Research reveals reality of Ice Age teen puberty
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Cover Stories
An ancient Neanderthal lineage remained isolated from other populations for over 50,000 years—up until the species extinction
Ancient DNA from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) refutes best-selling population collapse theory
Reveals pre-European contact with Indigenous Americans.
The Surprising Ways Inventions and Ideas Spread in Ancient Prehistory
You can learn a lot about humanity from the first technological revolutions of more than 10,000 years ago.
Keys to Building Human Bridges to the Past
Human technologies have continued to evolve exponentially since the end of the Paleolithic: today we are using them to learn more about the past.
The Roman siege of Masada lasted just a few weeks, not several years
Archaeologists at Tel Aviv University contest a widespread myth.
New population model identifies phases of human dispersal across Europe
Political Collapse: Lessons From Fallen Empires
The conflictive political culture of the contemporary U.S. presents striking parallels to the conditions preceding civilization collapse of the past.
What a submerged ancient bridge discovered in a Spanish cave reveals about early human settlement
New study shows humans arrived in the western Mediterranean much earlier than previously believed.
Among Viking societies, Norway was much more violent than Denmark
Rates of violence in Viking Age societies were long believed to be comparable. New research challenges that assumption.
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Other Stories
Research reveals ancient Maya lessons on surviving drought
Huge variety of plant foods made their starvation unlikely.
Nits on ancient mummies shed light on South American ancestry
New technique means head lice can provide clues about ancient people and migration.
Scientists digitally ‘unwrap’ mummy of pharaoh Amenhotep I for the first time in 3,000 years
Study shows that 21st dynasty restorers ‘lovingly restored’ mummy, dispelling theory that they were bent on reusing old royal burial equipment.
New dates for Viking trade
Solar flare throws light on ancient trade between the Islamic Middle East and the Viking Age.
Humans Reached Remote North Atlantic Islands Centuries Earlier Than Thought
Faroes Settled Well Before Vikings Arrived, Lake Sediments Show.
Mystery solved: Footprints from site A at Laetoli, Tanzania, are from early humans, not bears
Findings provide conclusive evidence that multiple species of hominins co-existed on the landscape.
Volcanic eruptions contributed to collapse of China dynasties
Eruptions create sulfuric acid clouds in the upper atmosphere and can cool the climate.
A Child of darkness
The first partial skull of a child of Homo naledi begins to give us insight into all stages of life of this remarkable species.
More than ceremonial, ancient Chaco Canyon was home, new study says
Early puebloans impacted the ecosystem around Chaco Canyon earlier than previously believed.
