 11: First Known Hybrid Hominin

The 13-year-old girl’s mother was a Neanderthal while her father was a Denisovan

Study suggests that early humans had opposable, ape-like big toes built for grasping

Researchers Suggest Big Toe Was Last Part of Foot to Evolve

Early hominins' big toes were equipped for life on the ground and in the trees

Early humans made stone tools out of whichever rocks happened to be lying nearby, ignoring quality in favor of convenience

Laziness May Have Contributed to the Decline of Homo Erectus

Researchers suggest early humans pursued “least-effort strategies” when crafting tools, collecting resources

Liang Bua cave on Flores Island, where Homo floresiensis remains were discovered in 2003. Nearby is a village where the pygmies live.

A New Genetic Study Suggests Modern Flores Island Pygmies and Ancient Hobbits Are Unrelated

The island dwarfism effect seems to have occurred independently in each population, thousands of years apart

Humans and other animals share large amounts of genetic material, making geneticists rethink the traditional notion of inheritance.

Genes That Jump Between Species Could Rewrite Our Understanding of Evolution

Horizontal movement of genetic material is widespread across animals, challenging traditional notions of inheritance

Behaviors requiring the most pressure were smashing bones for marrow and producing flint flakes

Did the Human Hand Evolve as a Lean Mean Bone-Smashing Machine?

Of nearly 40 things Pleistocene people might have done with their hands, getting to yummy marrow requires the most force and dexterity

Man With World's Longest Fingernails Finally Gets a Manicure

After growing out the nails on his left hand for 66 years, Shridhar Chillal has sold the 31 feet of keratin to Ripley's Believe It Or Not

Oldest Stone Tools Outside Africa Unearthed in China

Six artifacts date to 2.1 million years ago, potentially rewriting what we know about which species led the migration out of Africa

The foot bones of an Australopithecus Afarensis toddler show that the species retained some ape-like traits.

Ancient Toddler Was at Home on the Ground and in the Trees

The foot of a 2.5-year-old Austrolopithecus afarensis shows it had a grippy big toe that let it cling to its mom and climb tree trunks

The Fountain of Youth, Lucas Cranach the Elder

Study Suggests There's No Limit on Longevity, But Getting Super Old Is Still Tough

After the age of 105, the odds of dying plateau, meaning it's possible to live beyond the current record of 123 years

Contrary to popular beliefs, Neanderthals lived in complex societies and hunted prey cooperatively.

Neanderthals Hunted in Groups, One More Strike Against the Dumb Brute Myth

The skeletons of deer killed 120,000 years ago offer more evidence of cooperative behavior and risk-taking among our hominin relatives

Elephants communicate in low rumbles, each listening for the resulting vibrations in the ground with their feet.

Some Animals Take Turns While Talking, Just Like Humans. Why?

Understanding their courteous exchanges—from frog croaks to elephant rumbles—could shed light on the origins of human conversation

Archaeologists Uncover 20,000-Year-Old Kangaroo Cook Out

The site in Pilbara is one of many helping to define human movements in Australia

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