homo sapiens

A massive, well-preserved skull discovered in China in the 1930s belongs to a new species called Homo longi, researchers report, but experts remain skeptical about the evidence.

Impressions that ancient brains left in fossilized skulls reveal that the first human ancestors to migrate out of Africa had much more primitive brains than previously thought.

Sharp drops in global temperatures helped seal the fate of three extinct hominin species, including our close relatives, the Neanderthals, according to thousands of archaeological specimens and a model of past climate conditions.

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

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

Researchers’ simulations suggest that small population sizes and inbreeding made Neanderthal populations vulnerable to chance fluctuations in population size.

The finding overturns the idea that the insect’s first victims were bats and reveals that certain species started targeting humans as a side snack, not as a main meal.

Thirteen hominin bones found in a cave are so unique that archaeologists have determined they stem from a distinct hominin species, although others question whether the researchers have enough evidence.

Modern humans retain DNA sequences from Neanderthals related to fighting off RNA-based viruses.

The animal pictures and hand stencils were made in caves in Spain thousands of years before Homo sapiens arrived in Europe.

The find is estimated to be at least 177,000 years old.

The new fossils push the origin of the human species back by 100,000 years.

New research provides evidence that the ancient hominin species might not be so ancient after all.

A trio of genetic studies on seldom-studied indigenous populations points to a single wave of migration as humanity wandered from its evolutionary homeland into the rest of the world.

The ancient human may have lived around 900,000 years ago—much more recently than first estimated.

In-depth analysis of the Neanderthal Y chromosome offers insights into the ancient hominins’ split with modern humans.

Theoretical anthropogeny seeks to understand how Homo sapiens rose to a position of global dominance.

Without publishing any data, a Texas-based forensic company claims to have sequenced the genome of Bigfoot.

Gene expression controlled from afar may have spurred the spurt in brain evolution that led to modern humans.