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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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East Meets West: Avar Society’s Genetic Patchwork in Early Medieval Austria

Anthropology.net

The graves, filled with artifacts like ornate belt fittings and everyday items, reflected a shared culture. While Leobersdorf's population was predominantly of East Asian origin, Mödling's inhabitants carried European ancestry," said Ke Wang, one of the study’s lead geneticists. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0092.2009.00348.x

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The Geometry of Memory: How Knots Carry the Weight of Human History

Anthropology.net

An Ancient Practice, Revisited Through Code Knots are one of humanity’s oldest tools—so ancient, in fact, that they predate agriculture, metallurgy, and written language. Despite differences in time, geography, and material culture, many human groups developed the same set of knots—again and again.

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Echoes of Movement: How the Grammar of Indigenous Languages Maps the Peopling of the Americas

Anthropology.net

A new study in Scientific Reports 1 argues that their grammar preserves a faint but measurable imprint of the first humans to populate the continent. Naranjo have identified a gradient in grammatical complexity across the Western Hemisphere that aligns with the likely direction of prehistoric human expansion. link] Reich, D.

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Echoes from the Ice Age: DNA Unveils the Prehistoric Inhabitants of El Mirón Cave

Anthropology.net

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. For centuries, the study of prehistoric life has relied on the fragile remnants of bones and artifacts. “We don’t need bones,” says lead author Gelabert.

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Carving the Mind: Middle Paleolithic Engravings and the Dawn of Symbolic Thought

Anthropology.net

The Search for Early Symbolic Expression For decades, archaeologists have debated the origins of symbolic thought in early humans. Was it an innovation exclusive to modern humans, or did our distant relatives also engage in abstract expression? Symbolic behavior in early humans is often difficult to identify with certainty.

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Ancient Genomes from South Africa Reveal Remarkable Genetic Continuity

Anthropology.net

The Oakhurst rock shelter, nestled in the cliffs of South Africa’s southern coast, has long been a focal point for archaeologists due to its wealth of artifacts and human remains. These findings offer a new perspective on human population stability and cultural evolution in southern Africa.