People have shaped Earth’s ecology for at least 12,000 years, mostly sustainably
New data challenge previous assessments indicating that most land was uninhabited as recently as 1500 CE and suggest path toward long-term environmental stewardship.
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Cover Stories
Nuclear DNA from sediments helps unlock ancient human history
For the first time, scientists have succeeded in extracting and analyzing Neanderthal chromosomal DNA preserved in cave sediments.
New evidence suggests sexual division of labor as farming arose in Europe
Genetic admixture in the South Pacific: from Denisovans to the human immune response
Dating Stone Age middens using ostrich eggshells
Study: Scant evidence that ‘wood overuse’ at Cahokia caused collapse
Early Humans Evolved Modern Human-Like Brain Organization After First African Dispersal
Neanderthal ancestry identifies oldest modern human genome
The fossil skull of a woman in Czechia has provided the oldest modern human genome yet reconstructed, representing a population that formed before the ancestors of present-day Europeans and Asians split apart.
Humans were apex predators for two million years
What did our ancestors eat during the stone age? Mostly meat
Early humans in the Kalahari were as innovative as their coastal neighbors
Archaeological evidence in a rockshelter at the edge of the Kalahari Desert, South Africa, is challenging the idea that the origins of our species were linked to coastal environments.
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Other Stories
Multispectral imaging reveals ancient Hebrew inscription undetected for over 50 years
Military correspondence from the First Temple period discovered on reverse side of well-studied artifact at The Israel Museum, Tel Aviv University researchers say.
New research reveals earliest directly dated rock paintings from southern Africa
Scientists have pioneered a technique to directly date prehistoric rock paintings in southern Africa, which revealed dates much older than previously thought.
Springs were critical water sources for early humans in East Africa, Rutgers study finds
Scientists show how groundwater-fed springs may have influenced human evolution.
Shared genetic heritage from Sicily to Cyprus
A new genomic study on southern Mediterranean reveals a genetic continuity across geographic and national borders.
Bonobos may be better representation of last common ancestor with humans
Study examined muscles of bonobos and found they are more closely related to humans than common chimpanzees.
Secrets of the paleo diet: Discovery reveals plant-based menu of prehistoric man
A collection of 780,000-year-old edible plants found in Israel is the largest and most diverse in the Levantine corridor linking Africa and Eurasia.
Bitumen from Middle East discovered in 7th century buried ship in UK
Presence of rare tar-like material may suggest trade between Middle East, British Isles.
Bone scans suggest early hominin ‘Lucy’ spent significant time in trees
Australopithecus afarensis arm bones were strong relative to leg bones; walking gait was likely inefficient.
A National Treasure Tells the Story of Hawaii’s Heritage
Archaeology meets the public at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum.
Neanderthal inheritance helped humans adapt to life outside of Africa
Traits inherited for skin and the immune system may have helped buttress survivability through the ages, new study suggests.
Middle Stone Age ochre processing tools reveal cultural and behavioral complexity
Range of ochre processing techniques produced powder of varying color and coarseness.
The Once and Future Cobá
Best known for its Maya ruins, today’s living community of Cobá is set to get a major face lift.
Study finds earliest evidence in fossil record for right-handedness
Teeth striations of Homo habilis fossil date back 1.8 million years.
