Human Evolution

Our fundamentally human social, ecological, and behavioral adaptations have, over time, ratcheted up our adaptability.

The Moral Dilemma We Face in the Age of Humans

Humans are proficient problem solvers—but so far that trait has come at a cost. Can our species remain resilient without destroying the world?

Ice Age humans left their footprints across what is now Willandra Lakes in southeastern Australia.

How Climate Change May Have Shaped Human Evolution

Evidence is building that past climate change may have forged some of the defining traits of humanity

A scanning electron micrograph image of red and white blood cells.

Scientists Have Basically No Idea How Many Cells Are in the Human Body

Is it 5 trillion or 500 trillion? Who knows.

The Sahara, the world’s largest non-polar desert, may be at least 7 million years old.

The Sahara Is Millions of Years Older Than Thought

The great desert was born some 7 million years ago, as remnants of a vast sea called Tethys closed up

We Evolved Unique Human Faces So We Could Tell One Another Apart

Human face shape is more variable than other parts of the body

Neanderthal Carvings in a Gibraltar Cave Reveal Some of Europe's Oldest Known Artwork

Some argue, however, that Homo sapiens are responsible for the etchings

The hand-axe, reimagined.

Designers Remake Our Oldest Tool Using Our Newest Tool

More than a million years old, the hand axe is over due for an update

The Flores hobbit skull (left) compared to another H. sapiens skull recovered on the island that dates to around 4,000 years ago (right).

The Flores "Hobbit" Might Not Be a New Species at All

A long-standing debate on the original findings has been reignited

We Choose Friends Who Are Genetically Similar to Us

On average, our friends are like the genetic equivalents of fourth cousins

Skulls of the genus Homo, including two from Homo erectus on the right

Ability to Adapt Gave Early Humans the Edge Over Other Hominins

Features thought to be characteristic of early <em>Homo</em> lineages actually evolved before <em>Homo</em> arose. Rather, our flexible nature defines us

When Homo Sapiens Began to Emerge, Herpes Was Already Waiting

Herpes first evolved in chimpanzees before colonizing the cells of Homo erectus

The heads of human ancestors like Australopithecus afarensis may have evolved to better withstand blows to the face.

Were Ancient Humans Built for Boxing?

Males may have bigger bones and stronger jaws to better withstand getting hit in the face

He makes it look so easy.

Humans Gave Up Our Strength to Support Our Big Heads

Evolution may have traded muscle mass for big brains

Atlas V Launches the New Horizons Mission to Pluto.

Take a Peek Into the Future's Present With Our Live Coverage of Smithsonian's Two-Day Festival

The magazine's 2nd annual conference brings together experts, authors and visionaries in the fields of science, science fiction and technology.

Diver Susan Bird works at the bottom of Hoyo Negro, a large dome-shaped underwater cave on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. She carefully brushes the human skull found at the site while her team members take detailed photographs.

DNA From 12,000-Year-Old Skeleton Helps Answer the Question: Who Were the First Americans?

In 2007, cave divers discovered remains that form the oldest, most complete and genetically intact human skeleton in the New World

Why Don’t Chimpanzees Have Long, Luscious Locks?

Why doesn't animal fur grow like human hair?

A hyper realistic reconstruction of an Australopithecus africanus based on cast of the skull STS5 (nicknamed "Mrs Ples") discovered in 1947 in Sterkfontein, South Africa. The fossil STS5 is between 2.1 and 2.7 million years old.

Paleoartist Brings Human Evolution to Life

For Elisabeth Daynès, sculpting ancient humans and their ancestors is both an art and a science

What "Peak Beard" Says About Human Sexual Selection

Being sexy means standing out

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If You Like Gore, You'll Like Watching This Eyeball Get Dissected

Mind the eye juice

Knife throwing: a place you want to be pretty accurate.

One Thing Humans Are Better Than Other Species At: Throwing

The next time you angrily throw something across the room, appreciate that you’re exercising a pretty unique human ability

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