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For decades, the story of modern human origins seemed relatively straightforward: Homo sapiens emerged in Africa roughly 300,000 years ago, evolving as a single, continuous lineage before expanding across the globe. These groups were apart for a million years—longer than modern humans have been on the planet."
In contrast, modern humans have relatively smaller, flatter faces with retracted midfaces and more delicate bone structures. How Faces Grow: A Comparative Approach At birth, Neanderthals already have larger midfaces than modern humans. For decades, researchers have debated the evolutionary forces behind these differences.
Few traits define humanity as clearly as language. Yet, despite its central role in human evolution, determining when and how language first emerged remains a challenge. Every human society on Earth has language, and all human languages share core structural features. But we don’t.
Between 45,000 and 29,000 years ago, early human activity not only altered landscapes but also reshaped the complex web of interactions between scavengers and prey. Large predators, such as hyenas and cave lions, were gradually displaced, while smaller scavengers like foxes and birds thrived in human-dominated environments.
For decades, archaeologists have puzzled over one of humanity’s most crucial technological leaps—when and how early humans began making sharp stone tools. Credit: Archaeometry (2025). Credit: Archaeometry (2025). Eren, and Alastair Key). DOI: 10.1111/arcm.13075 Image by Michelle R. Bebber and Metin I.
The Footprints That Rewrite History In the shifting gypsum sands of White Sands National Park in New Mexico, a series of fossilized human footprints have surfaced, casting a striking new light on the ingenuity of Ice Age inhabitants. Historically, it was used by Plains peoples to haul loads across the land, often drawn by horses or dogs.
The early human settlement of South America stands as one of the last great migrations in human history, yet the environmental conditions that shaped this journey remain debated. Instead of deterring settlement, this cold phase appears to coincide with some of the earliest human activity in the region. ≥2,5000 masl = blue.
The human brain stands apart in the animal kingdom, not just in sheer size but in its remarkable cognitive abilities. The Role of NBPF14 and NOTCH2NLB At the heart of this discovery is the interplay between two genes that are uniquely human.
A Quest for Our Earliest Stories Myths and legends have always been windows into the human psyche, revealing our fears, dreams, and attempts to understand the world. Yet, could these stories also encode the history of humanity’s migrations and interactions?
Human societies are built on layers of culture, law, and technology, yet beneath it all, some of the oldest instincts in the animal kingdom continue to shape our world. In A New Approach to Human Social Evolution 1 , neuroscientist and anthropologist Jorge A. At its core, the human brain retains an ancient architecture.
A New Chapter in Early Human Dispersal The story of humanity's expansion out of Africa has long been marked by unanswered questions about the timing, routes, and survival of early hominins in Eurasia. Reconstructing the Past: Climate and Ecology A Temperate and Seasonal Habitat The study doesn’t stop at human behavior.
Yet, sometimes evolution speeds up—not through natural selection but through human intervention. This convergence, occurring within approximately 100 generations, underscores the profound impact of human-directed breeding. The evolution of species is often framed as a gradual process unfolding over millennia.
Over 100,000 years ago, Neanderthals and Homo sapiens roamed the Levant, a region that would become a crossroads of human migration. Exposed section of archaeological sediments dated to to 110 thousand years ago at Tinshemet cave A new study, published in Nature Human Behaviour 1 , brings fresh insight into this question.
The purpose of this symposium is to share approaches to the teaching of human rights and to develop pedagogical materials for the discipline. The symposium will be led by the Editor-in-Chief of Human Rights Review , George Andreopoulos (CUNY John Jay and Graduate Center), and the Pedagogical Section Editor for Human Rights Review , Steven D.
While informative, this perspective oversimplifies the intricate tapestry of human ancestry, which is more akin to a dynamic film than a still photograph. Credit: Science (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.adp4642.
The shift from a hunter-gatherer existence to an agrarian lifestyle stands as one of the most profound transformations in human history. However, recent research challenges this narrative, emphasizing the pivotal role of human interactions and demographic dynamics in this monumental change. 122 (14) e2416221122, [link] (2025).
2025 ACLS Leading Edge Fellowships kskordal Fri, 01/17/2025 - 09:03 Image The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) announces the seventh competition for Leading Edge Fellowships , made possible by the generous support of the Mellon Foundation. The full roster of partnering organizations and positions is available here.
For decades, the story of how human pigmentation changed as Homo sapiens spread across Europe has been told in broad strokes. Early humans arrived from Africa with dark skin, and as they adapted to lower UV radiation in northern latitudes, their skin lightened—a simple narrative of evolutionary selection. Credit: bioRxiv (2025).
More than 46,000 years ago, deep within the caves of what is now northern Spain, a silent drama unfolded between humans and the great beasts of the Ice Age. Credit: Nature Communications (2025). This suggests that human groups may have had to compete more fiercely for caves and hunting grounds than once assumed.
A new study published in Scientific Reports 1 takes another look at human remains from Maszycka Cave in Poland, and the findings reignite a long-standing debate. Human induced modifications on cranial and postcranial remains. Credit: Scientific Reports (2025). This new study, however, brings a fresh perspective.
Credit: Antiquity (2025). This is a rare case where nature has preserved a vital piece of human history. This is not just a discovery about canals—it’s a story about resilience, adaptation, and the enduring human quest to master the natural world. DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2025.19 Rayne, L., & Jotheri, J. Rokan, M.,
Female Animals and Animalized Women in the Greek and Roman Worlds kskordal Mon, 01/13/2025 - 15:13 Image Domesticated? Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, June 12-14, 2025. All too often, in these literary configurations, women lose autonomy and become something less than human, perhaps even threatening and bestial. by Feb 21, 2025.
