<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
     xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
     xmlns:dc="https://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
     xmlns:dcterms="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"
     xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/"
     xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
>
    <channel>
                    <atom:link href="https://www.livescience.com/feeds/tag/neanderthals" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
                            <title><![CDATA[ Latest from Live Science in Neanderthals ]]></title>
                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/neanderthals</link>
        <description><![CDATA[ All the latest neanderthals content from the Live Science team ]]></description>
                                    <lastBuildDate>Wed, 13 May 2026 18:00:00 +0000</lastBuildDate>
                            <language>en</language>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'Exceptional' drilled tooth reveals Neanderthals practiced dentistry in Siberia 60,000 years ago ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthals/exceptional-drilled-tooth-reveals-neanderthals-practiced-dentistry-in-siberia-60-000-years-ago</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A hole found in a 60,000-year-old Neanderthal tooth was likely made by a stone drill, making the discovery the oldest evidence of intentional dentistry to date. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">S33DuNEztU3vgpdjP8tJWY</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pSTSpKKPBWWifYneUkdmv-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 13 May 2026 18:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Thu, 14 May 2026 13:33:17 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Sophie Berdugo ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pSTSpKKPBWWifYneUkdmv-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Zubova et al., 2026, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[The roughly 59,000-year-old molar tooth was found in Chagyrskaya Cave, which Neanderthals used as a campsite in what is now Russia.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A Neanderthal tooth from three different angles on a grey background]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A Neanderthal tooth from three different angles on a grey background]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pSTSpKKPBWWifYneUkdmv-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Neanderthals' brains weren't to blame for their demise, new study suggests ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthals/neanderthals-brains-werent-to-blame-for-their-demise-new-study-suggests</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Researchers examining the brains of living people found that they differed more substantially than Neanderthals' brains differed from modern humans', calling into question the reason our evolutionary cousins mysteriously disappeared. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">zWmpRn7pdMqo3woNQxnyBA</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6xwoXuZHGXPVCpQDpZUy77-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 19:38:59 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 21:59:54 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6xwoXuZHGXPVCpQDpZUy77-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[NurPhoto/Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Neanderthals and humans likely had similar brains, a new research study suggests.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[a human skull with a Neanderthal reconstruction in the background]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a human skull with a Neanderthal reconstruction in the background]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6xwoXuZHGXPVCpQDpZUy77-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Neanderthal toddlers grew faster than modern humans, probably because of the harsh environment they evolved in ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthals/neanderthal-toddlers-grew-faster-than-modern-humans-probably-because-of-the-harsh-environment-they-evolved-in</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A new study of a Neanderthal toddler reveals that our closest evolutionary relatives' growth patterns differed from those of modern humans. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">FSdBSdGXTGk34jJ2CmaNfV</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MSLPa44tfqqDwhiMYN85yR-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 15:10:56 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:58:36 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MSLPa44tfqqDwhiMYN85yR-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Been et al. (CC BY 4.0)]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[The researchers made a 3D model of the Amud 7 Neanderthal skeleton.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[screencap of a 3D model of a Neanderthal child skeleton]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[screencap of a 3D model of a Neanderthal child skeleton]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MSLPa44tfqqDwhiMYN85yR-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'Major disruption in Neanderthal history': 65,000 years ago, all Neanderthals in Europe died out except for one lineage ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthals/major-disruption-in-neanderthal-history-65-000-years-ago-all-neanderthals-in-europe-died-out-except-for-one-lineage</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ The last Neanderthals to survive in Europe came from a single lineage that survived the worst period of the ice age, ancient DNA reveals. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">pHEEbCLK4qfim2QiC8S7oh</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ppt2BppAVpnQAiSqvKFwuf-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 22:02:22 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Charles Q. Choi ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ppt2BppAVpnQAiSqvKFwuf-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Luc Doyon and Dušan Mihailović.]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Pešturina Cave in Serbia, where a Neanderthal tooth that was genetically analyzed in the new study was found.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A view looking from inside a dark cave through an opening where a lush green jungle lies beyond.]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A view looking from inside a dark cave through an opening where a lush green jungle lies beyond.]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ppt2BppAVpnQAiSqvKFwuf-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 2 Neanderthals present at same Siberian cave 10,000 years apart were distant relatives, 110,000-year-old bone reveals ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthals/2-neanderthals-present-at-same-siberian-cave-10-000-years-apart-were-distant-relatives-110-000-year-old-bone-reveals</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Researchers extracted DNA from a Neanderthal bone fragment found in Russia's Denisova Cave, and the genome is shedding light on how small and isolated their groups were. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">HbBEzLT25AJhAt973jWHvR</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/m67LJCThv4ZKv5VSBQEueh-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 19:41:46 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 22:02:22 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Aristos Georgiou ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/m67LJCThv4ZKv5VSBQEueh-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Diyendo Massilani.]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[The 110,000-year-old Neanderthal bone fragment found in Denisova Cave in Russia, from which ancient DNA was extracted.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A close up of a small, cylindrical, yellowish bone with a hollow middle sitting on a shiny surface with a centimeter ruler next to it.]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A close up of a small, cylindrical, yellowish bone with a hollow middle sitting on a shiny surface with a centimeter ruler next to it.]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/m67LJCThv4ZKv5VSBQEueh-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Humans and Neanderthals interbred — but it was mostly male Neanderthals and female humans who coupled up, study finds ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthals/humans-and-neanderthals-interbred-but-it-was-mostly-male-neanderthals-and-female-humans-who-coupled-up-study-finds</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A preference for pairings between male Neanderthals and female Homo sapiens may answer the question of why there are "Neanderthal deserts" in human chromosomes. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">dDmmRUYjGVjT88wusUUwDA</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wWN99SCnGejGkViA9SXtm6-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Thu, 26 Feb 2026 19:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Mon, 02 Mar 2026 17:13:52 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wWN99SCnGejGkViA9SXtm6-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A museum visitor looks at a reconstructed bust of a Neanderthal man.