https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/human-evolution/RSS feed for Human EvolutionenFri, 15 May 2026 13:34:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthals-got-cavities-too-and-new-research-suggests-they-drilled-into-their-teeth-to-treat-them-just-like-modern-dentists-180988746/Researchers unearthed a 59,000-year-old Neanderthal molar that shows signs of dental surgery, a discovery that pushes back the earliest evidence of dental work by roughly 45,000 yearsFri, 15 May 2026 13:34:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthals-got-cavities-too-and-new-research-suggests-they-drilled-into-their-teeth-to-treat-them-just-like-modern-dentists-180988746/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-homo-sapiens-really-outsmart-neanderthals-different-skull-shapes-didnt-necessarily-mean-unequal-brain-capacity-new-research-shows-180988738/A study from U.S. and Chinese researchers suggests Neanderthals and early modern humans probably had similar cognitive abilitiesWed, 13 May 2026 21:29:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-homo-sapiens-really-outsmart-neanderthals-different-skull-shapes-didnt-necessarily-mean-unequal-brain-capacity-new-research-shows-180988738/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-big-database-of-dna-from-indigenous-americans-shakes-up-scientific-theories-about-human-settlement-of-south-america-180988628/Genomic data provides evidence for a previously unknown wave of migration, with Indigenous groups living in central and southern Mexico spreading into South America and the Caribbean starting around 1,300 years agoTue, 28 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-big-database-of-dna-from-indigenous-americans-shakes-up-scientific-theories-about-human-settlement-of-south-america-180988628/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-neanderthals-have-language-new-research-suggests-they-had-the-genetic-hardware-for-it-like-humans-180988620/Specific genomic regions that seem to play a role in human language development evolved hundreds of thousands of years ago, before humans and Neanderthals diverged from a common ancestor, a new study findsMon, 27 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-neanderthals-have-language-new-research-suggests-they-had-the-genetic-hardware-for-it-like-humans-180988620/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/humans-are-still-evolving-natural-selection-has-favored-genes-linked-to-red-hair-and-less-male-pattern-baldness-a-study-suggests-180988563/A massive study of ancient and modern DNA from thousands of West Eurasian people has identified nearly 500 genetic variants that evolution has selected for or against in recent historyWed, 22 Apr 2026 17:34:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/humans-are-still-evolving-natural-selection-has-favored-genes-linked-to-red-hair-and-less-male-pattern-baldness-a-study-suggests-180988563/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthal-kids-grew-up-so-fast-at-least-compared-to-their-human-peers-thanks-to-genetic-adaptations-to-their-environment-180988583/Scientists think Neanderthal children may have had faster growth rates because larger bodies tend to retain heat more effectively than smaller onesTue, 21 Apr 2026 15:14:19 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthal-kids-grew-up-so-fast-at-least-compared-to-their-human-peers-thanks-to-genetic-adaptations-to-their-environment-180988583/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/newly-discovered-stone-tools-made-from-geodes-and-fossils-hint-at-homo-erectus-connection-with-the-cosmos-180988565/Archaeologists in Israel unearthed prehistoric hand axes that Homo erectus crafted from stones including fossils and crystals, perhaps a sign that they wanted to connect with the cosmosMon, 20 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/newly-discovered-stone-tools-made-from-geodes-and-fossils-hint-at-homo-erectus-connection-with-the-cosmos-180988565/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ancient-humans-mastered-fire-now-burning-fossil-fuels-and-blazing-landscapes-threaten-to-undo-the-world-180988531/Intensifying wildfires across the continent are spewing air pollution, putting human health at risk, particularly Americans living with chronic illnessesThu, 16 Apr 2026 11:00:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ancient-humans-mastered-fire-now-burning-fossil-fuels-and-blazing-landscapes-threaten-to-undo-the-world-180988531/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-wild-chimps-have-been-fighting-in-a-civil-war-for-nearly-a-decade-its-the-bloodiest-split-ever-seen-among-their-kind-180988527/The Ngogo chimpanzees in Uganda have divided themselves into two main factions, and dozens of deaths have been recorded since the split in 2018. A new study details the unprecedented violence, which could shed light on the evolutionary underpinnings of human warfareFri, 10 Apr 2026 20:12:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-wild-chimps-have-been-fighting-in-a-civil-war-for-nearly-a-decade-its-the-bloodiest-split-ever-seen-among-their-kind-180988527/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-nearly-80-years-of-doubt-scientists-say-a-spear-lodged-between-elephant-ribs-offers-evidence-that-neanderthals-hunted-big-game-180988522/In 1948, amateur archaeologists unearthed the remains, which should have shifted researchers' views of Neanderthals. But poor documentation sowed skepticism in the scientific communityFri, 10 Apr 2026 16:05:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-nearly-80-years-of-doubt-scientists-say-a-spear-lodged-between-elephant-ribs-offers-evidence-that-neanderthals-hunted-big-game-180988522/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-17-million-year-old-fossils-could-rewrite-the-evolutionary-tree-of-apes-including-humans-180988446/Jawbone fragments and teeth from a previously unknown species hint that the evolution of modern apes occurred in what's now North Africa or the Arabian Peninsula, rather than in East AfricaMon, 30 Mar 2026 16:08:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-17-million-year-old-fossils-could-rewrite-the-evolutionary-tree-of-apes-including-humans-180988446/