Mammals
The Top Seven Human Evolution Discoveries in Kenya
For more than 40 years, fossil hunters in Kenya have been excavating a treasure trove of hominid fossils, including a few species found nowhere else
April 18, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
A New Aquatic Ape Theory
Wetlands and lake shores may have been important oases for early hominids, providing our ancestors with reliable food supplies and encouraging the evolution of upright walking
April 16, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Four Species of Homo You've Never Heard Of
Homo helmei is just one of several obscure species of our own genus that are represented by a few fossils that don’t fit neatly into existing hominid species
April 11, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Mrs. Ples: A Hominid with an Identity Crisis
In confirming the sex of one of the most iconic hominid fossils, researchers are helping explain the great physical diversity in Australopithecus africanus
April 09, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
The Earliest Example of Hominid Fire
New research reveals hominids were building fires one million years ago, pushing back the origins of controlled fire by more than half a million years
April 04, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
New Hominid Fossil Foot Belonged to Lucy’s Neighbor
A 3.4-million-year-old fossil foot shows that early hominids had more than one way of walking around
April 02, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
The Fight to Save the Tiger
The great cat is disappearing throughout its range because of habitat loss and illegal hunting, but an innovative scientist in India may have discovered a way to avert extinction
April 2012 |
By Phil McKenna
A Debate Over The Best Way to Protect the Tiger
Experts battle each other over a $350 million plan to keep the tiger from becoming extinct
April 2012 |
By Phil McKenna
Mystery of the Lost Peking Man Fossils Solved?
A new investigation of the famous fossils that went missing during World War II suggests that the bones may be buried beneath a parking lot in China
March 28, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
What Chimps Could Tell Us About How Humans Started Walking on Two Legs
A new study of chimpanzees suggests that early hominids evolved upright, two-legged walking to carry valuable resources away from competitors
March 26, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
The Gray Wolf: The Great Lakes’ Comeback Kid
How do scientists know how many wolves are out there? Listen to how they howl, and then count how many wolves howl back
March 21, 2012 |
By Cassandra Willyard
New Hominid Species Unearthed in Chinese Caves?
Fossils discovered in China may belong to a new species of hominid or they may be evidence that modern humans were more diverse thousands of years ago
March 21, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Top Ten Hominid Fantasy Finds
You can't predict what the next major hominid discovery will be, but you can daydream about it
March 19, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
The Isle Where Buffalo Roam
When filming for a 1924 silent Western was finished, the crew members abandoned several of their extras
March 12, 2012 |
By Cassandra Willyard
In Little Hippos, Males Beget Females
A new study in pygmy hippos shows that males can influence the sex ratio of their offspring
February 28, 2012 |
By Virginia Hughes
Alan Turing’s 60-Year-Old Prediction About Patterns in Nature Proven True
Sixty years ago, with nothing but numbers, logic and some basic know-how, the inventor of the Turing Test explained how to make a stripe
February 21, 2012 |
By Virginia Hughes
What the Inuit Taught Scientists About Killer Whales
The native people knew what orcas ate, how they hunted prey, how the prey responded to the whales and when and where predation occurred
February 06, 2012 |
By Greg Laden
Where Did Dragons Come From?
In honor of the Year of the Dragon, we take a look at some potential inspirations for the dragon myth
January 23, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Meet the Contenders for Earliest Modern Human
Scientists have several candidates for the title of earliest Homo sapiens
January 11, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
Did Bigfoot Really Exist? How Gigantopithecus Became Extinct
Dental, dietary and environmental clues help explain why the world's largest ape vanished
January 09, 2012 |
By Erin Wayman
