Back in 2004, the excavation of unusual skeletal remains in Liang Bua cave on the island of Flores yielded what the discoverers claimed was “the most important find in human evolution for 100 years.” But Homo floresiensis (nicknamed the hobbit) may not be a new human species at all, say the authors of a new […]
Neanderthals were far from primitive in their domestic living arrangements, say anthropologists who have unearthed evidence that our prehistoric cousins organized their living spaces in ways that would be familiar to modern humans. The excavations took place at Riparo Bombrini, a collapsed rock shelter in northwest Italy where both Neanderthals and, later, early humans, lived […]
Hybridization, the idea that modern humans and Neanderthals once interbred is probably wrong, say researchers at the University of Cambridge who suggest that a common ancestry better explains the DNA we share with Neanderthals. The new work, that details an alternative explanation for the 1-4 percent shared Eurasian and Neanderthal DNA, appears in the journal […]
Mating with Neanderthals and another close relative – the recently discovered Denisovans – has endowed some human gene pools with beneficial versions of immune system genes, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Modern humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans all share a common ancestor in Africa, but the groups split into separate, distinct populations […]
It was previously believed that Neanderthals developed tools and ornaments solely through contact with supposedly more advanced Homo sapiens, but new research from the University of Colorado Denver shows that these sturdy ancestors could adapt, innovate and evolve technology on their own. The findings, appearing in the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, challenge the […]
The archaeological excavation at the Beedings site in southern England is providing scientists with a poignant glimpse into the last days of a group of Neanderthals on the verge of extinction. Surprisingly, however, the dig indicates a thriving, developing population, rather than a community in its death throes. “The tools we’ve found at the site […]
