Human Origins
Our Human Ancestors Very Nearly Went Extinct 900,000 Years Ago, Genetics Suggest
A study proposes that the population that gave rise to modern humans may have been reduced to roughly 1,300 reproducing individuals
An Extreme Ice Age May Have Wiped Out Europe's Earliest Humans 1.1 Million Years Ago
New research suggests the continent was devoid of hominins for about 200,000 years after a previously unknown cold snap
Humans May Have Arrived in the Americas Earlier Than Previously Thought
Researchers say that humans coexisted with giant sloths in Brazil some 25,0000 years ago
Giant Hand Axes Discovered in England Point to Prehistoric Humans' 'Strength and Skill'
A trove of artifacts found in a valley in Kent includes the third largest hand ax found in the country to date
Early Women Were Hunters, Not Just Gatherers, Study Suggests
Regardless of maternal status, women hunted in almost 80 percent of recent and present-day foraging societies in a new study
Our Human Relatives Butchered and Ate Each Other 1.45 Million Years Ago
Telltale marks on a bone from an early human’s leg could be the earliest evidence of cannibalism
When Did Humans Start Settling Down?
In Israel, new discoveries at one of the world's oldest villages are upending the debate about when we stopped wandering
What the Largest-Ever Study of Primate DNA Reveals About Ourselves
The findings cover not only conservation and primate evolution, but also human health and diseases
Archaeologists Uncover Earliest Evidence of Modern Humans in Southeast Asia
The fossils from a cave in Laos, which date to between 68,000 and 86,000 years ago, challenge several ideas about early human migration
DNA Suggests Modern Humans Emerged From Several Groups in Africa, Not One
Scientists used computer modeling and the genomes of several hundred living people to examine our prehistoric origins
54,000 Years Ago, Humans and Neanderthals May Have Inhabited Europe Together
Similarities between artifacts found in Lebanon and France suggest Homo sapiens migrants brought tool traditions with them
This 39,600-Year-Old Bone May Have Been Used by Prehistoric Tailors
New research suggests early Homo sapiens punched holes in leather hides to create seams for clothing
When Did Clothing Originate?
An archaeologist traces the invention and evolution of apparel using climate data and tailoring tools
Humans May Have Eaten Giant Snails 170,000 Years Ago
Shell fragments from a cave in southern Africa show signs of exposure to extreme heat, suggesting they were cooked
Who Made the First Stone Tool Kits?
A nearly three-million-year-old butchering site packed with animal bones, stone implements and molars from our early ancestors reignites the debate
Neanderthals Dined on Crab 90,000 Years Ago
Pieces of shells in a Portuguese cave suggest the early humans cooked and ate crustaceans, according to a new study
Fourteen Discoveries Made About Human Evolution in 2022
Smithsonian paleoanthropologists reveal the year’s most riveting findings about our close relatives and ancestors
Human Ancestors May Have Evolved to Walk Upright in Trees
Research on wild chimpanzees suggests searching for food in tree branches drove bipedalism
Prehistoric DNA Reveals Two Groups Migrated to the U.K. After the Last Ice Age
The bones of two individuals found in caves helped scientists determine their ancestry
Ancient DNA Reveals the First Known Neanderthal Family
The lived with a small community in a Siberian cave some 54,000 years ago
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