Anthropology
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HumansPossible human ancestor in Australopithecus sediba
The hominid’s unusual build may place it in into humankind’s lineage.
By Bruce Bower -
HumansAncient people and Neandertals were extreme travelers
Stone Age folk were built for journeying farther than even the most active individuals today.
By Bruce Bower -
HumansOrigins of alcohol consumption traced to ape ancestor
Eating fermented fruit off the ground may have paved way for ability to digest ethanol.
By Erin Wayman -
HumansWrist bones said to distinguish hobbits
New fossils enter the debate over tiny humanlike species that lived in Indonesia.
By Bruce Bower -
HumansOldest examples of hunting weapon uncovered in South Africa
A common ancestor of people and Neandertals may have flung stone-tipped shafts at animal prey.
By Bruce Bower -
AnthropologyHighlights from the American Society of Human Genetics annual meeting
Iceman’s origins, DNA fingerprinting, microRNAs and cancer risk, and growth genes and obesity risk.
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HumansAncient hominid had an unusual diet
A long-extinct member of the human evolutionary family had an uncommon taste for grasses and sedges.
By Bruce Bower -
HumansAn ancient civilization’s wet ascent, dry demise
Cave data suggest that ancient rainfall patterns swayed the course of Classic Maya societies.
By Bruce Bower -
HumansAncient blades served as early weapons
African find reveals complex toolmaking 71,000 years ago.
By Erin Wayman -
HumansShoulder fossil may put Lucy’s kind up a tree
Fossils of an ancient child suggest the more than 3-million-year-old hominid mixed climbing with walking.
By Bruce Bower -
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HumansHuman-Neandertal mating gets a new date
Late Stone Age interbreeding between Neandertals and people may have left a mark on Europeans’ DNA.
By Bruce Bower