Long before humans became master hunters, our ancestors were already thriving by making the most of what nature left behind. New research suggests that scavenging animal carcasses wasn’t a desperate ...

Two of the traits that set modern humans apart from non-human primates are taller stature and a higher basal metabolic rate. Researchers have identified a genetic variant that contributed to the ...

Ancient bones discovered in a cave in Casablanca, Morocco, could fill in some of the blanks about human evolution. The cave, known as Grotte à Hominidés, contains assemblages of jawbones, teeth, and ...

Life on Earth began in a way that still boggles the mind. Around 4.5 billion years ago, a chemical process called abiogenesis occurred, where life emerged from non-life. Imagine a hot, watery mix of ...

A large comparative study of primate teeth shows that grooves once linked to ancient human tooth-picking can form naturally, while some common modern dental problems appear uniquely human.

Modern humans and Neanderthals shared a common ancestor, lived side by side in parts of Eurasia, and even had children together, yet their faces ended up strikingly different. The contrast between our ...

The study of human evolution and comparative anatomy bridges palaeontology, biomechanics and evolutionary biology to elucidate the origins of our unique anatomy. Recent analyses have shed new light on ...

The Moroccan fossils now provide tangible evidence from this mysterious transitional period. What makes these fossils particularly significant is the precision with which they can be dated. The ...

Introduction. Rethinking the human revolution: Eurasian and African perspectives / Paul Mellars -- pt. 1. Biological and demographic perspectives on modern human origins. The origin and dispersal of ...

Outlining the problem / P. A. Mellars, M. J. Aitken and C. B. Stringer -- Uranium-series dating and the origin of modern man / Henry P. Schwarcz -- Luminescence dating relevant to human origins / M. J ...