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[a light-skinned woman with red hair looks at a bust ofa. Neanderthal man in a museum]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a light-skinned woman with red hair looks at a bust ofa. Neanderthal man in a museum]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wWN99SCnGejGkViA9SXtm6-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Research group claims preeclampsia doomed the Neanderthals, but experts say it's just a 'thought experiment' ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthals/research-group-claims-preeclampsia-doomed-the-neanderthals-but-experts-say-its-just-a-thought-experiment</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Preeclampsia, a complication of pregnancy that involves high blood pressure, could have led to a decline in Neanderthals' fertility, a new study suggests. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">r3YoL9CUdmHdd5y2v53bhn</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Xzu95ffHBXjtTQTVFJsDMk-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:19:11 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 22:57:39 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Xzu95ffHBXjtTQTVFJsDMk-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A team of doctors is suggesting that high blood pressure during pregnancy may have contributed to the decline of Neanderthals.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[reconstruction of a female Neanderthal looking off to the right]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[reconstruction of a female Neanderthal looking off to the right]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Xzu95ffHBXjtTQTVFJsDMk-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Did modern humans wipe out the Neanderthals? New evidence may finally provide answers. ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/did-modern-humans-wipe-out-the-neanderthals-new-evidence-may-finally-provide-answers</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A complex picture of how Neanderthals died out, and the role that modern humans played in their disappearance, is emerging. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">npoKde5K5zGYE2Y5ikZKwi</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/waiNnxX4cmTZbcjv8VCqtG-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/waiNnxX4cmTZbcjv8VCqtG-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Fabio Fogliazza  ]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A reconstruction of a late Neanderthal from El Salt, southeastern Spain. Some of the last Neanderthals may have lived in the Iberian peninsula. Our closest human relatives may have died out thanks to a combination of factors, including isolation, inbreeding and competition from modern humans, emerging research suggests.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A reconstruction of a late Neanderthal from El Salt.]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A reconstruction of a late Neanderthal from El Salt.]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/waiNnxX4cmTZbcjv8VCqtG-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ More than 43,000 years ago, Neanderthals spent centuries collecting animal skulls in a cave; but archaeologists aren't sure why ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/more-than-43-000-years-ago-neanderthals-spent-centuries-collecting-animal-skulls-in-a-cave-but-archaeologists-arent-sure-why</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Neanderthals repeatedly returned to the cave to store horned animal skulls, revealing this cultural tradition was transmitted over time. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">i2nyUsiRFLSYBRipDtRmM5</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uQ9SMZzKWrRAqG2HqHtB9L-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2026 16:00:17 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:39:53 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Sophie Berdugo ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uQ9SMZzKWrRAqG2HqHtB9L-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Baquedano et al. Nature Human Behaviour (2023) CC-BY-4.0]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Neanderthals carefully placed the skulls of steppe bison (a – f), aurochs (g), rhinos (h, i) and red deer (j, k) in a cave in what is now Spain]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[11 skull fragments of horned and antlered large mammals against a black background]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[11 skull fragments of horned and antlered large mammals against a black background]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uQ9SMZzKWrRAqG2HqHtB9L-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 480,000-year-old ax sharpener is the oldest known elephant bone tool ever discovered in Europe ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/480-000-year-old-ax-sharpener-is-the-oldest-known-elephant-bone-tool-ever-discovered-in-europe</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ The "very rare" find provides an extraordinary glimpse into the ingenuity of early human relatives who lived around half a million years ago. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">wdHyhSV4d3uBzVfJSme2XX</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ijK8j3VaBZcf5rhQC4z57M-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 24 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:39:58 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Aristos Georgiou ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ijK8j3VaBZcf5rhQC4z57M-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[NHM Photo Unit]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[The 480,000-year-old elephant bone tool was discovered at the Boxgrove archaeological site in the United Kingdom.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A slightly trapezoidal tool made from an elephant bone against a black background]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A slightly trapezoidal tool made from an elephant bone against a black background]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ijK8j3VaBZcf5rhQC4z57M-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ World's oldest known rock art predates modern humans' entrance into Europe — and it was found in an Indonesian cave ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/worlds-oldest-known-rock-art-predates-modern-humans-entrance-into-europe-and-it-was-found-in-an-indonesian-cave</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ The hand stencil is more than 1,000 years older than the previous earliest evidence of rock art. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">J8AbVtfF2LUH6QAUhRJHZk</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZPQTpczJ4AcrdVVASRJZVb-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:39:58 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Sophie Berdugo ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZPQTpczJ4AcrdVVASRJZVb-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Maxime Aubert]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[The faint outline of a handprint (above the dark bird figure) in the Liang Metanduno cave in Sulawesi is the oldest known rock art in the world. ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Faint outline of ancient hand stencil with younger rock art surrounding it]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Faint outline of ancient hand stencil with younger rock art surrounding it]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZPQTpczJ4AcrdVVASRJZVb-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Ötzi the Iceman mummy carried a high-risk strain of HPV, research finds ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/otzi-the-iceman-mummy-carried-a-high-risk-strain-of-hpv-research-finds</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Two renowned prehistoric individuals were likely infected with a human papillomavirus that has been linked to several cancers. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">y9xV2GWxfPMtZQbPq4sArE</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iS3pRACWSgnQBXp53i8PNA-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 13 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 16:30:43 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Aristos Georgiou ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iS3pRACWSgnQBXp53i8PNA-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Andrea Solero/AFP via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[The mummy of Ötzi the Iceman, displayed at the Archaeological Museum of Bolzano, Italy, holds remnants of a cancer-causing strain of human papillomavirus (HPV).]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[ A close up of the head and arm of the mummy of an iceman named Otzi. ]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[ A close up of the head and arm of the mummy of an iceman named Otzi. ]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iS3pRACWSgnQBXp53i8PNA-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Last common ancestor of modern humans and Neanderthals possibly found in Casablanca, Morocco ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/last-common-ancestor-of-modern-humans-and-neanderthals-possibly-found-in-casablanca-morocco</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A collection of bones from Casablanca holds important new clues to the origins of modern humans and Neanderthals. