In a Gene Tied to Growth, Scientists See Glimmers of Human History
A paper in Science Advances focuses on the evolution of the human growth hormone receptor gene. A new study delves into the evolution and function…
Neanderthals
Neanderthal Genes Reveal How Old Our Ancestors Were When They Had Children
A new study suggests that generation intervals have fluctuated during the past 40,000 years of human evolution in contrast to what has been commonly assumed….
Prehistoric Cave Art: Neanderthals Indeed Painted Andalusia’s Cueva De Ardales
The origin and date of appearance of prehistoric cave art are the subjects of ongoing debate. Spain’s Cueva de Ardales is one point of discussion….
New Fossil Discovery of a Distinct, Ancient Human Species Points to Complicated Evolutionary Process
Analysis of recently discovered fossils found in Israel suggests that interactions between different human species were more complex than previously believed, according to a team…
Newly Discovered Human Species “Dragon Man” May Replace Neanderthals As Our Closest Relative
A near-perfectly preserved ancient human fossil known as the Harbin cranium sits in the Geoscience Museum in Hebei GEO University. The largest of known Homo skulls, scientists…
Unearthing Neanderthal Population History Using Ancient Nuclear DNA From Cave Sediments
Mitochondrial DNA of archaic humans has been retrieved from cave sediments, but it has limited value for studying population relationships. Now, researchers present a method…
Scientists Discover a New Genetic Mutation That Distinguishes Modern Humans From Neanderthals
Skoltech scientists and their colleagues from Germany and the United States have analyzed the metabolomes of humans, chimpanzees, and macaques in muscle, kidney, and three…
Neanderthal and Early Modern Human Culture Co-existed Alongside Older Traditions for Over 100,000 Years
Research from the University of Kent’s School of Anthropology and Conservation has discovered that one of the earliest stone tool cultures, known as the Acheulean,…
Nuclear DNA From Cave Sediments Helps Unlock Ancient Human History
For the first time, scientists have succeeded in extracting and analyzing Neandertal chromosomal DNA preserved in cave sediments. The field of ancient DNA has revealed…
Oldest Modern Human Genome Reconstructed Using DNA From 45,000-Year-Old Skull
The fossil skull of a woman in Czechia has provided the oldest modern human genome yet reconstructed, representing a population that formed before the ancestors…
New Research Shows Neanderthals Had the Capacity to Perceive and Produce Human Speech
Neanderthals — the closest ancestor to modern humans — possessed the ability to perceive and produce human speech, according to a new study published by…
A Genetic Variant You May Have Inherited From Neanderthals Reduces the Risk of Severe COVID-19
DNA variants passed on to modern humans from Neanderthals can increase as well as decrease our ability to fight SARS-CoV-2, a new PNAS study finds….
Neanderthal Brain Organoids Show How a Single Gene Alteration May Have Separated Modern Humans From Predecessors
Novel study used brain organoids genetically modified to mimic now-extinct Neanderthals. As a professor of pediatrics and cellular and molecular medicine at University of California…
Archaeologists Discover Neanderthals and Homo sapiens Used Identical Nubian Technology
Long held in a private collection, the newly analyzed tooth of an approximately 9-year-old Neanderthal child marks the hominin’s southernmost known range. Analysis of the…
Analyzing Ancient DNA From 50,000-Year-Old Poop Reveals Secrets of Neanderthals’ Gut Microbiota
Neanderthals’ gut microbiota already included some beneficial micro-organisms that are also found in our own intestine. An international research group led by the University of…
Neanderthal Thumbs Were Better Adapted to Holding Tools With Handles
Neanderthal thumbs were better adapted to holding tools in the same way that we hold a hammer, according to a paper published in Scientific Reports. The…
Major Genetic Risk Factor for Severe COVID-19 Is Inherited From Neanderthals
A study published in Nature shows that a segment of DNA that causes their carriers to have an up to three times higher risk of…
48,000 Year-Old Baby Tooth Found – Belonged to One of the Last Neanderthals in Northern Italy
A milk-tooth (i.e. baby tooth) found in the vicinity of “Riparo del Broion” on the Berici Hills in the Veneto region bears evidence of one…