World’s oldest Homo sapiens fossils found in Morocco By Ann GibbonsJun. 7, 2017 New fossils and dating put a face on the first of our kind
It wasn't just Greece: Archaeologists find early democratic societies in the Americas By Lizzie WadeMar. 15, 2017 Ordinary people had a voice in some early Mesoamerican societies, though these democracies apparently lasted only 200 to 300 years
Meet the frail, small-brained people who first trekked out of Africa By Ann GibbonsNov. 22, 2016 Fossils at site in Georgia paint startling picture of humanity’s first migrants
5000-year-old cobs reveal corn domestication in the act By Jessica BoddyNov. 21, 2016 Genome sequencing shows what genes ancient farmers first selected for in maize
European diseases left a genetic mark on Native Americans By Michael PriceNov. 15, 2016 Genes that sculpt the immune system were transformed by exposure in many First Peoples
Why did Greenland’s Vikings disappear? By Eli KintischNov. 10, 2016 Archaeologists have a new answer to the mystery of Greenland's Norse, who thrived for centuries and then vanished.
Chimps and bonobos had flings—and swapped genes—in the past By Elizabeth PennisiOct. 27, 2016 Cross-species hanky-panky likely common among great apes—including humans
Early cave art reveals elusive ‘Higgs bison’ By Jessica BoddyOct. 18, 2016 The bison, a hybrid of two extinct grazers, roamed European grasslands in the late ice age
Humans aren’t the only great apes that can ‘read minds’ By Virginia MorellOct. 6, 2016 Soap opera experiment suggests chimps, bonobos, and orangutans can predict what others are thinking
‘Game-changing’ study suggests first Polynesians voyaged all the way from East Asia By Ann GibbonsOct. 3, 2016 Ancient genomes trace first settlement of the remote Pacific to Asian farmers
Why do we kill? Controversial study blames our distant ancestors By Lizzie WadeSep. 28, 2016 Analysis looks at rates of violence in our primate relatives
Why Australia is home to one of the largest language families in the world By Michael Erard Sep. 21, 2016 Researchers put linguistics and genomics together to explore how ancient Aborigines expanded across Australia and began to speak different languages
Almost all living people outside of Africa trace back to a single migration more than 50,000 years ago By Elizabeth Culotta, Ann GibbonsSep. 21, 2016 Genetic data confirm that ancient Aborigines and Eurasians left Africa in one single, great wave
Neandertals made their own jewelry, new method confirms By Lizzie WadeSep. 16, 2016 “Landmark” ancient protein study firmly links sophisticated artifacts from France to our extinct cousins
How an ancient pope helped make chickens fat By Ann GibbonsSep. 15, 2016 A religious decree 1000 years ago turned the bird into a popular dish in Europe
The blue in your blue jeans may have originated in Peru at least 6000 years ago By Lizzie WadeSep. 14, 2016 Researchers trace origins of indigo dye