Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Science / Mind & Body

A rigorous experiment lent truth to the idea that hot drinks can help the body stay cool.

A Hot Drink on a Hot Day Can Cool You Down

A rigorous experiment revealed that on a hot, dry day, drinking a hot beverage can help your body stay cool

The MinION device might sequence your entire genome over the course of hours and plug into your computer.

Cracking the Code of the Human Genome

Quick and Cheap DNA Sequencing On the Horizon?

A new technique reads DNA base by base by threading it through a tiny pore

The entrance to Shanidar Cave in northern Iraq

Human Evolution Discoveries in Iraq

Fossils from the Shanidar Cave provide insights on health, violence and death rituals among Neanderthals

This skull from the Petralona Cave is one of the few hominid fossils found in Greece that date to the Middle Pleistocene.

Where Are Greece’s Missing Hominids?

Given its location and climate, Greece should be filled with hominid bones and stone tools

A new study indicates 3.6 percent of American adults are prone to sleepwalking, but scientists still don't understand what causes the phenomenon.

The Science of Sleepwalking

A new study indicates that a surprisingly high number of us are prone to sleepwalking. Should you wake a sleepwalker?

A grandmother in Ethiopia carries her grandchild.

Grandmothers Reduce Incidence of Breast Cancer?

By helping raise their grandchildren, grandmothers might have influenced the spread of certain genes, a new study suggests

The soft spot and metopic suture are clearly visible on the skull of the young human (right) and absent in the young chimpanzee (left). Those features are present, although harder to see, in the fossil of a young Australopithecus (center).

Why Do Babies Have Soft Spots?

Humans’ big, fast-growing brains and unique style of walking explain why it takes so long for infant skulls to develop

The Australopithecus africanus fossil, Mrs. Ples, was indeed female.

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

The eight bones of the new fossil foot discovered in Ethiopia.

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

A replica of one of the Peking Man skulls

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

An artist's conception of the unusual humans living in southwestern China 11,500 to 14,300 years ago.

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

The skull of Sahelanthropus. What does its body look like?

Top Ten Hominid Fantasy Finds

You can’t predict what the next major hominid discovery will be, but you can daydream about it

A new study shows that our ability to recall details from a crime scene are severely impaired after physical exertion.

How Well Do We Really Remember A Crime Scene?

A new study shows that our ability to recall details is severely impaired after physical exertion

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice can adversely interact with certain medications.

Why Does Grapefruit Mess With Your Medicine?

The juicy fruit can cause negative side effects with a number of prescription and over-the-counter medicines

Baby, we're pair-bonded for life.

Geeky Gifts for Your Valentine

Having trouble finding a gift that matches the brilliance of your Valentine? We’ve got the solutions

Cro-Magnon was one of the first fossils of an ancient human ever discovered.

Meet the Contenders for Earliest Modern Human

Scientists have several candidates for the title of earliest Homo sapiens

Humans are the only hominids with true chins.

Why Do Humans Have Chins?

Scientists have several explanations for why modern humans are the only hominids that have chins

The skull of Australopithecus sediba

Top 10 Hominid Discoveries of 2011

A look back at the year’s most important and fascinating finds in the field of human evolution

A giant bust of Peking Man at Zhoukoudian

The Human Evolution World Tour

Hominid enthusiasts can see the highlights of human evolution at evotourism destinations around the world

Fossil leaves from the 77,000-year-old mattress

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?

Page 39 of 49