A Discovery in the Desert The story of human migration is often told in sweeping arcs—great waves of Homo sapiens leaving Africa, moving into Eurasia, and eventually populating the entire planet. Credit: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025). Credit: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences (2025).
When the "Lapedo Child" was unearthed in 1998 in the Lagar Velho Valley, it upended long-held assumptions about Neanderthal extinction and human evolution. This mosaic anatomy reignited debates about the extent of interbreeding between Neanderthals and early modern humans. Image credit: G.
A Genetic Mystery Unraveled For years, scientists have tried to piece together the evolutionary puzzle of human language. What genetic shifts allowed humans to develop the intricate vocal control necessary for language? Research suggests that mutations in the human NOVA1 gene may have played a role in the development of language.
The fellowship application deadline is April 11, 2025. With its focus on the Hellenic world, the collection contains materials from antiquity to the present across the social sciences and humanities relating to Greece, its neighboring countries, and the surrounding region. No late applications will be considered.
The Mystery of the First Dogs Dogs, our oldest animal companions, have walked beside humans for tens of thousands of years. If correct, this finding challenges the long-held assumption that deliberate human intervention was necessary for the emergence of early dogs. The Role of Human Food: Was There Enough?
The results challenge long-held assumptions about how early humans controlled tool shape and suggest that the differences in Levallois core designs may be more influenced by cultural traditions than previously thought Why Levallois Technology Matters Levallois technology represents a milestone in human cognitive and technological evolution.
Excavations at Bété I uncovered a striking connection between early humans and a wet tropical forest environment, dated to approximately 150,000 years ago using advanced dating techniques such as optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and electron spin resonance (ESR). Their conclusion?
A Discovery That Reshapes the Story of Human Innovation For over a century, Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania has been the stage for some of the most profound discoveries in human evolution. Credit: CSIC This finding changes the way we think about early human cognition, technological adaptability, and cultural innovation. Nature (2025).
But beneath its frozen surface lies a complex history of human migration, isolation, and adaptation. Credit: Nature (2025). If precision medicine is truly the future, it must include all of humanity—not just those whose ancestors lived in temperate climates. American Journal of Human Genetics. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2014.10.005
An Ancient Cave with Modern Questions Franchthi Cave, nestled in the Peloponnesian peninsula of Greece, has been a silent witness to 40,000 years of human history. Yet, the isotopic signatures of human bones do not strongly reflect these inputs, pointing to their limited dietary importance. Read more 1 Martinoia, V., Papathanasiou, A.,
Nearly two million years ago, in the high-altitude landscape of the Ethiopian Highlands, early human ancestors at the Acheulian site of Melka Wakena weren’t simply grabbing the nearest stones to use as tools. Some of the bones display telltale anthropogenic marks, suggesting that early humans had a significant presence here.
A ‘Knowledge Revival’ A 2025 book by 10 education researchers in Europe and Australia, Developing Curriculum for Deep Thinking: The Knowledge Revival , makes the case that students cannot learn the skills of comprehension and critical thinking unless they know a lot of stuff first. Weve all been there.
For decades, archaeologists have described the architectural evolution of early human settlements as a transition from circular to rectangular structures—a shift thought to reflect deeper societal changes. But a new study led by Hadas Goldgeier, Dr. Antoine Muller, and Prof. 1 Goldgeier, H., Muller, A., & Grosman, L.
That lack of disturbance makes it an exceptional place to study how humans occupied the region during the final millennia of the Upper Paleolithic. The presence of butchery marks on many of these bones suggests that humans actively hunted and processed animals at the site. Indeterminate bone with a short cut mark; C.
As 2024 winds down, I wanted to share some of the stories that have resonated most with me this year: First, cozy up with a cup of cocoa and allow yourself to be transported to Norway, where childhood is seen as a time of innate value and child care programs are required to be rooted in values like empathy and a belief in human worth.
Soldevilla, LDA A recent study, led by Erik Zamzow and his colleagues, explores the grinding stone deposits of the Linear Pottery Culture (LBK) in Central Europe, revealing a deeply symbolic connection between these objects and human life cycles. ” This variation in wear suggests a metaphorical link to human existence.
Call for Proposals| APSA Teaching & Learning Symposium: Approaches to Human Rights Pedagogy | Submit your proposal here → APSA Headquarters, Washington, DC | June 19-21, 2025 | Application Deadline: February 24, 2025 The American Political Science Association’s (APSA) Teaching … The post Call for Proposals: Approaches to Human Rights Pedagogy (..)
Neanderthals vs. Modern Humans: Who Made What? Meanwhile, the Uluzzian industry has long been associated with modern humans. Human teeth from Uluzzian layers at Grotta del Cavallo in Italy have been identified as Homo sapiens , reinforcing the idea that this tool tradition belonged to the first wave of modern humans entering Europe.
Undergraduate students making an individual submission must ensure their mentors have paid the CAAS membership fee for 2025 before making a submission. women, enslaved humans, people of color) in order to be more inclusive of the changing demographics in American society explore how the incorporation of noncanonical authors or writings (e.g.,
The scientific establishment, still enthralled by the Eurocentric idea that human origins were tied to Asia or Europe, was unwilling to accept an African cradle for humanity. His work was shaped by the racial and colonial attitudes of his time, and his interpretation of human evolution was, at times, influenced by problematic ideas.
It exemplifies how ancient populations balanced coexistence and diversity, paving the way for future exploration of genetic and cultural intersections in human history. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0092.2009.00348.x 1468-0092.2009.00348.x x This study adds a new dimension to the understanding of Avar society and its unique cultural fabric.
Before the soft-footed, domesticated Felis catus found its way into Chinese homes, another feline species occupied human settlements for thousands of years. Their findings suggest that leopard cats filled the niche of rodent control in human settlements long before domesticated cats arrived. One possibility is their temperament.
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