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">7xBBKuFcm7g3U79njeZrT9</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FHX23QTh6AstT3wHuji4dg-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 07 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Thu, 08 Jan 2026 00:22:28 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FHX23QTh6AstT3wHuji4dg-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Philipp Gunz/Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A series of lower jaws from North Africa demonstrates variation among hominin fossils. The jaw on the upper right is from the Thomas Quarry I site in Morocco, newly dated to 773,000 years ago. The one on the upper left is Tighennif 3 from Algeria, from around 700,000 years ago, the lower-left jaw is Jebel Irhoud &lt;em&gt;Homo sapiens&lt;/em&gt; from Morocco, dated to 300,000 years ago; and the lower-right jaw is from a recent modern human.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[a series of four lower jawbones from ancient and modern humans against a black background]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a series of four lower jawbones from ancient and modern humans against a black background]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FHX23QTh6AstT3wHuji4dg-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'More Neanderthal than human': How DNA from our long-lost ancestors affects our health today ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/health/genetics/more-neanderthal-than-human-how-dna-from-our-long-lost-ancestors-affects-our-health-today</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Neanderthals and humans mated millennia ago, and their legacy lives on in us today. Here's how. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">SXkwmixoj7z75P5wzDt49Q</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tbHMEnP4AUepNtrEBL9fg3-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:38:10 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ emily.cooke@futurenet.com (Emily Cooke) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Emily Cooke ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tbHMEnP4AUepNtrEBL9fg3-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Kevin McGivern for Live Science]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Neanderthals and humans interbred at several points in our evolutionary history. The traces of these ancient interactions linger in our genes today.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Illustration of an early modern man embracing a Neanderthal woman. They appear to be in a forest at night. The moonlight is shining through the trees just behind them]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Illustration of an early modern man embracing a Neanderthal woman. They appear to be in a forest at night. The moonlight is shining through the trees just behind them]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tbHMEnP4AUepNtrEBL9fg3-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 10 things we learned about Neanderthals in 2025 ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/10-things-we-learned-about-neanderthals-in-2025</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Findings about our extinct relatives, the Neanderthals, continue to surprise us, especially those from 2025. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">xDV4SrxHsLViFqijDpfsPo</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NcVRzvVks9TXChWiY7sBvZ-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2025 18:36:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NcVRzvVks9TXChWiY7sBvZ-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[WHPics, Paul Campbell, and Attie Gerber via Getty Images; collage by Marilyn Perkins]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[A series of three skulls, with a neanderthal skull on the left, human in the middle, and australopithecus afarensis on the right]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A series of three skulls, with a neanderthal skull on the left, human in the middle, and australopithecus afarensis on the right]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A series of three skulls, with a neanderthal skull on the left, human in the middle, and australopithecus afarensis on the right]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NcVRzvVks9TXChWiY7sBvZ-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 10 things we learned about our human ancestors in 2025 ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/10-things-we-learned-about-our-human-ancestors-in-2025</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Findings about our human ancestors continue to surprise us, especially those from 2025. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">DfqnHxnPNSidyHxsHhL44D</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eWrXvahUtQqMZegue8jrEJ-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 26 Dec 2025 14:30:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:05:42 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eWrXvahUtQqMZegue8jrEJ-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Lanmas via Alamy]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A skull of &lt;em&gt;Homo floresiensis&lt;/em&gt;, also known as the &quot;hobbit.&quot; ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A photo of a &quot;hobbit&quot; skull against a black background]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A photo of a &quot;hobbit&quot; skull against a black background]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eWrXvahUtQqMZegue8jrEJ-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'Biological time capsules': How DNA from cave dirt is revealing clues about early humans and Neanderthals ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/biological-time-capsules-how-dna-from-cave-dirt-is-revealing-clues-about-early-humans-and-neanderthals</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ DNA from soil could soon reveal who lived in ice age caves, research shows. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">GgTc9yDwexqz65PwuHR3Lf</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uSDCZZiY7CM8J5NMkQzxb9-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:30:54 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Gerlinde Bigga ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uSDCZZiY7CM8J5NMkQzxb9-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[GACT]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[The team at GACT has been analyzing sediments from Hohle Fels cave in Germany. ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Equipment set up to analyze sediments at the cave in Germany.]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Equipment set up to analyze sediments at the cave in Germany.]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uSDCZZiY7CM8J5NMkQzxb9-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'It is the most exciting discovery in my 40-year career': Archaeologists uncover evidence that Neanderthals made fire 400,000 years ago in England ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/it-is-the-most-exciting-discovery-in-my-40-year-career-archaeologists-uncover-evidence-that-neanderthals-made-fire-400-000-years-ago-in-england</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Archaeologists have found the earliest evidence yet of fire technology — and it was created by Neanderthals in England more than 400,000 years ago. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">s5R6kQeypBoVuxoVWQ24LN</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7BgyFWMWPPBfLuBtASUDyZ-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:28:17 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7BgyFWMWPPBfLuBtASUDyZ-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Craig Williams/The Trustees of the British Museum]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[An artist&#039;s impression of making sparks from pyrite and flint.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[artistic drawing of a Neanderthal using a piece of pyrite and flint to make sparks]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[artistic drawing of a Neanderthal using a piece of pyrite and flint to make sparks]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7BgyFWMWPPBfLuBtASUDyZ-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Neanderthals cannibalized 'outsider' women and children 45,000 years ago at cave in Belgium ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/neanderthals-cannibalized-outsider-women-and-children-45-000-years-ago-at-cave-in-belgium</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Fragmented Neanderthal bones discovered in a cave in Belgium show that one group cannibalized the women and children of another group. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">RGonc5ng3mVmzXKFWkSjjn</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Cgwfntx3HjoLuq7rX7MhZk-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:01:05 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:37:15 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Cgwfntx3HjoLuq7rX7MhZk-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Study author Hélène Rougier displays the butchered Neanderthal bones in a 2016 image.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[a woman stands in front of a table full of bones with a human skeleton in the background]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a woman stands in front of a table full of bones with a human skeleton in the background]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Cgwfntx3HjoLuq7rX7MhZk-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Did Neanderthals have religious beliefs? ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/did-neanderthals-have-religious-beliefs</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Whether Neanderthals had religious beliefs is a subject of ongoing debate. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">5VfJaR2EbycL8gD7xfXPaW</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7eWiNyzUZTkAK48E3aqxbn-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Sun, 23 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 20:21:06 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Owen Jarus ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7eWiNyzUZTkAK48E3aqxbn-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Is it possible that Neanderthals — whose skull and reconstruction we see here — had religious beliefs?]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A facial reconstruction from a Neanderthal skull, next to the skull itself]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A facial reconstruction from a Neanderthal skull, next to the skull itself]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7eWiNyzUZTkAK48E3aqxbn-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Kissing goes back 21 million years, to the common ancestor of humans and other large apes, study finds ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/kissing-goes-back-21-million-years-to-the-common-ancestor-of-humans-and-other-large-apes-study-finds</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Scientists traced kissing back to a primate ancestor that lived around 21 million years ago. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">WxwZ5JgZ7rqLiRUL4xrWpc</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/94atsUpAJkycjGKs6WsEbk-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2025 11:32:30 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:46:13 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Primates]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Animals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Land Mammals]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Clarissa Brincat ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/94atsUpAJkycjGKs6WsEbk-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Andreas Last via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Kissing may have started around 21 million years ago, a new modeling study finds.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[a photo of an ape pressing its lips to another ape&#039;s cheek in a kiss-like behavior]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a photo of an ape pressing its lips to another ape&#039;s cheek in a kiss-like behavior]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/94atsUpAJkycjGKs6WsEbk-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'The images could be much older': Analysis of rocks shows Neanderthals made art at least 64,000 years ago ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/the-images-could-be-much-older-analysis-of-rocks-shows-neanderthals-made-art-at-least-64-000-years-ago</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Art has sometimes thought to be exclusive to modern humans. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">qWseyZt9DHPWtU9Yg8FLtM</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qZdXC5h9Dv3AohH58aHTp5-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 08 Nov 2025 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:25:58 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Paul Pettitt ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qZdXC5h9Dv3AohH58aHTp5-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[WH Pics via Shutterstock]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Neanderthal handprints in a replica of Maltravieso Cave, Spain]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A photograph of Neanderthal handprints on a cave wall]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A photograph of Neanderthal handprints on a cave wall]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qZdXC5h9Dv3AohH58aHTp5-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Crimean Stone Age 'crayons' were used by Neanderthals for symbolic drawings, study claims ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/crimean-stone-age-crayons-were-used-by-neanderthals-for-symbolic-drawings-study-claims</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Scientists have discovered Stone Age "crayons" in Crimea, hinting that Neanderthals may have used them for symbolic drawings or markings. But not everyone agrees. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">Q6qrZLrnDkfPhfLtc88gXS</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZVdP62DL6csytD9Zhf6ok4-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 01 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:36:27 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Sophie Berdugo ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZVdP62DL6csytD9Zhf6ok4-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[d&#039;Errico et al., Sci. Adv. 11, eadx4722; CC BY 4.0 ]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A scraped and ground ocher crayon used by Neanderthals tens of thousands of years ago. (Scale bar: 1 centimeter)]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Ochre tool shaped like tear drop with zoom in on lines etched into the side.]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Ochre tool shaped like tear drop with zoom in on lines etched into the side.]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZVdP62DL6csytD9Zhf6ok4-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Differences in red blood cells may have 'hastened the extinction' of our Neanderthal cousins, new study suggests ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/differences-in-red-blood-cells-may-have-hastened-the-extinction-of-our-neanderthal-cousins-new-study-suggests</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Gene variants in red blood cell function may have doomed the hybrid babies of Neanderthals and modern humans. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">vZgWMuHRgm9HD5LPPz7J6U</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aCR2rbBoi4qsiRQ2ap4FS7-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 21:52:27 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:33:22 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aCR2rbBoi4qsiRQ2ap4FS7-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Hybrid Neanderthal-human mothers may have had red blood cell incompatibilities with their fetuses.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[a human woman and a Neanderthal woman]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a human woman and a Neanderthal woman]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aCR2rbBoi4qsiRQ2ap4FS7-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Did Neanderthals eat anything other than meat?  ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/did-neanderthals-eat-anything-other-than-meat</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Neanderthals were meat eaters, but new analyses show that their diets included other morsels. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">RVkSY8f9QyXWohXZb53sMe</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8zfTZYbgDGpRjm8t75YTSa-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Sun, 26 Oct 2025 09:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:37:25 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Clarissa Brincat ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8zfTZYbgDGpRjm8t75YTSa-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Aleksei Gorodenkov via Alamy]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Besides meat, Neanderthals also ate other foods, such as pistachios, lentils and wild peas.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[a recreation of a neanderthal man eating a hunk of meat]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a recreation of a neanderthal man eating a hunk of meat]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8zfTZYbgDGpRjm8t75YTSa-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Neanderthals were more susceptible to lead poisoning than humans — which helped us gain an advantage over our cousins, scientists say  ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/neanderthals-were-more-susceptible-to-lead-poisoning-than-humans-which-helped-us-gain-an-advantage-over-our-cousins-scientists-say</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ 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. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">dkAMDfjqHxhpKpRAvBh7UN</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qq3pvPSDCEJ7xwfXPLSHta-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Sat, 25 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:51:13 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ james.price@futurenet.com (James Price) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ James Price ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qq3pvPSDCEJ7xwfXPLSHta-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Joe McNally via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Modern humans have a gene variant that does a better job at protecting us from lead exposure than the variant that Neanderthals had.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[a recreation of a Neanderthal woman]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a recreation of a Neanderthal woman]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qq3pvPSDCEJ7xwfXPLSHta-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Neanderthals could be brought back within 20 years — but is it a good idea? ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/neanderthals-could-be-brought-back-within-20-years-but-is-it-a-good-idea</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ With today's technology, we cannot bring back Neanderthals. But even if future advances allow it, should we? ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">JfJoaoNufy7UgUmfu8zgcm</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WrMheJUpHJGcYKqr8DALjj-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 17:29:52 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WrMheJUpHJGcYKqr8DALjj-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Gorodenkoff via Shutterstock]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Scientists are closer than ever to &quot;de-extincting&quot; species. Should they consider bringing back Neanderthals?]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A recreation photograph of a Neanderthal man coming out of a cave]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A recreation photograph of a Neanderthal man coming out of a cave]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WrMheJUpHJGcYKqr8DALjj-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'We certainly weren't exceptional, but now we're the only ones left': In new PBS series 'Human,' anthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi explores how humans came to dominate Earth ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/we-certainly-werent-exceptional-but-now-were-the-only-ones-left-in-new-pbs-series-human-anthropologist-ella-al-shamahi-explores-how-humans-came-to-dominate-earth</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ In her new show, Ella Al-Shamahi charts humanity's evolutionary odyssey. We sat down with her to discuss the path of our species out of Africa to global hegemony. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">i4MVfKNs32znbr8UwuA3yH</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CKAWtGHCGvFFLXSqLm9J4a-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 20:05:52 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:05:23 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ ben.turner@futurenet.com (Ben Turner) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Ben Turner ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CKAWtGHCGvFFLXSqLm9J4a-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[BBC/BBC Studios]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[The new series &quot;Human&quot; traces the story of humanity&#039;s emergence out of Africa.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Human traces the story of early humans living in Africa.]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Human traces the story of early humans living in Africa.]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CKAWtGHCGvFFLXSqLm9J4a-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 80,000-year-old stones in Uzbekistan may be the world's oldest arrowheads — and they might have been made by Neanderthals ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/80-000-year-old-stones-in-uzbekistan-may-be-the-worlds-oldest-arrowheads-and-they-might-have-been-made-by-neanderthals</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Small stone points discovered in Uzbekistan may be the earliest evidence of arrowhead technology. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">FhWDvrV5x67AB9q5kNUEaJ</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vWVvYQB9Ti9fugSFFvZJmf-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 27 Aug 2025 14:52:35 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:08:22 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Charles Q. Choi ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vWVvYQB9Ti9fugSFFvZJmf-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Plisson et al., PLOS One, CC BY 4.0]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Micropoints and bladelets from Obi-Rakhmat, an archaeological site in Uzbekistan.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[a series of small, orange-colored stone points against a grey background]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a series of small, orange-colored stone points against a grey background]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vWVvYQB9Ti9fugSFFvZJmf-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Mysterious 300,000-year-old Greek cave skull was neither human nor Neanderthal, study finds ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/mysterious-300-000-year-old-greek-cave-skull-was-neither-human-nor-neanderthal-study-finds</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ 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. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">bn96sKPYdmFuU2qZWV73X3</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/C3nhjgF8FEtDimXbHsX6w-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 22 Aug 2025 18:36:29 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:49:46 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Patrick Pester ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/C3nhjgF8FEtDimXbHsX6w-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[By Nadina, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[The Petralona skull is a mysterious and important piece in the human evolution puzzle. This image is a reconstruction depicting the skull attached to a cave wall.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A reconstruction of Petralona skull attached to a cave wall with a stalagmite growing out of its head. ]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A reconstruction of Petralona skull attached to a cave wall with a stalagmite growing out of its head. ]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/C3nhjgF8FEtDimXbHsX6w-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Gene that differs between humans and Neanderthals could shed light on the species' disappearance, mouse study suggests ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/gene-that-differs-between-humans-and-neanderthals-could-shed-light-on-the-species-disappearance-mouse-study-suggests</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ 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. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">vYf5zEBdrYAsPwQw4xgoke</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XwokLExLBzHdwDtizNXjFb-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2025 16:48:39 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:33:21 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Charles Q. Choi ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XwokLExLBzHdwDtizNXjFb-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Allan Henderson (CC BY 2.0)]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[New research points to genetic differences in DNA synthesis between humans and Neanderthals.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Reconstruction of a Neanderthal man]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Reconstruction of a Neanderthal man]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XwokLExLBzHdwDtizNXjFb-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'It makes no sense to say there was only one origin of Homo sapiens': How the evolutionary record of Asia is complicating what we know about our species ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/it-makes-no-sense-to-say-there-was-only-one-origin-of-homo-sapiens-how-the-evolutionary-record-of-asia-is-complicating-what-we-know-about-our-species</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ As experts study the human fossil record of Asia, many have come to see it as telling a different story than what happened in Europe and Africa. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">s7ybJygJbdbTjwKbEfDmqT</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xVPPpNodJNyP4XFgLmfRLK-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2025 15:10:30 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:28:21 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xVPPpNodJNyP4XFgLmfRLK-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Sabena Jane Blackbird / Alamy]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[&lt;em&gt;Homo sapiens&lt;/em&gt; (left) and &lt;em&gt;Homo erectus&lt;/em&gt; (right) skull replicas. One expert thinks that &lt;em&gt;H. erectus&lt;/em&gt; may have mated with &lt;em&gt;H. sapiens&lt;/em&gt; in Asia.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[two skulls against a black background -- human on the left and Homo erectus on the right]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[two skulls against a black background -- human on the left and Homo erectus on the right]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xVPPpNodJNyP4XFgLmfRLK-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Neanderthal genes may explain disorder where brain bulges out of the skull ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/neanderthal-genes-may-explain-disorder-where-brain-bulges-out-of-the-skull</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Neanderthal genes may explain why some people have Chiari malformation type I, a condition in which the brain bulges out of the back of the skull. