Anthropology

Anthropology

‘Y guy’ steps into human-evolution debate

The common ancestor of today's males lived in Africa between 35,000 and 89,000 years ago, according to a contested DNA analysis.

Anthropology

Rock-solid choices of first toolmakers

Human ancestors who took up stone toolmaking in Africa around 2.6 million years ago already showed a proclivity for choosing high-quality pieces of rock, a new study finds.

Anthropology

Gene implicated in apes’ brain growth

A gene with poorly understood functions began to accumulate favorable mutations around 8 million years ago and probably contributed to brain expansion in ancient apes.

Anthropology

Monkey Business

They're pugnacious and clever, and they have complex social lives—but do capuchin monkeys actually exhibit cultural behaviors?

Anthropology

Evolution’s Lost Bite: Gene change tied to ancestral brain gains

In a controversial new report, a research team proposes that an inactivating gene mutation unique to people emerged around 2.4 million years ago and, by decreasing the size of jaw muscles, set the stage for brain expansion in our direct ancestors.

Anthropology

Prehistoric Family Split: DNA puts Neandertals on edge of human ancestry

The largest sample of ancient mitochondrial DNA extracted from Stone Age fossils to date indicates that Neandertals made, at most, a small genetic contribution to our direct prehistoric ancestors.

Anthropology

Grannies give gift of longer lives

Data from two 18th- and 19th-century farming communities supports the theory that child care assistance from grandmothers has contributed to the evolution of extended human longevity.

Anthropology

Brain Size Surprise: All primates may share expanded frontal cortex

A new analysis of brains from a variety of mammal species indicates that frontal-cortex expansion has occurred in all primates, not just in people, as scientists have traditionally assumed.

Anthropology

Extinct ancestor wasn’t so finicky

Contrary to much anthropological thought, the genus Paranthropus showed as much dietary and behavioral flexibility as ancient Homo species did between 3 million and 1 million years ago.

Anthropology

Early Ancestors Come Together: Humanity’s roots may lie in single, diverse genus

Newly discovered fossil teeth in eastern Africa that are more than 5 million years old suggest that the earliest members of the human family evolved as a single, anatomically diverse genus.

Anthropology

Linguists in Siberia record dying tongues

Researchers trekking through remote Russian villages have identified and interviewed some of the last remaining speakers of two Turkic languages.

Anthropology

Some Primates’ Sheltered Lives: Baboons, chimps enter the realm of cave

In separate studies, researchers have gathered the first systematic evidence showing that baboons and chimpanzees regularly use caves, a behavior many anthropologists have attributed only to people and our direct ancestors.