Mammals
Fossils Reveal Earliest Known Case of Anemia in Hominids
A 2-year-old child that lived 1.5 million years ago suffered from the blood disorder, which may suggest that hominids by this time were regularly eating meat
October 03, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Becoming Human: The Origin of Stone Tools
Archaeologists are still debating when hominids started making stone tools and which species was the first toolmaker
October 01, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
How to Retrace Early Human Migrations
Anthropologists rely on a variety of fossil, archaeological, genetic and linguistic clues to reconstruct how people populated the world
September 26, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Do Feathers Reveal Neanderthal Brainpower?
Neanderthals may have used feathers as personal ornaments, which suggests our cousins were capable of symbolic expression
September 24, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Same Gene Guides Cheetah and Tabby Cat Coat Patterns
A mutation in one gene produces tabby cats with blotches and cheetahs with stripes
September 20, 2012 |
By Sarah Zielinski
The Rock of Gibraltar: Neanderthals’ Last Refuge
Gibraltar hosted some of the last-surviving Neanderthals and was home to one of the first Neanderthal fossil discoveries
September 19, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Energy Efficiency Doesn’t Explain Human Walking?
A new study of mammal locomotion challenges the claim that hominids evolved two-legged walking because of its energy savings
September 17, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Scientists Manipulate Brainwaves of Cocaine-Addled Monkeys to Improve Decision-Making
By stimulating neural activity with electrodes, researchers boosted the mental skills of rhesus monkeys under the influence of cocaine
September 14, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Bears, Up Close and Personal, in the Alaskan Wilderness
A newly built retreat gives visitors a chance to see the Kodiaks in their element
September 13, 2012 |
By Elaine Glusac
What Was the Black Skull?
Anthropologists know little about Paranthropus aethiopicus and they don't all agree on the 2.5-million-year-old species' place in the human family tree
September 12, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Indonesia’s Top Five Hominid Fossil Sites
Indonesia is one of the first places where scientists discovered hominid fossils and is home to some of the oldest hominid bones outside of Africa
September 10, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Early Cannibalism Tied to Territorial Defense?
Researchers say chimpanzee behavior may help explain why human ancestors ate each other 800,000 years ago
September 05, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Found: A Time Capsule at the National Zoo
While renovating the Elephant House, construction workers discovered a mysterious box hidden in a wall
September 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Timing of Childbirth Evolved to Match Women’s Energy Limits
Researchers find no evidence for the long-held view that the length of human gestation is a compromise between hip width and brain size
August 29, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
The Oldest Human Fossils in Southeast Asia?
Researchers claim skull fragments and teeth discovered in a cave in Laos may be the oldest modern human fossils ever found in mainland Southeast Asia
August 27, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Researchers Working on a “Chill Pill” for Sharks
In response to stress, sharks can undergo dangerous changes in blood chemistry, so scientists are attempting to develop a solution
August 24, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Five Accidental Hominid Fossil Discoveries
Sometimes finding Neanderthals, australopithecines and other human ancestors is a complete accident
August 22, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
The Best Places to See Hominid Bones Online, Part II
The Internet is full of great websites where you can play with hominid fossils
August 20, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Neanderthal and Human Matings Get a Date
New research shows modern humans bred with Neanderthals 47,000 to 65,000 years ago as our ancestors left Africa
August 15, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Triclosan, A Chemical Used in Antibacterial Soaps, is Found to Impair Muscle Function
In a new study, the chemical inhibited muscle activity in individual human heart cells, mice and minnows
August 13, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