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">J5tPWkyhvuampuBcqzY4Lb</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/V36Tgc6gejW5jmaVVBJjKE-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2025 16:21:38 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:32:00 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Charles Q. Choi ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/V36Tgc6gejW5jmaVVBJjKE-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A 75,000-year-old Neanderthal skull from Iraq known as Shanidar Z. A new study finds that Neanderthal skulls have similar features to those of modern humans who have a condition known as Chiari malformation type I, in which the brain bulges out the back of the skull. ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[The picture shows the rebuilt skull of a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal woman.]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[The picture shows the rebuilt skull of a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal woman.]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/V36Tgc6gejW5jmaVVBJjKE-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 78,000-year-old footprints from Neanderthal man, child and toddler discovered on beach in Portugal ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/78-000-year-old-footprints-from-neanderthal-man-child-and-toddler-discovered-on-beach-in-portugal</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A Neanderthal trackway discovered in Portugal shows how an adult male and two children hunted for food 78,000 years ago. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">Yr63zSDhropBRwUFwfKoC6</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/52DfZam3YGKYNPBq8rEdcj-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 22 Jul 2025 20:40:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:47:44 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/52DfZam3YGKYNPBq8rEdcj-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Carlos Neto de Carvalho (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A view of the Neanderthal trackway discovered on the northern cliff of Monte Clérigo beach in Portugal, with two study authors for scale.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[a series of footprint depressions in a large grey rock with two humans for scale]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a series of footprint depressions in a large grey rock with two humans for scale]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/52DfZam3YGKYNPBq8rEdcj-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Endurance athletes that carry Neanderthal genes could be held back from reaching their peak ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/endurance-athletes-that-carry-neanderthal-genes-could-be-held-back-from-reaching-their-peak</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A Neanderthal variant in an enzyme involved in energy production has been linked to ​​a 50% lower probability of achieving elite athletic performance. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">vRtKz45gaTq3GpAVVKBi3Z</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CpTKPJVx3bMaPXXPbqiJYT-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 18 Jul 2025 15:46:39 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:33:11 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Amy Arthur ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CpTKPJVx3bMaPXXPbqiJYT-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Chris Ryan/Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A Neanderthal gene variant might affect people&#039;s athletic abilities in endurance sport. ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Runners jumping off the starting line for a race.]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Runners jumping off the starting line for a race.]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CpTKPJVx3bMaPXXPbqiJYT-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 140,000-year-old child's skull may have been part modern human, part Neanderthal — but not everyone is convinced ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/140-000-year-old-childs-skull-may-have-been-part-modern-human-part-neanderthal-but-not-everyone-is-convinced</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A child buried in the world's oldest human cemetery had both modern human (Homo sapiens) and Neanderthal characteristics, suggesting she was a hybrid, according to a new study. However, not everyone is convinced the study's findings are definitive. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">MiTUQ3VrS4x68jJuWLW5Qb</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ioWJcW3QZnHbz7Kktde8MT-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 11 Jul 2025 16:53:58 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:34:36 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Patrick Pester ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ioWJcW3QZnHbz7Kktde8MT-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Israel Hershkovitz/Tel Aviv University]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[A photograph of the Skhul I braincase against a black background. ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A photograph of the Skhul I braincase against a black background. ]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A photograph of the Skhul I braincase against a black background. ]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ioWJcW3QZnHbz7Kktde8MT-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Stunning facial reconstructions of 'hobbit,' Neanderthal and Homo erectus bring human relatives to life ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/stunning-facial-reconstructions-of-hobbit-neanderthal-and-homo-erectus-bring-human-relatives-to-life</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A new documentary brings early human history to life with a "scientifically accurate" collection of hyper-real 3D models. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">vsCDVzSpNb24H54pGu2YxU</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yJs3HWUJhV68ngJUUhmdrT-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Thu, 10 Jul 2025 16:30:57 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 20:18:08 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Aristos Georgiou ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yJs3HWUJhV68ngJUUhmdrT-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[BBC/BBC Studios]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Facial reconstructions of the prehistoric humans &lt;em&gt;Homo floresiensis&lt;/em&gt; (left), &lt;em&gt;Homo erectus&lt;/em&gt; (middle) and a Neanderthal (right) that are part of an upcoming five-part documentary series called &quot;Human.&quot; ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A series of three images of digital reconstructions of Homo floresiensis, Homo erectus, and a Neanderthal]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A series of three images of digital reconstructions of Homo floresiensis, Homo erectus, and a Neanderthal]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yJs3HWUJhV68ngJUUhmdrT-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 125,000-year-old 'fat factory' run by Neanderthals discovered in Germany ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/125-000-year-old-fat-factory-run-by-neanderthals-discovered-in-germany</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ An analysis of ancient animal bones found in Germany suggests that Neanderthals extracted grease from them to gobble up 125,000 years ago. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">LhipUYg2YZxxJVeGYNxhHH</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ycDfrjm9ust8okKSSa9wXm-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 20:15:53 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 20:17:27 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ perri.thaler@futurenet.com (Perri Thaler) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Perri Thaler ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ycDfrjm9ust8okKSSa9wXm-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[imageBROKER.com via Alamy]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Neanderthals, the closest extinct relative of modern humans, extracted grease and bone marrow from animal bones 125,000 years ago in what is now Germany.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Three statues model how Neanderthals may have looked.]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Three statues model how Neanderthals may have looked.]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ycDfrjm9ust8okKSSa9wXm-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'Huge surprise' reveals how some humans left Africa 50,000 years ago ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/huge-surprise-reveals-how-some-humans-left-africa-50-000-years-ago</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ How did Homo sapiens manage to leave Africa around 50,000 years ago, when earlier treks out of the continent had ended in failure? ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">j3DDmoSuK5hGiDbjqHSHXf</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iD8CJRXcx3PFz4AngXhNZb-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 18 Jun 2025 16:41:12 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 20 Jun 2025 00:00:08 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Charles Q. Choi ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iD8CJRXcx3PFz4AngXhNZb-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Jacopo Niccolò Cerasoni]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    <media:description><![CDATA[a computer generated image of interlocking hexagonal rooms with different natural environments inside]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[a computer generated image of interlocking hexagonal rooms with different natural environments inside]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a computer generated image of interlocking hexagonal rooms with different natural environments inside]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iD8CJRXcx3PFz4AngXhNZb-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Ancient 'Dragon Man' skull from China isn't what we thought ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/human-evolution/ancient-dragon-man-skull-from-china-isnt-what-we-thought</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Scientists have determined that a giant skull from an ancient human relative named the "Dragon Man" is actually Denisovan. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">ezrixrbpgU2CuWrB7CQi6o</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XaGGTH8hVyxGAj6pMBs7jg-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 18 Jun 2025 15:02:41 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 18 Jun 2025 23:43:01 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kristina.killgrove@futurenet.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XaGGTH8hVyxGAj6pMBs7jg-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[John Bavaro Fine Art / Science Photo Library]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A reconstruction of &lt;em&gt;Homo longi&lt;/em&gt; from the ancient Harbin skull found in China.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Reconstruction of Homo longi (Denisovan)]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Reconstruction of Homo longi (Denisovan)]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XaGGTH8hVyxGAj6pMBs7jg-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 43,000-year-old human fingerprint is world's oldest — and made by a Neanderthal ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/43-000-year-old-human-fingerprint-is-worlds-oldest-and-made-by-a-neanderthal</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ The discovery of a 43,000-year-old fingerprint in Spain is challenging the idea that Neanderthals were not capable of symbolic art. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">4cyNunjSgnMyrQjMriwCNY</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qPUkkEuziebuRWD4L4sVYR-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 28 May 2025 21:57:56 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:55:32 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Tom Metcalfe ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qPUkkEuziebuRWD4L4sVYR-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Álvarez-Alonso et al. 2025; CC BY 4.0]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Microscopic examinations of the red dot revealed the whorls of the Neanderthal fingerprint that made it about 43,000 years ago. ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A close-up of a red fingerprint]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A close-up of a red fingerprint]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qPUkkEuziebuRWD4L4sVYR-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 140,000-year-old bones of our ancient ancestors found on sea floor, revealing secrets of extinct human species  ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/140-000-year-old-homo-erectus-bones-discovered-on-drowned-land-in-indonesia</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Researchers have recovered Homo erectus bones from the seafloor, which points to an unknown hominin population hunting on land that is now underwater in Southeast Asia. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">7Xj92jqk3vnFmWJX47Ugq</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XqnfcLHPAHQkPbPwjAU9k8-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 21 May 2025 17:24:12 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:58:51 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Patrick Pester ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XqnfcLHPAHQkPbPwjAU9k8-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Harold Berghuis]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Researchers found the &lt;em&gt;Homo erectus &lt;/em&gt;bones in a cache of more than 6,000 fossils dredged up in the Madura Strait, Indonesia.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[A photograph of a newly discovered Homo erectus skull fragment in a gloved hand. ]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[A photograph of a newly discovered Homo erectus skull fragment in a gloved hand. ]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XqnfcLHPAHQkPbPwjAU9k8-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Ancient jawbone dredged off Taiwan seafloor belongs to mysterious Denisovan, study finds ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-jawbone-dredged-off-taiwan-seafloor-belongs-to-mysterious-denisovan-study-finds</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Researchers have determined that a mysterious jawbone discovered on the seafloor off the coast of Taiwan was Denisovan, proving that the archaic humans were distributed widely over Asia. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">AumkPMNaAwwWCGacCCRnve</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Appnugr5RSRBXxP3dxTR7U-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Mon, 05 May 2025 20:31:35 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:02:46 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Appnugr5RSRBXxP3dxTR7U-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Yousuke Kaifu]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A photograph of the right side of the Penghu 1 lower jawbone that was found off the coast of Taiwan.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Photo of the right side of a lower jawbone (mandible). It is reddish brown and has several blackened teeth.]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Photo of the right side of a lower jawbone (mandible). It is reddish brown and has several blackened teeth.]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Appnugr5RSRBXxP3dxTR7U-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Why modern humans have smaller faces than Neanderthals and chimpanzees ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/why-modern-humans-have-smaller-faces-than-neanderthals-and-chimpanzees</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ We have smaller faces than Neanderthals and even chimps. A new study may explain how this came to be. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">hc6oW2Nfvn8vThPCszcm5W</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ayrNRJczCUzTG58d4jisDS-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:54:16 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Primates]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Animals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Land Mammals]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ayrNRJczCUzTG58d4jisDS-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[© Philipp Gunz, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[CT scans of a Neanderthal skull (left) and a modern human skull (right).]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[CT of a Neanderthal skull facing to the right and a CT scan of a human skull facing to the left]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[CT of a Neanderthal skull facing to the right and a CT scan of a human skull facing to the left]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ayrNRJczCUzTG58d4jisDS-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 'Mystery population' of human ancestors gave us 20% of our genes and may have boosted our brain function ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/mystery-population-of-human-ancestors-gave-us-20-percent-of-our-genes-and-may-have-boosted-our-brain-function</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A novel genetic model suggests that the ancestors of modern humans came from two distinct populations that split and reconnected during our evolutionary history. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">vArRRRMWUFYjDm3kuFRnkP</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KswCrqkP5VbZsSkTd7eo8K-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 18 Mar 2025 10:00:10 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:28:41 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KswCrqkP5VbZsSkTd7eo8K-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Alamy]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A new study details how human ancestors mixed with a mystery population 300,000 years ago.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Strands of DNA double-helix with a human in profile]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Strands of DNA double-helix with a human in profile]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KswCrqkP5VbZsSkTd7eo8K-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Neanderthals, modern humans and a mysterious human lineage mingled in caves in ancient Israel, study finds ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthals-modern-humans-and-a-mysterious-human-lineage-mingled-in-caves-in-ancient-israel-study-finds</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A newly excavated cave in Israel holds burials and artifacts suggesting that multiple human species commingled and shared ideas there during the Paleolithic. