June 12, 2013
Modern humans arrived in South Asia 25,000 years later than previously thought?
Figuring out when modern humans left Africa and migrated throughout the world is a complicated task. For example, some evidence suggests modern …
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Human Evolution
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77 articles · Page 3 of 4
May 28, 2013
Oceanic records paint a more complex picture of human evolution
It has long been hypothesized that human ancestors evolved the ability to walk upright — a feature that appeared about 6 million years ago — in …
June 14, 2012
New dates place Spanish cave art as oldest in Europe
But were the artists modern humans or Neanderthals? Scientists have studied Paleolithic cave art for more than a century, but new research …
April 25, 2012
Voices: Defending science: The link between creationism and climate change
What do creationists and climate change deniers have in common? Over the past few years, this riddle has been on our minds a lot at the National …
January 20, 2012
Voices: Redefining humanity through energy use
What is it, exactly, that distinguishes us from other species? The definition of humankind has perplexed scientists, philosophers and theorists …
January 20, 2012
Voices: An old Earth for all Muslims but how does evolution fit in?
It’s no secret that many of the protests and rebellions in North Africa and the Middle East this year have been dominated by globally connected, …
January 20, 2012
Running into the brick wall of Creationism again
I had recently moved to a new community and begun a new job. One night I was dining with some potential new friends. Upon learning that I am both …
January 5, 2012
Third hominin coexisted with modern humans and Neanderthals
Modern humans and Neanderthals lived side by side on the Eurasian landscape for tens of thousands of years — but it turns out they weren’t alone, …
January 5, 2012
The vital statistics
Ardipithecus ramidus was a hominid that lived in Ethiopia’s Afar region 4.4 million years ago. After spending more than a decade studying the …
January 5, 2012
The Coconino's starring role in the creationist-geologist battle
Arizona’s Coconino Sandstone — a deposit seen in the Grand Canyon and elsewhere — plays a central role in the creationist argument that the upper …
January 5, 2012
Texas Board of Education votes to strike amendment questioning evolution
Blogging on EARTH Evolution will still be taught in Texas. After months of proposed amendments, statements by special interest groups and lengthy …
January 5, 2012
Questions arise over earliest evidence of human tool use
The debate over when our ancestors first used stone tools is not over just yet. In August, researchers had reported finding scratch marks on two …
January 5, 2012
Paleo Patrol: Was mankind's first leap in a forest or savanna?
Last October, scientists formally introduced the world to Ardi the Ardipithecus, the well-preserved skeleton of a 4.4-million-year-old hominin …
January 5, 2012
Paleo Patrol: Primates of the Caribbean
The only monkeys you’ll find on the islands of the Caribbean today were brought there (intentionally or not) by people. But just a few thousand …
January 5, 2012
Paleo Patrol: Neanderthal genome offers clues on what makes us human
Did “Clan of the Cave Bear” get it right after all? Probably not, but at least one aspect of the ice age saga is true: Modern humans interbred …
January 5, 2012
Paleo Patrol: A hominin family reunion at the Smithsonian
Last month, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., unveiled its new (permanent) human evolution exhibit: the …
January 5, 2012
Not the oldest hominid
At 4.4 million years old, Ardipithecus ramidus is not the oldest known hominid. In 2002, scientists announced they had discovered a hominid skull …
January 5, 2012
New cousin joins primate family tree - but it's also no missing link
Blogging on EARTH Darwinius — the purported primate “missing link” that made headlines last spring — is back, sort of. Scientists have now found …
January 5, 2012
Move over Homo habilis: Early human evolution remapped
Mapping out how one species of early hominin branches to another has always been complicated by the rarity of complete specimens and lack of …
January 5, 2012
It's all in the wrist: Humans lack a knuckle-walking ancestor
Though counterintuitive, scientists have turned their attention away from the feet and to the wrist and forearm to better understand how humans …
January 5, 2012
Homo erectus footprints show modern way of walking
In the Great Rift Valley in northern Kenya, researchers have discovered a cluster of footprints that look almost exactly like those you or I …
January 5, 2012
Highlights of 2010: What does it mean to be human?
The sequencing of the Neanderthal genome in 2010 helps scientists answer the age-old question Calling someone a “Neanderthal” in the heat of an …
January 5, 2012
Games: In Spore, cells divide and conquer
I’m no evolutionary biologist, but I’m pretty sure that you can’t just add a horn or an extra ear to your own body whenever you feel like you …
January 5, 2012
Earliest fossil evidence of humans in Southeast Asia?
Modern humans reached the islands of Southeast Asia by approximately 50,000 years ago, but our ancestors’ journey was not easy. Even during times …