Caves | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/caves/RSS feed for CavesenWed, 08 Jul 2026 14:26:56 +0000Our Ancestors Loved Shell Trinkets, Just Like Neanderthals. New Research Suggests It's a Sign of Shared Culture Across Specieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/our-ancestors-loved-shell-trinkets-just-like-neanderthals-new-research-suggests-its-a-sign-of-shared-culture-across-species-180989085/Based on artifacts found in a limestone cave on the Mediterranean coast, scientists think the two species might have shared similar survival strategies, stone tool technologies and symbolic traditionsWed, 08 Jul 2026 14:26:56 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/our-ancestors-loved-shell-trinkets-just-like-neanderthals-new-research-suggests-its-a-sign-of-shared-culture-across-species-180989085/In a Scientific First, Researchers Recovered Ancient DNA That Humans Left Behind on Rock Art and Cave Wallshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-scientific-first-researchers-recovered-ancient-dna-that-humans-left-behind-on-rock-art-and-cave-walls-180989038/DNA preservation on cave walls is highly variable, but scientists say their work is an important step on the path toward gaining a deeper understanding of our creative ancestorsMon, 29 Jun 2026 14:27:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-scientific-first-researchers-recovered-ancient-dna-that-humans-left-behind-on-rock-art-and-cave-walls-180989038/Early Humans May Have Used Fire 1.8 Million Years Ago, Nearly Doubling the Age of the Oldest Known Evidence for the Feathttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/early-humans-may-have-used-fire-1-8-million-years-ago-nearly-doubling-the-age-of-the-oldest-known-evidence-for-the-feat-180989015/In Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa, burned bones were found in a dirt layer associated with Homo erectus. The inhabitants probably hadn't mastered fire-making, but researchers say they may have moved and maintained flames from a natural fireFri, 26 Jun 2026 16:59:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/early-humans-may-have-used-fire-1-8-million-years-ago-nearly-doubling-the-age-of-the-oldest-known-evidence-for-the-feat-180989015/Did These Prehistoric Primates Really Bury Just Their Female Dead Deep in a Cave?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-these-prehistoric-primates-really-bury-just-their-female-dead-deep-in-a-cave-180989020/Researchers say that the fossilized bones of "Homo naledi," so far found exclusively underground in South Africa, lack a key genetic male markerThu, 25 Jun 2026 21:18:12 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-these-prehistoric-primates-really-bury-just-their-female-dead-deep-in-a-cave-180989020/A Century After Causing Controversy, Red Cave Markings in Wales Are Classified Again as Britain's Oldest Rock Arthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-century-after-causing-controversy-red-cave-markings-in-wales-are-classified-again-as-britains-oldest-rock-art-180988879/The team of scientists used modern dating methods to confirm an old hypothesis by the rock art’s initial discoverersTue, 02 Jun 2026 20:59:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-century-after-causing-controversy-red-cave-markings-in-wales-are-classified-again-as-britains-oldest-rock-art-180988879/