Articles tagged with Early Humans
Researchers have discovered fossils of ravens living alongside early humans in Beijing, dating back over 100,000 years. The findings suggest that ravens were resilient to climate change and provide valuable insights into the impact of environmental changes on bird populations.
Early humans demonstrated advanced planning and knowledge of wood properties to create aerodynamic and ergonomic tools, such as double-pointed wooden throwing sticks. These findings suggest the use of throwing sticks could have enabled group hunts and involved the entire community, including children.
Researchers found that orangutans can produce two separate sounds simultaneously, like songbirds or human beatboxers. This phenomenon may hold clues about the evolution of human language and its similarities to beatboxing.
Researchers in Tam Pa Ling cave in northeastern Laos found evidence of early human occupation dating back at least 70,000 years. The team used various techniques to date sediments and bones, revealing two distinct migration groups with unclear relationships.
Researchers found that tightly curled scalp hair provided the best protection from the sun's radiative heat while minimizing sweat. This adaptation enabled human brains to grow to modern-day sizes without conserving water through sweating.
A new international study reconstructs the legacy of Chile's largest indigenous community, the Mapuche, through genetics and linguistics. The research reveals distinct Mapuche lineages originated locally and have remained in relative isolation, punctuated by episodes of contact with other South American populations.
Researchers discovered that knapping is far more dangerous than previously understood, with severe injuries including bone piercings, tourniquet needed ankles, and eye damage. Injuries varied across body parts, including hands, feet, legs, and torso.
Researchers discovered that marsupial brains exhibit region-specific patterns of cortical activity during early development. This finding provides valuable information about human brain development and may inform strategies for improving cognitive function in humans.
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and University of Oxford found that kissing was practiced in ancient Mesopotamia around 4,500 years ago, challenging previous hypotheses. The discovery suggests that kissing may have played a role in the transmission of diseases like herpes simplex virus 1.
Large structural changes in human ancestors' genomes may have sparked smaller changes that set human brains apart from other primates. Researchers found that many enhancers, which regulate brain development, are located near these regions, suggesting a link between DNA folding and brain evolution.
Researchers used a new method to analyze temperature records stored in bacteria, revealing surprisingly stable temperatures in the Tanana Valley over 14,000 years. This finding challenges previous assumptions about climate fluctuations and their impact on early human migrations.
The discovery of stone tools and cut-marked animal bones at the Nyayanga site in Kenya offers new insights into the dawn of stone technology. The artifacts, dating back 2.9 million years, include hammerstones, cores, and flakes, which were used to process a wide range of materials and foods.
Neanderthals deliberately hunted down and slaughtered European straight-tusked elephants over 125,000 years ago, providing a significant source of nutrition. The study reveals that Neanderthals came together in larger social groups than previously assumed, with adult male individuals being overrepresented in the assemblage.
Researchers found that many changes to human DNA had opposing effects, with some variants making enhancers stronger while others made them weaker. This discovery has implications for understanding human evolution and the potential link between human DNA variations and psychiatric diseases.
Researchers discovered 13 full and fragmentary projectile points in Idaho dating back to around 15,700 years ago, providing significant details about early human life in the Pacific Northwest. The findings suggest a complex technology and potential genetic-cultural connections between ice age peoples of Northeast Asia and North America.
Researchers assessed facial structure of prehistoric skulls to determine extent of interbreeding between humans and Neandertals. The study found that the Near East was an important crossroads for human migration and interaction, supporting the hypothesis that much of this interbreeding took place in the region.
A team of UNLV-led researchers questions the hypothesis that modern humans experienced an evolutionary decrease in brain size during the transition to complex societies. They analyzed a dataset of early human fossil and museum specimens, finding no reduction in brain size over 30,000 years.
Fossils from Sterkfontein Caves in South Africa reveal nearly four million years of hominin evolution. The new ages of Australopithecus-bearing deposits place the South African hominins as contemporaries of other early species, like Australopithecus afarensis, in east Africa.
Archaeologists confirm early humans made backed artefacts in the same shape across southern Africa, indicating strong social connections and communication. The findings suggest that these social networks allowed early populations to prosper and eventually migrate out of Africa.
A new study reveals that Denisovans could adapt to extreme climates, changing our understanding of their geographical distribution. The discovery was made through palaeoproteomics analysis and geometric morphometric studies on a human molar found in northern Laos.
A recent study published in Genome Biology and Evolution found that ancient human remains from Bulgaria are more closely related to contemporary East Asians than Europeans. The researchers propose a scenario where an African population hub expanded into Europe and East Asia around 45,000 years ago, with the European representatives dec...
