Our evolutionary cousin is no longer a blundering caveman. Recent research has painted a picture of a human ancestor with culture, art, and advanced cognitive skills.

In Chapter 1, “The Old Man of La Chapelle: The Patriarch of Paleo,” author Lydia Pyne explains the public's evolving conception of the first complete Neanderthal skeleton found and described by scientists.

Exceptional neural fossil preservation helps answer questions about ancient arthropod evolution.

Several studies using centuries-old genetic material graced the pages of life-science journals in 2015. Here’s a look at a few of the researchers and papers that made headlines this year.

Deep-sea rangeomorphs that lived more than 540 million years ago used two methods of reproduction, according to a study of fossils.

Tiny spherical fossils found in China appear to be multicellular organisms with differentiated tissues.

Fifty-thousand-year-old feces suggest Neanderthals ate both meat and vegetables.

Researchers have discovered a 46-million-year-old female mosquito containing the remnants of the insect’s final blood meal.

Researchers find that extracting dinosaur DNA from insects embedded in ancient amber is likely impossible.