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A Forgotten Chapter in Human Evolution: The Hidden Ancestry of Modern Humans

Anthropology.net

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."

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The Shape of a Face: What Neanderthal Growth Patterns Reveal About Human Evolution

Anthropology.net

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.

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When Did Humans Start Talking? Genomic Evidence Pushes Language Back to 135,000 Years Ago

Anthropology.net

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.

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How Early Humans Shaped Europe’s Scavenger Communities

Anthropology.net

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.

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When Did Humans First Make Stone Tools? New Research Suggests They Didn’t—At First

Anthropology.net

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.

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22,000-Year-Old Footprints Reveal the Earliest Evidence of Human Transport Technology

Anthropology.net

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.

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Climate and the First South Americans: How Ancient Environments Shaped Early Human Settlement

Anthropology.net

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.