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">VbgnpzV9BxvU6V8R57xJ2Q</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nDaAVJ2AHBYduGKoSCdhqJ-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Thu, 13 Mar 2025 20:59:25 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:40:29 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Charles Choi ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nDaAVJ2AHBYduGKoSCdhqJ-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Efrat Bakshitz]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Neanderthals and modern humans overlapped and shared ideas for about 50,000 years in what is now Israel, a new study finds. ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[An illustration of a human and neanderthal facing each other]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[An illustration of a human and neanderthal facing each other]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nDaAVJ2AHBYduGKoSCdhqJ-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ East Asians who can digest lactose can thank Neanderthal genes ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/health/genetics/east-asians-who-can-digest-lactose-can-thank-neanderthal-genes</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Unique versions of the lactase gene found in the genomes of East Asian people may have increased in prevalence within the population over time because they bolstered immune responses against pathogens, new data reveal. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">igpxSPPVmF73VRRBgpq69n</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/czCFeJoE5fNRNcvgUHGmnQ-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Tue, 11 Mar 2025 16:06:26 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:55:03 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ emily.cooke@futurenet.com (Emily Cooke) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Emily Cooke ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/czCFeJoE5fNRNcvgUHGmnQ-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Peter Adams via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A new genetic analysis suggests that 1 in 4 East Asian people carry a version of the lactase gene that differs from the gene variants carried by European and African populations. This gene variant may have been inherited from Neanderthals.]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[An image of a bustling market at night in Bejing, China. ]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[An image of a bustling market at night in Bejing, China. ]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/czCFeJoE5fNRNcvgUHGmnQ-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ 28,000-year-old Neanderthal-and-human 'Lapedo child' lived tens of thousands of years after our closest relatives went extinct ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/28-000-year-old-neanderthal-and-human-lapedo-child-lived-tens-of-thousands-of-years-after-our-closest-relatives-went-extinct</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ Researchers used a novel method of radiocarbon dating to figure out the age of the Lapedo child, who had both Neanderthal and human traits. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">C3t8FPdWGzHsH8Rw5QmvFi</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QqsPvxgKuuCM7L6rt3oABH-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Fri, 07 Mar 2025 19:00:00 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:03:54 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QqsPvxgKuuCM7L6rt3oABH-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[João Zilhão and Cidália Duarte]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[Archaeologists found the skeleton of the Lapedo child during an excavation in 1998. ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Skeleton of a Neanderthal-human hybrid emerging from the ground of a rock shelter]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Skeleton of a Neanderthal-human hybrid emerging from the ground of a rock shelter]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QqsPvxgKuuCM7L6rt3oABH-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[ Neanderthal 'population bottleneck' around 110,000 years ago may have contributed to their extinction ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/neanderthal-population-bottleneck-around-110-000-years-ago-may-have-contributed-to-their-extinction</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A study of the inner ear bones of Neanderthals shows a significant loss of diversity in their shape around 110,000 years ago, suggesting a genetic bottleneck that contributed to Neanderthals' decline. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">86F6VU9zXZuP95VMcxXwFT</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XwokLExLBzHdwDtizNXjFb-1280-80.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 26 Feb 2025 21:28:44 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:59:27 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ kkillgrove@livescience.com (Kristina Killgrove) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Kristina Killgrove ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XwokLExLBzHdwDtizNXjFb-1280-80.png">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[Allan Henderson (CC BY 2.0)]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A new study of Neanderthal ear bones reveals that they went through a population bottleneck around 110,000 years ago. ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[Reconstruction of a Neanderthal man]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Reconstruction of a Neanderthal man]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XwokLExLBzHdwDtizNXjFb-1280-80.png" />
                                                                                        </item>
                                <item>
                                                            <title><![CDATA[  'Speech gene' seen only in modern humans may have helped us evolve to talk ]]></title>
                                                                                                                                                                                                <link>https://www.livescience.com/health/genetics/speech-gene-seen-only-in-modern-humans-may-have-helped-us-evolve-to-talk</link>
                                                                            <description>
                            <![CDATA[ A specific gene variant seen in people is likely one of many that contributed to the development of language in modern humans, scientists say. And it changes how mice squeak. ]]>
                                                                                                            </description>
                                                                                                                                <guid isPermaLink="false">uLXuPXEaHKjoSjQDivqvRD</guid>
                                                                                                <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/f64US5FPHV2opH2wcetnHR-1280-80.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure>
                                                                        <pubDate>Wed, 19 Feb 2025 14:39:22 +0000</pubDate>                                                                                                                                <updated>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:31:35 +0000</updated>
                                                                                                                                            <category><![CDATA[Neanderthals]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Archaeology]]></category>
                                                    <category><![CDATA[Human Evolution]]></category>
                                                                                                <author><![CDATA[ emily.cooke@futurenet.com (Emily Cooke) ]]></author>                    <dc:creator><![CDATA[ Emily Cooke ]]></dc:creator>                                                                                                    <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/f64US5FPHV2opH2wcetnHR-1280-80.jpg">
                                                            <media:credit><![CDATA[10&#039;000 Hours via Getty Images]]></media:credit>
                                                                                                                                                                        <media:description><![CDATA[A new study suggests that a gene variant seen only in humans may have aided the development of spoken language. ]]></media:description>                                                            <media:text><![CDATA[An older woman wearing a blue jumper is shown speaking at a dinner table. She is gesturing with her hands as she speaks. ]]></media:text>
                                <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[An older woman wearing a blue jumper is shown speaking at a dinner table. She is gesturing with her hands as she speaks. ]]></media:title>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                    <media:thumbnail url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/f64US5FPHV2opH2wcetnHR-1280-80.jpg" />
                                                                                        </item>
            </channel>
</rss>