Researchers studied Indriidae lemurs to understand the impact of climate, body size, and color vision on hair evolution, providing a unique window into human hair evolution. The study fills gaps in our understanding of human evolutionary story by comparing non-human primate hair patterns.
A new study at Tel Aviv University reveals prehistoric humans collected and recycled old stone tools, mostly to preserve the memory of their ancestors. The researchers propose that they had an emotional urge to collect old human-made artefacts, as a means for maintaining connectedness with place and time.
Researchers developed a software-based smoke dispersal simulation model to study prehistoric archaeology. They found that early humans placed their hearth at the optimal location in the cave, enabling maximum utilization of fire while minimizing smoke exposure. The study identified a 25sqm area as ideal for locating the hearth.
Researchers have discovered evidence of human habitation in the Faroe Islands dating back to around 500 AD, with signs of domestic sheep arrival at this time. The findings, based on lake sediments and DNA analysis, provide conclusive proof that humans inhabited the islands before the Vikings, who are thought to have arrived around 850 AD.
The study suggests that unsustainable wood harvesting by the Ancestral Puebloans occurred around 2000 years ago in Chaco Canyon, USA. This practice had significant ecosystem impacts, which are still being felt today.
Researchers found that as icebergs melted, vegetation became scarce, making it difficult for the giant animals to survive. The team analyzed ancient environmental DNA and sequenced plant remains to draw globally significant conclusions.
The study provides a unique genomic blueprint for understanding the complex mechanisms linking obesity with comorbidities like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The Ossabaw pig's genome is highly relevant to humans, making it an ideal model for studying human obesity.
Researchers found evidence of two fungal species used in blue cheese and beer production in ancient feces from Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut. The findings suggest that people consumed blue cheese and beer during the Iron Age, nearly 2,700 years ago, and retained a non-Westernized gut microbiome structure until the Baroque period.
A new study reveals that early human activities, specifically Māori burning practices in New Zealand over 700 years ago, impacted the Earth's atmosphere more than previously known. The increase in black carbon levels in Antarctic ice cores supports this conclusion.
A 16,000-25,000-year-old jawbone from Sulawesi provides conclusive evidence of Pleistocene-era humans in the region. The fossil exhibit unusual dental wear patterns, offering insights into the daily lives and dietary habits of early Homo sapiens.
Researchers have identified a shortened version of the human growth hormone receptor gene, GHRd3, which may help people survive in situations where resources are scarce or unpredictable. The study found that this variant emerged around 1-2 million years ago and was more prevalent in ancient humans and Neanderthals.
The discovery of bone tools in Contrebandiers Cave, Morocco, dating back to 120,000-90,000 years ago, provides strong evidence for the manufacture of clothing during this period. The tools, which showed signs of skinning for furs and pelts, are similar to leather working tools found in other archaeological records.
Researchers at Arizona State University have discovered a worked bone assemblage found near the Atlantic Coast of Morocco dating back to 120,000 years ago, suggesting the manufacture of clothing during this period. The find provides strong evidence for the emergence of complex culture and specialized tool manufacture in early humans.
Researchers found 62 bone tools at Contrebandiers Cave, Morocco, with shaping and use marks indicating they were used for scraping hides to make leather and furs. The discovery highlights the pan-African emergence of complex culture and provides evidence for the earliest clothing in the archaeological record.
A team of archaeologists led by Paola Villa has uncovered an unprecedented array of bone tools crafted from elephant bones at the Castel di Guido site in Italy, dating back to around 400,000 years ago. The discovery reveals a high level of cognitive intellect and technological sophistication among early humans during this period.
A study suggests that the Toba supereruption led to regional variations in climate impacts, with cooling predictions ranging from 4°C to 10°C in the Northern Hemisphere. Early human populations in these regions thrived despite the eruption's severity, according to independent archaeological evidence.
A new drill core analysis from the Smithsonian reveals a 400,000-year-old boom-bust landscape that drove early humans to abandon old tools, develop sophisticated technology, and broaden trade networks. The findings suggest climate variability was one of several environmental factors contributing to human adaptability.
A new study reveals that dust played a critical role in forming thick soils in the Levant region, enabling early human civilization to take root. The discovery challenges existing hypotheses on soil formation, suggesting that dust input was more important than erosion rates.
A study examines climate and vegetation changes in early modern human environments, finding that periods of wet climate facilitated human migration. Variations in climate and vegetation patterns also led to contractions and expansions of regional habitats, potentially influencing the dispersal of early modern humans.
