January 26, 2017
Geologic Column: The gift of intelligence
In 1960, astronomer and astrophysicist Frank Drake pointed a telescope of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory toward two nearby stars. He …
The EARTH archive
Humans
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18 articles · Page 1 of 1
April 3, 2015
Of temperature and tone: Has climate shaped human languages?
Humans today speak more than 6,500 languages, and thousands more dialects once spoken have gone extinct. Understanding how and why so many …
February 20, 2014
From boom to bust in Neolithic Europe
As agricultural practices spread from the Fertile Crescent across Europe, gradually expanding west and north starting about 8,500 years ago, they …
October 17, 2013
Hominin skull discovery fuels debate about early human evolution
Hailed as a find for the ages, a rare skull of a 1.8-million-year-old human relative could provide answers to longstanding questions about the …
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 …
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 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
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: Out of Africa and into Arabia?
How and when did modern humans leave Africa and colonize the rest of the world? Many archaeologists would probably tell you that about 60,000 …
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
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
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
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 …
January 5, 2012
Before Lucy: Older hominid Ardi challenges thinking about human evolution
Lucy, the 3.2-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis fossil, has long been the poster child for early human evolution. But now she’ll have …