Fossil records show that the most recent shared ancestor with modern humans may have lived at least 800,000 years ago.

A mandible dating to 160,000 years ago is the first evidence of Denisovan hominins outside the Russian cave where they were first discovered in 2010.

The dating of stone tools in China puts members of the Homo genus there more than 2 million years ago.

Interbreeding with Neanderthals appears to have reintroduced genetic sequences related to innate immunity that had been lost as humans migrated out of Africa. 

The retention of ancient hominin DNA in modern human genomes may have helped our ancestors adapt to life in diverse environments. 

Remnants of fires indicate modern humans may have lived around the same time as Homo floresiensis.

The 700,000-year-old teeth and jawbones of small hominins may be the oldest remnants of Homo floresiensis.

A new analysis of stalagmites stacked deep within a French cave suggests that the ancient hominin was capable of planning and carrying out construction projects.

A top-10 list compiled by a committee of taxonomists includes a new hominin species and a beetle named after a children’s book character.