Remote Community in Ireland Survived a Millennium of Environmental Change
Study finds social conditions key to long-term resilience during times of dramatic change. A remote community in Ireland was adaptable enough to persevere through a…
Anthropology
Before Stonehenge Monuments, Hunter-Gatherers Made Use of Open Woodland Habitats
Research study investigates habitat conditions encountered by first farmers and monument-builders. Hunter-gatherers made use of open woodland conditions in the millennia before Stonehenge monuments were…
How Prehistoric Humans Adapted to Intense Climate Change – Revealed by Marine Mollusk Shells
Current global climate warming is having, and will continue to have, widespread consequences for human history, in the same way that environmental fluctuations had significant…
New Ancient DNA Study Reveals 5,000-Year Population History of Xinjiang, China
Xinjiang, in northwest China, lays at an important junction between east and west Eurasia and has played a historically important role in the exchange of…
Clear Evidence Links Astronomically-Driven Climate Change and Human Evolution
Early Human Habitats Linked to Past Climate Shifts A study published in Nature by an international team of scientists provides clear evidence for a link…
Research Supports “Drunken Monkey” Hypothesis: Humans Inherited Love of Alcohol From Primate Ancestors
Monkeys routinely consume fruit containing alcohol, shedding light on our own taste for booze. For 25 years, UC Berkeley biologist Robert Dudley has been intrigued…
East Asian Lineages in Europe 45,000 Years Ago Explained by Population Hub Out of Africa
The ancient human remains unearthed in the Bacho Kiro cave (in present-day Bulgaria) and recently genetically described were surprisingly reported to be more closely related…
1,400-Year-Old Mysterious Origins of the Avar Elite Elucidated With Ancient DNA
Multidisciplinary research team sheds light on the 1,400-year-old mystery about the genetic origins of the Avar elite. In the 560s, the Avars established an empire…
Scientists Find Ways To Reconstruct Ancient Scents
In recent years, millions of people worldwide have suffered the loss of smell due to COVID-19. Even those who have avoided infection with the new…
Archaeologists Find One of the Most Significant Carved Stone Monuments Ever Uncovered in Scotland
Rare Pictish symbol stone found near potential site of famous battle. Archaeologists have uncovered a Pictish symbol stone close to the location of one of…
What Explains Our Lower Back Pain? Anthropologists Turn to Neanderthal Spines for Answers
New analysis considers backbone differences between humans and Neanderthals — and the possible impact of industrialization. Examining the spines of Neanderthals, an extinct human relative,…
Strange Tooth Discovery Prompts Rethink of Human Evolution
A study into tooth wear in a group of wild Japanese macaques has significant implications for the study of human evolution, a University of Otago…
Archaeologists Discover Innovative Stone-Age Culture in China – Well-Preserved 40,000-Year-Old Paleolithic Site
A well-preserved Paleolithic site in northern China reveals a new and previously unidentified set of cultural innovations. The discovery of a new culture suggests processes…
War in the Time of Neanderthals: How Our Species Battled for Supremacy for Over 100,000 Years
Around 600,000 years ago, humanity split in two. One group stayed in Africa, evolving into us. The other struck out overland, into Asia, then Europe,…
Mystery Solved: The Origin of the 30,000-Year-Old Venus of Willendorf
New research method shows that the material likely comes from northern Italy. The almost 11 cm high figurine from Willendorf is one of the most…
“A Genealogy for All of Humanity” – University of Oxford Researchers Create Largest Ever Human Family Tree
Researchers from the University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute have taken a major step towards mapping the entirety of genetic relationships among humans: a single…
Ancient African DNA Reveals Surprises About How Early Humans Lived, Traveled and Interacted
New research provides evidence of demographic shifts in sub-Saharan Africa. A new analysis of human remains that were buried in African archaeological sites has produced…
Prehistoric Cemetery Radiocarbon Dating Reveals Human Response to Climate Change in the Early Holocene
Radiocarbon dating from a prehistoric cemetery in Northern Russia reveals human stress caused by a global cooling event 8,200 years ago Early hunter gatherers developed…
