Human evolution: Facts, news, features and articles about the past 300,000 years of Homo sapiens
Explore Human Evolution
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10 things we learned about our human ancestors in 2025Findings about our human ancestors continue to surprise us, especially those from 2025.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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We now know much more about how our ancestor 'Lucy' lived — and diedFifty years after a fossil skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis was unearthed in Ethiopia, we know so much more about how this iconic species lived and died.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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'Biological time capsules': How DNA from cave dirt is revealing clues about early humans and NeanderthalsOpinion DNA from soil could soon reveal who lived in ice age caves, research shows.
By Gerlinde Bigga Published
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Science history: Anthropologist sees the face of the 'Taung Child' — and proves that Africa was the cradle of humanity — Dec. 23, 1924Over a century ago, anthropologist Raymond Dart chipped an ancient skull out of some rock from an ancient quarry — and revealed the face of an ancient human relative.
By Tia Ghose Published
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Scientists claim 'Lucy' may not be our direct ancestor after all, stoking fierce debateRecent fossil finds could mean that "Lucy" wasn't our direct ancestor, some scientists say. Others strongly disagree.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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'It is the most exciting discovery in my 40-year career': Archaeologists uncover evidence that Neanderthals made fire 400,000 years ago in EnglandArchaeologists have found the earliest evidence yet of fire technology — and it was created by Neanderthals in England more than 400,000 years ago.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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The 'hobbits' may have died out when drought forced them to compete with modern humans, new research suggestsA reduction in rainfall may have played a sizable role in the extinction of Homo floresiensis, the archaic human species nicknamed the "hobbit," a new study finds.
By Owen Jarus Published
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'Intelligence comes at a price, and for many species, the benefits just aren't worth it': A neuroscientist's take on how human intellect evolvedBook In his book "One Hand Clapping," Nikolay Kukushkin explores explanations for how consciousness evolved, and ultimately, what makes us human.
By Nikolay Kukushkin Published
37 CommentsBook -
'An extreme end of human genetic variation': Ancient humans were isolated in southern Africa for nearly 100,000 years, and their genetics are stunningly differentAncient genomes from southern Africa show that people evolved in isolation for upward of 100,000 years.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
17 Commentshuman-evolution
