Human Origins
What 'Lucy,' One of the World's Most Important Fossils, Has Taught Scientists in the 50 Years Since Her Discovery
The famous early human is still providing lessons to anthropologists about prehistoric Earth and its inhabitants
These Fossil Teeth From an 11-Year-Old Reveal Clues to Why Humans Developed an Unusually Long Childhood
Roughly 1.77-million-year-old teeth show that slow development in hominids may have had an earlier start than previously thought, according to a new study
Fossils Shed New Light on Small 'Hobbit-Like' Humans That Lived on a Remote Island
Two teeth and a small adult arm bone found in Indonesia suggest the ancestors of Homo floresiensis were even shorter than scientists previously thought
Early Humans Migrated Out of Africa Several Times, DNA Study Suggests
Homo sapiens interbred with Neanderthals as early as 250,000 years ago and may have ultimately bred them out of existence, according to new research
Archaeologists Discover Clues to Ancient Migration Route That Brought Humans to Australia
New research offers evidence that humans did not inhabit the island of Timor until around 44,000 years ago, suggesting it was not part of the original migration route from Southeast Asia to Australia
Tracking Humans’ First Footsteps in North America
At a site in New Mexico, a new discovery rewrites the human history of the continent
Dentist Discovers Human-Like Jawbone and Teeth in a Floor Tile at His Parents' Home
Scientists are planning to study the specimen, embedded in travertine from western Turkey, in hopes of dating and identifying it
Stone Age People Survived a Supervolcano Eruption by Adapting to Dry Periods, Archaeologists Suggest
Humans living in northwest Ethiopia around 74,000 years ago switched to eating more fish following the eruption, a behavior that might have enabled migration out of Africa
Stone Tools Found in Ukraine May Be the Oldest Evidence of Early Humans in Europe
The 1.4-million-year-old rocks may have belonged to Homo erectus, and they shed light on migrations of human ancestors, a new study suggests
Humans and Neanderthals Lived Side by Side in Northern Europe 45,000 Years Ago, Study Finds
Archaeologists identified bone fragments of prehistoric modern humans in Germany, suggesting several millennia of coexistence with Neanderthals before the species disappeared
Ancient DNA From Eurasian Herders Sheds Light on the Origins of Multiple Sclerosis
Genetic variants linked to the risk of MS were brought to Europe during a migration around 5,000 years ago, a new study finds—and they might have helped herders survive
Thirteen Discoveries Made About Human Evolution in 2023
Smithsonian paleoanthropologists reveal some of the year’s most fascinating findings about human origins
Here's What We Know About Neanderthals So Far
Today, thanks to new artifacts and technologies, findings about our closest relatives are coming thick and fast
Like Humans, Some Bonobos Cooperate With Outsiders
We might not be the only primates to display helpful behavior toward members of a different social group, a new study suggests
Two Million Years Ago, This Homo Erectus Lived the High Life
Dating of a child's fossilized jaw and teeth suggest our relatives lived at altitude earlier than once thought
One Million Years Ago, Our Human Relatives May Have Challenged Giant Hyenas for Carcasses
Groups of hominins might have successfully scavenged large kills, new modeling finds
Archaeologists Uncover Notched Logs That May Be the Oldest Known Wooden Structure
The interlocking pieces, found near a waterfall in Zambia, date to 476,000 years ago—before Homo sapiens evolved
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
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