Human Origins

Humans are unique creatures on the planet, though it wasn't always this way. Long ago, some bizarre human relatives, such as Nutcracker Man and a Homo species whose miniature bodies resembled the hobbits on Lord of the Rings, roamed Earth. Scientists are even finding evidence that modern humans crossed paths with some of our relatives, with fossils suggesting Homo sapiens may have had sex with Neanderthals and even a newly discovered species called the Denisovans. In news and features, we will cover human evolution and origins, revealing the mysteries of humanity, details on human ancestors and the evolutionary steps that led to modern humans.

Related Topics: DNA and Genes, Evolution, Fossils

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Why Do Our Fingernails Keep Growing Until the Day We Die?

April 20, 2019 | Article

You may give them little thought beyond when to trim them or which nail color to apply. But the humble nail laid the groundwork for our evolution into the humans we are today.
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This Newfound Extinct Human Lineage Also Mated with Modern Humans

April 11, 2019 | Article

An entirely new lineage of the mysterious human relatives called Denisovans has been discovered.
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How Smart Were Neanderthals?

March 23, 2019 | Article

Our extinct cousins have a lousy reputation that's being overturned by new discoveries.
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Brain of Mysterious 'Little Foot' Human Relative Was Half-Man, Half-Ape

December 20, 2018 | Article

The brain of a very old human ancestor looks a lot like an ape's and a little like a human's.
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Do You Carry Neanderthal DNA? The Shape of Your Skull May Tell.

December 13, 2018 | Article

The shape of your brain may say a lot about the Neanderthal in you.
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'Miracle' Excavation of 'Little Foot' Skeleton Reveals Mysterious Human Relative

December 11, 2018 | Article

Following an epic 20-year-long excavation in South Africa, researchers have finally recovered and cleaned the nearly-complete skeleton of an ancient human relative.
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Neanderthals and Humans Were Hooking Up Way More Than Anyone Thought

November 29, 2018 | Article

Way more sex happened between Neanderthals and the ancestors of modern humans across Europe and Asia than scientists originally thought, a new study finds.
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Neanderthals and Denisovans Mated, New Hybrid Bone Reveals

August 22, 2018 | Article

Finally, there's proof that Neanderthals and Denisovans interbred.
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In Photos: A Bone from a Denisovan-Neanderthal Hybrid

August 22, 2018 | Image Album

A long bone unearthed in Denisova Cave in Siberia is providing new proof that Denisovans and Neanderthals mated.
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'Hobbits' Lived on the Same Island As Today's Pygmies, But They Aren't Related

August 03, 2018 | Article

Ever since finding the remains of the "hobbits" — a small-statured species of ancient human — on the island of Flores in Indonesia, scientists have wondered whether the modern Pygmy people who now call the island home were in any way related to them.
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