The genomes of living animals are littered with DNA from long-gone relatives, providing a lens on evolution, past extinctions, and perhaps even solutions to agricultural problems.

Influenza RNA sequences from three sets of lungs preserved in formalin since 1918 provide new insights into the deadly pandemic.

Sykes sequenced famous ancient remains, such as Ötzi and Cheddar Man, and was one of the first researchers to use mitochondrial DNA to trace genetic lineages.

Africa’s sparse fossil record alone cannot reveal our species’ evolutionary history.

While questions still outnumber answers, new findings from archaeology, genetics, and other disciplines are revealing surprising insights into the early cultures of the most recently populated continent.

Modern human genomes and bones left behind from ancient hominins in Africa tell a complex story about the origins of our species.

If confirmed, the result means people migrated to North America much earlier than thought, but some experts remain unconvinced.

A museum sample of a 3,000-year-old Egyptian crop plant yields genomic information that helps researchers track the plant’s domestication and migration.

A new analysis of more than 2,500 human genomes indicates that modern Eurasians who acquired Neanderthal DNA during past interbreeding migrated back to Africa and spread those sequences.

Genomic information from four children who lived thousands of years ago in what is now Cameroon could shed light on the spread of the Bantu languages and on the history of present-day African populations.

For the past 10 years, life science has moved us closer to a complete understanding of what makes us human—our similarities, our differences, and our shared history.

Modern-day populations in India descend from a mixture of peoples living thousands of years ago in South and Central Asia, including the Bronze-Age Indus Valley Civilization, two studies reveal.

Researchers isolate roundworm DNA from animal excrement that is about 17,000 years old.

An external consultant will review the work environment of the institution’s Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, led by evolutionary molecular biologist Alan Cooper.

Sequences from dozens of ancient remains from Siberia reveal the closest ancient relative of Native Americans found outside of North America.

Genetic material from old artifacts can link people to their ancestral communities and potentially help descendants find their roots.

Denisovans and Neanderthals likely overlapped at this Stone Age hot spot for thousands of years, and modern Homo sapiens may have dwelled there, too.  

The findings of a new study contradict previous results from some of the same scientists that suggested Neanderthal DNA was gradually removed from modern human genomes.