Colin Barras

Colin Barras

Science writer

Colin Barras is a science writer focusing on archaeology and evolutionary sciences. He has also written for New Scientist, Nature and Science among others. Colin has a PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK, and an MSc in science communication from Imperial College London. 

Latest articles by Colin Barras

A close up of a reconstructed skull, missing its lower jaw, against a black background

Homo habilis is the earliest named human. But is it even human?

By Colin Barras published

Between 2 million and 3 million years ago, humans appeared in Africa — but identifying them in the fossil record is turning out to be surprisingly difficult.

Human Evolution
An illustration showing a large ape-like creature with brown fur sitting in front of a lush jungle

18 million-year-old fossils of ape found in Africa, but in an unexpected place

By Colin Barras published

The ancestor of apes was long thought to come from East Africa, but newly discovered fossils in Egypt may prompt a rethink.

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Human Evolution

Vanishing lakes in Tibet may have triggered earthquakes by awakening faults in Earth's crust

By Colin Barras published

Shrinking lakes in Tibet likely woke up long-dormant tectonic faults, a new study finds. The findings strengthen the link between climate change and earthquakes

Earthquakes