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Neanderthals were more susceptible to lead poisoning than humans — which helped us gain an advantage over our cousins, scientists say
Humans and our ancestors have been exposed to lead for 2 million years, but the toxic metal may have actually helped our species to develop language — giving us a key advantage over our Neanderthal cousins, scientists claim.
Neanderthals could be brought back within 20 years — but is it a good idea?
With today's technology, we cannot bring back Neanderthals. But even if future advances allow it, should we?
Ancient Hobbits slowed down growth during childhood, showing that humans didn't always grow 'bigger and bigger brains'
Hobbits of Flores evolved to be small by slowing down growth during childhood, new research on teeth and brain size suggests.
1 million-year-old skull from China holds clues to the origins of Neanderthals, Denisovans and humans
Reconstruction of a 1 million-year-old skull shows that early human groups split and diversified quickly.
Do humans and chimps really share nearly 99% of their DNA?
The frequently cited 99% similarity between human and chimp DNA overlooks key differences in the genomes.
Homo erectus: Facts about the first human lineage to leave Africa
Homo erectus is associated with a number of firsts in its 2 million years of existence, including being the first hominin to travel out of Africa.
1.8 million-year-old human jawbone discovered in Republic of Georgia — and it may be earliest evidence yet of Homo erectus
A new fossil find in the Republic of Georgia is expanding our understanding of the earliest humans to leave Africa.
Mysterious 300,000-year-old Greek cave skull was neither human nor Neanderthal, study finds
Researchers have dated the mysterious skull from Petralona Cave in Greece to 300,000 years ago and concluded that the fossil belonged to an ancient human group that lived alongside Neanderthals.
The first Americans had Denisovan DNA. And it may have helped them survive.
People with Indigenous American ancestry carry Denisovan genes that Neanderthals passed on when they mated with modern humans.
Gene that differs between humans and Neanderthals could shed light on the species' disappearance, mouse study suggests
A gene called ADSL, which helps synthesize DNA, differs between modern humans and our extinct human relatives. The findings could shed light on why Neanderthals vanished.
