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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?
December 14, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
Hominid Gifts for the Holidays
A 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
December 12, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
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
December 07, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
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
December 05, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
Strange Animal Models of Human Evolution
What do sea otters, wolves and capuchin monkeys reveal about our hominid ancestors?
November 30, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
The First Americans
Archaeologists once thought the Clovis people were the first to live in the New World, but mounting evidence suggests humans arrived in the Americas thousands of years earlier
November 28, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
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
November 22, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
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
November 16, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
Taking a Southern Route Out of Africa
Mounting genetic, archaeological and geological evidence suggests humans may have migrated out of Africa along a southern route: across the Red Sea and into southern Arabia
November 14, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
A Hominid Dictionary
Hominids have complicated names, but their scientific monikers are less mysterious when their Latin, Greek and African roots are decoded
November 09, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
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
November 08, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
Modern Humans Once Mated with Other Species
Genetic studies reveal that some modern humans carry DNA from extinct hominid species, evidence of ancient interbreeding
November 02, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
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
October 31, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
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
October 26, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
Neanderthals: Made for Mountaineering?
Neanderthals' short legs made them well-suited for walking in mountain environments
October 24, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
The Earliest Known Artist’s Studio
The discovery of a 100,000-year-old art studio in Africa hints at when modern human behavior emerged
October 19, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
How Africa Became the Cradle of Humankind
A fossil discovery in 1924 revolutionized the search for human ancestors, leading scientists to Africa
October 17, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
Welcome to Hominid Hunting
Smithsonian's newest blog tracks the latest developments in the field of human evolution
October 12, 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
Famous Animal Gravesites Around the World
It's not just Kentucky Derby winners that are buried with great honor
April 28, 2010 |
By Robin T. Reid
Hominids’ African Origins, 50 Years Later
Before Mary Leakey’s discovery of hominid fossils in East Africa, many experts thought that human ancestors evolved in Asia
July 23, 2009 |
By Laura Helmuth
