Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – A new computational method can find traces of ancient hominin ancestry in modern humans without needing archaic reference genomes. This method has revealed that a mysterious “ghost” population contributed DNA to the ancestors of all modern
Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – A new study documents a set of fossil footprints preserving a snapshot of “fossil behavior” from an ancient hominin group along a lakeshore in northern Kenya around 1.4 million years ago. An international team from the
Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – Scientists have extracted and analyzed the first-ever ancient proteins from the fossils of Homo naledi, revealing a potential all-female burial site. The study, published in Cell, suggests that South Africa’s Rising Star Cave system may be
Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – A new study challenges established views on human skull evolution. Researchers suggest that brain growth and the reduction of the face and jaw may be less influenced by directed natural selection than previously thought. Findings from
Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – Our ancestors experienced the largest increase in body size about 2 to 2.5 million years ago, when Homo rudolfensis or Homo erectus/ergaster appeared. This change did not happen gradually across all human species. Recent research
Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – Researchers find surprising links showing that Neanderthal ancestry influences our immune system today in ways more nuanced than previously recognized. Viruses account for an estimated 10-20% of the global disease burden. Many DNA viruses can
Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – Recent research provides new evidence that Neanderthals were more advanced than previously believed. The study shows they could identify tooth infections and had the skills to drill out the damage 60,000 years ago. Archaeological evidence indicates
Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – One of the most intriguing questions in human evolution is why about 90% of people across all cultures favor their right hand, a population-level preference unmatched by any other primate species. Despite decades of research
Eddie Gonzales Jr. – AncientPages.com – Scientists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have uncovered new information suggesting a potential connection between Homo erectus and modern humans, while also developing new,
Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – Why Neanderthals disappeared while Homo sapiens secured a lasting foothold in Europe remains an open and fascinating question. The answer is undeniably complex and shaped by many intertwined factors, which makes the fresh perspective offered
Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – A recent study combining new DNA evidence with archaeological findings suggests that the last Neanderthals in Europe went through a profound population turnover, leaving them with very little genetic diversity in the millennia before their disappearance
Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – Birch tar is frequently found at Neanderthal archaeological sites and is well known to have been used as an adhesive for toolmaking. A new study, however, indicates that Neanderthals may have recognized a broader range of
Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – A team of scientists has reported an extraordinary discovery deep within an old excavation site, one that may reshape our understanding of human evolution. Their work invites us to appreciate the possibility that our past
Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – A recent study reveals that thousands of years ago, European communities prepared elaborate meals using a diverse range of plant and animal products. Traditionally, researchers have interpreted the diets of ancient cultures by analyzing fatty
Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – Recent research suggests that Homo erectus, a direct ancestor of modern humans, may have arrived in China significantly earlier than previously believed. A team of geoscientists and anthropologists, including Christopher J. Bae from the University
Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – A recent discovery offers further evidence that our ancient ancestors possessed greater intelligence than previously believed. At multiple archaeological sites in southern Africa, researchers have uncovered hundreds of unusual fragments of ostrich eggshells. These shells,
