Humans stand out among primates because they walk on two legs. This ability didn't just happen by chance. It turns out, two small changes in our DNA played a big role in this unique trait. Researchers recently made an exciting discovery. They found that these genetic tweaks altered how a key hip bone, called the ilium, developed. This change allowed early humans to ...
A long time ago, in what is now Kenya, a creature called Paranthropus boisei walked the earth. It was known for its strong jaw and tough diet of tough plants. But recently, scientists found something amazing: fossils of its hands and feet. These fossils show that Paranthropus boisei was more skilled and adaptable than anyone thought. The fossils, found between 2019 ...
People often think of early humans as skilled hunters, but what if scavenging played a bigger role in their survival than we realized? Recent studies suggest that scavenging might have been a smart and essential strategy for our ancestors. Early humans had some key advantages when it came to scavenging. They could spot carcasses from far away, move quickly to reach ...
Ever thought about how much tech shapes our lives? It's not just about gadgets; it's about how they change us. From the way we move to how we think, tech is always there, even when we don't notice it. Take smartphones, for example. They've become so common that we barely think about them. But they've changed how we interact with the world and each other. This isn't n...
In the heart of Uganda and Côte d’Ivoire, chimpanzees have a secret: they’re sipping on nature’s cocktail. These wild chimps munch on about 10 pounds of fruit daily, which happens to be fermented and packed with alcohol. Scientists found that this fruity feast contains around 14 grams of pure ethanol, equivalent to two standard alcoholic drinks for humans. But why d...
A mysterious skull, affectionately named the dragon man, has puzzled experts for ages. This ancient relic, dating back 146, 000 years, was first uncovered in Harbin, China, during the 1930s. For a long time, scientists believed it might represent a brand-new species of early humans. However, recent studies published in Science and Cell have shed new light on its orig...
Humans are the only species that have managed to live in almost every environment on Earth. This ability to adapt is not new. Long before the modern era, ancient humans showed remarkable flexibility in finding food and resources in tough places. This adaptability is what allowed them to spread out from Africa around 50, 000 years ago. But why were they ready to move...
The human race has always been curious. We have a knack for learning and passing down information. This has been going on for a long time. In fact, for the last 3. 3 million years, humans have been figuring out ways to share what they know with others. This is how culture has evolved over time. It is not just about one person learning something new. It is about...
The Denisovans were a group of ancient humans that roamed the Earth from around 370, 000 years ago until at least 30, 000 years ago. They are thought to be closely related to Neanderthals. Most of what we know about them comes from a few broken bones found in Siberia and China. A recent study has added a new piece to the puzzle. Scientists from Japan, Taiwan, and Den...
In a remarkable discovery in Spain, scientists have found the earliest known human face fossil in Western Europe. This fossil, affectionately named Pink, was unearthed at the Atapuerca archaeological site in northern Spain. The discovery is significant because it pushes back the timeline of human settlement in Europe by hundreds of thousands of years. The fossilized...