A Middle Pleistocene human skull found in southeastern China exhibits morphological similarities to other East Asian archaic human remains but also foreshadows later modern human forms. The discovery provides evidence for regional continuity in human evolution during the region's Pleistocene era.
Researchers have found evidence of early human trading, color pigments, and sophisticated tools in eastern Africa, approximately 320,000 years ago. These discoveries suggest that humans adapted to an unpredictable environment through innovation and social exchange networks.
Early humans in East Africa began trading with distant groups using color pigments and manufacturing more sophisticated tools around 320,000 years ago. This period of high environmental variability may have driven the emergence of complex behaviors that distinguished human lineage from other early humans.
Researchers found evidence of early human impacts on African rainforests, with a switch from mature rainforest to forest-savannah mosaic occurring around 3,000 years ago. Human population growth and land-use changes are thought to have driven this transition, contradicting the current consensus that climate change was the primary cause.
Researchers have identified genetic evidence of Taíno ancestry in contemporary Puerto Ricans and other Caribbean communities, providing unprecedented insights into the genetic makeup of the region. The study's findings support claims by indigenous descendant communities that their ancestors survived European colonization.
A new discovery at Qesem Cave reveals that early humans consumed tortoises as part of their diet, alongside large game and vegetal material. The research provides direct evidence of the diverse dietary habits of Paleolithic people.
Naomi Cleghorn's team will excavate a site near Knysna, South Africa, believed to date back 44,000-18,000 years and hold never-before-seen evidence of early human evolution. The funding supports the search for additional sites in the area, which may provide insight into the population dynamics of early humans.
Researchers used mathematical modeling to show that commensal bacteria played a key role in stabilizing early human populations. The study found that these beneficial microbes helped keep the community healthy until reproductive age, but their impact became detrimental with increased longevity.
Researchers at Arizona State University discovered that stone-tipped spears create wider wound cavities compared to wooden spears, leading to more debilitating tissue damage. The study suggests that the manufacture of stone-tipped spears may have driven early human cognitive and social development.
Scientists have found new evidence to indicate that early humans migrated into Europe after the Last Glacial Maximum but before Neolithic times. This discovery provides a clearer picture of how early humans were developing during this period.
A series of scientific papers reveals early human species like Australopithecus afarensis and Kenyanthropus platyops began eating grasses, sedges, and succulents around 3.5 million years ago. The findings show that early humans acquired a taste for C4/CAM plants after their environments seemed similar to their ancestors.
A genetic mutation in the FADS cluster on chromosome 11 allowed early humans to convert plant-based polyunsaturated fatty acids to brain PUFAs, enabling increased brain size and complexity. This trait rapidly spread throughout the African continent under intense selective pressure.
South African scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery of a large rock containing significant parts of a skeleton of an early human ancestor, believed to be the remains of 'Karabo', the type skeleton of Australopithecus sediba. The fossil will be unveiled live online and in a laboratory studio for the first time in history, allo...
Anthropologists have uncovered the earliest form of wall art, a 1.5-ton block of engraved limestone found in Abri Castanet, southern France. The piece is approximately 37,000 years old and provides evidence of the role art played in the daily lives of Early Aurignacian humans.
A Harvard archaeologist developed a system to identify early human settlements based on satellite image analysis, uncovering approximately 9,000 possible sites in northeastern Syria. This technique simplifies the process of finding ancient settlements, allowing for more efficient and targeted surveys.
Archaeologists have discovered Nubian Middle Stone Age tools in Oman, challenging long-held assumptions about the timing and route of early human expansion. The findings suggest that humans entered Arabia by 106,000 years ago, contradicting genetic estimates of 70,000 to 40,000 years ago.
Researchers sequenced the genome of a man who was an Aboriginal Australian, showing they are direct descendants of the first people to arrive on the continent 50,000 years ago. This challenges the prevailing theory of human migration, suggesting that Aboriginal Australians migrated to Australia earlier than previously thought.
Researchers have confirmed the age of Australopithecus sediba fossils to be 1.98 million years old, making it a strong candidate for our oldest direct human ancestor. The discovery provides new insights into early human evolution and sheds light on the beginnings of the Homo genus.
Researchers discovered that ancient footprints in Laetoli, Tanzania, show human-like features and gait existed almost 2 million years earlier than previously thought. The study used a new statistical technique to analyze 11 intact prints and compared them to modern human and great ape footprints.
A new study has found that modern humans may have reached the Arabian Peninsula as far back as 125,000 years ago. This discovery challenges current estimates of human migration out of Africa and sheds light on the technological innovations that allowed early humans to thrive in the region.