Humans Evolved from African Ape-Like Ancestor, Research Suggests
In new research, paleoanthropologists from the United States and Canada analyzed the morphology of a hominin talus (large…
Lead Exposure May Have Influenced Evolution of Human Brain, Behavior, and Development of Language
Several hominids — Australopithecus africanus, Paranthropus robustus, early Homo sp., Gigantopithecus blacki, Pongo sp., Papio sp., Homo neanderthalensis,…
Extinct human relative practiced cultural burials 120,000 years ago
Paleoanthropologists have once again sparked a debate after suggesting that a long-extinct human relative may have buried its…
Earliest evidence of interbreeding between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens discovered
In a rocky outcrop on Mount Carmel, in what is now Israel, a group of ancient humans buried…
Denisovan DNA May Have Helped Ancient Humans Survive in Americas
Thousands of years ago, ancient Homo sapiens undertook a treacherous journey, crossing hundreds of km of ice over…
140,000-year-old fossil shows human–Neanderthal interbreeding
An international research team has identified the earliest fossil showing both Neanderthal and Homo sapiens traits. The skeleton,…
Genetic mutation in key enzyme may explain why humans survived while Neanderthals went extinct
A minor genetic difference in one of the enzymes may have helped separate modern humans from Neanderthals and…
Study: Genetic Variant Inherited from Neanderthals Reduces Activity of Key Muscle Enzyme
The Neanderthal variant in AMPD1 decreases its enzymatic activity by 25% in lab-produced proteins and by up to…