Anthropology

Anthropology

Jaw-dropping find emerges from Stone Age cave

A nearly complete lower jaw discovered in a Romanian cave last year and dating to around 35,000 years ago may represent the oldest known example of anatomically modern Homo sapiens in Europe.

Anthropology

Ancestral Bushwhack: Hominid tree gets trimmed twice

In separate presentations at scientific meetings, two anthropologists challenged the influential view that the human evolutionary family has contained as many as 20 different fossil species.

Anthropology

Cannibalism’s DNA Trail: Gene may signal ancient prion-disease outbreaks

Cannibalism among prehistoric humans may have left lasting genetic marks.

Anthropology

The Stone Masters

Investigations of modern-day expert and novice craftsmen of stone tools and decorative stone beads offer insights into the making of stone implements thousands and perhaps even millions of years ago.

Anthropology

Ancient people get dated Down Under

New dating analyses indicate that people reached southeastern Australia between 50,000 and 46,000 years ago and that two human skeletons previously unearthed there were buried about 40,000 years ago.

Anthropology

Hand and Brain

Get a handle on primate handedness research and its bearing on brain function at a Web site run by anthropologist M.K. Holder. Participate in ongoing research and listen to various primates sound off, from a screaming chimpanzee to a belching mountain gorilla. Go to: http://www.indiana.edu/~primate/index.html

Anthropology

Pieces of a Disputed Past: Fossil finds enter row over humanity’s roots

Two new fossil discoveries have fueled scientific debates about the evolutionary status of a pair of species traditionally considered to have been our direct ancestors, Homo habilis and Homo erectus.

Anthropology

Evolution’s DNA Fusion: Hybrid gene forms clue to human, ape origins

A gene of mixed evolutionary pedigree may have transformed mammalian reproduction, leading to the evolution of apes and humans.

Anthropology

Gene test probes Neandertal origins

A new DNA study supports the theory that Neandertals didn't contribute to the evolution of modern humans.

Anthropology

Dairying Pioneers: Milk ran deep in prehistoric England

Chemical analyses of prehistoric pot fragments indicate that English farmers milked livestock beginning around 6,000 years ago, providing the earliest confirmed evidence of dairying anywhere in the world.

Anthropology

Southern Reindeer Folk

Western scientists make their first expeditions to Mongolia's Tsaatan people, herders who preserve the old ways at the southernmost rim of reindeer territory.

Anthropology

Chinese Roots: Skull may complicate human-origins debate

A Chinese Homo sapiens skull, estimated in a controversial new study to be at least 68,000 years old and probably more than 100,000 years old, may challenge the theory that modern humans originated solely in Africa.