http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/early_humans/ Read about early humans in this anthropology news section. Early human development, early human migration, culture and more. Photos. en-us Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:05:02 EST Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:05:02 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/early_humans/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132706.htm Scientists have an ambitious new strategy for untangling the evolutionary history of humans and their biological relatives: Create a genetic menagerie made of the DNA of more than 10,000 vertebrate species. The plan, proposed by an international consortium of scientists, is to obtain, preserve, and sequence the DNA of approximately one species for each genus of living mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104132706.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021115147.htm Researchers have carried out molecular genetic analysis of the Y chromosome (transmitted only by males) of the aboriginal population of the Canary Islands to determine their origin and the extent to which they have survived in the current population. The results suggest a North African origin for these paternal lineages which, unlike maternal lineages, have declined to the point of being practically replaced today by European lineages. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091021115147.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020203420.htm Researchers report the oldest archaeological evidence of early human activities in a grassland environment, dating to two million years ago. The article highlights new research and its implications concerning the environments in which human ancestors evolved. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020203420.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001110548.htm For the first time, scientists have thoroughly described Ardipithecus ramidus, a hominid species that lived 4.4 million years ago in what is now Ethiopia. Several new studies offer the first comprehensive, peer-reviewed description of the Ardipithecus fossils, which include a partial skeleton of a female, nicknamed "Ardi." Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001110548.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928205415.htm A fossil of a bird-like dinosaur with four wings has been discovered in northeastern China. The specimen bridges a critical gap in the transition from dinosaurs to birds, and reveals new insights into the origin evolution of feathers. Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928205415.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923143335.htm Researchers have found that evolution can never go backwards, because the paths to the genes once present in our ancestors are forever blocked. The findings come from the first rigorous study of reverse evolution at the molecular level. Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923143335.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901172832.htm Humans and chimpanzees are genetically very similar, yet it is not difficult to identify the many ways in which we are clearly distinct from chimps. In a new study, scientists have made a crucial discovery of genes that have evolved in humans after branching off from other primates, opening new possibilities for understanding what makes us uniquely human. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901172832.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827123210.htm Researchers have calculated a general rate of one mutation in each 15 to 30 million DNA letters in humans. Using next-generation sequencing, researchers sequenced part of the Y chromosome from two distant male-line relatives. Despite 13 generations of separation -- with a common male ancestor 200 years ago -- they found only four letters that differed. Mutation is the ultimate source of human genetic variation and has implications for both evolutionary and disease genetics. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827123210.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827101204.htm Shell beads unearthed from four sites in Morocco confirm early humans were consistently wearing and even trading symbolic jewelery as early as 80,000 years ago. These beads add to similar finds dating back as far as 110,000 in Algeria, Morocco, Israel and South Africa, confirming these as the oldest form of personal ornaments. Together these shells -- all from the Nassarius genus -- indicate a shared tradition passed along through cultures over thousands of years. Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090827101204.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810162005.htm An analysis of wrist anatomy in humans, chimps, bonobos and gorillas indicates our own bipedalism probably did not evolve from a knuckle-walking ancestor. "Our data support the opposite notion, that features of the hand and wrist found in the human fossil record that have traditionally been treated as indicators of knuckle-walking behavior in general are in fact evidence of arboreality," researchers report. Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810162005.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090715131437.htm Archaeologists are now establishing a discipline devoted to the history of tool use in non-human primate species in order to better understand human evolution. Sun, 09 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090715131437.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728223022.htm Genetic evidence is revealing that human populations began to expand in size in Africa during the Late Stone Age approximately 40,000 years ago. Scientists have found that sub-Saharan populations increased in size well before the development of agriculture. This research supports the hypothesis that population growth played a significant role in the evolution of human cultures in the Late Pleistocene. Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090728223022.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721214628.htm Genetic research indicates that Australian Aborigines initially arrived via south Asia. Researchers have found telltale mutations in modern-day Indian populations that are exclusively shared by Aborigines. Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090721214628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720163729.htm The wound that ultimately killed a Neandertal man between 50,000 and 75,000 years was most likely caused by a thrown spear, the kind modern humans used but Neandertals did not, according to new research. Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720163729.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714103526.htm In the French cave of Arago, scientists has analyzed the dental wear of the fossils of herbivorous animals hunted by Homo heidelbergensis. It is the first time that an analytical method has allowed the establishment of the length of human occupations at archaeological sites. The key is the last food that these hominids consumed. Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714103526.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616080135.htm It was Darwinian theory that did away with the werewolf. The publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species exactly 150 years ago focused minds on a different kind of monster – ape-men such as the Yeti, Bigfoot and Sasquatch. From then onwards, werewolves were relegated to a fictional footnote. Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616080135.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622171359.htm Researchers have developed the first detailed images of a primitive primate brain, unexpectedly revealing that cousins of our earliest ancestors relied on smell more than sight. Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622171359.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090604124023.htm Researchers have devised a more accurate method of dating ancient human migration -- even when no corroborating archaeological evidence exists. Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090604124023.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618084304.htm New evidence underscores the theory of human origin that suggests humans most likely share a common ancestor with orangutans. The researchers reject as "problematic" the popular suggestion, based on DNA analysis, that humans are most closely related to chimpanzees, which they maintain is not supported by fossil evidence. Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618084304.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608182419.htm The woolly mammoth died out several thousand years ago, but the genetic material they left behind is yielding new clues about the evolution of mammals. Scientists have now analyzed the mammoth genome looking for mobile DNA elements, revealing new insights into how some of these elements arose in mammals and shaped the genome of an animal headed for extinction. Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608182419.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090605091157.htm New research indicates that natural selection may shape the human genome much more slowly than previously thought. Other factors -- the movements of humans within and among continents, the expansions and contractions of populations, and the vagaries of genetic chance -- have heavily influenced the distribution of genetic variations in populations around the world. Sun, 07 Jun 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090605091157.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090602083729.htm Researchers have discovered a fossilized face with mandible from a previously unknown hominoid primate genus in Spain dating to the Middle Miocene era, roughly 12 million years ago. Nicknamed "Lluc," the male bears a strikingly "modern" facial appearance with a flat face, rather than a protruding one. The finding sheds important new light on the evolutionary development of hominids, including orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and humans. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090602083729.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528203730.htm Stretches of DNA previously believed to be useless 'junk' DNA play a vital role in the evolution of our genome, researchers have now shown. They found that unstable pieces of junk DNA help tuning gene activity and enable organisms to quickly adapt to changes in their environments. Sat, 30 May 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528203730.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528133423.htm Researchers have made a virtual reconstruction of a female Neanderthal pelvis found in Israel. Although the size of the reconstructed birth canal shows that Neanderthal childbirth was about as difficult as in present-day humans, the shape indicates that Neanderthals retained a more primitive birth mechanism than modern humans. Fri, 29 May 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528133423.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090514130631.htm Through sophisticated statistical analysis and advanced computer simulations, researchers are learning in greater detail about the genomic signatures of human population structures around the world. Looking at seven continental groups -- Africa, America, Central and Southeast Asia, East Asia, Europe, Middle East and Oceania, they found 18 axes of variation, some of which distinguished particular populations. They found variation patterns that correlated with geography in nearly every continental group. Mon, 18 May 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090514130631.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090514084115.htm Neandertals, the supposedly 'stupid' cousins of modern humans, were capable of capturing the most impressive animals. This indicates that Neandertals were anything but dim. An analysis of their daily forays for food revealed that the hunting was very knowledge intensive. Thu, 14 May 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090514084115.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507185535.htm Ancient Madagascan hippos have shed light on the origins of the small brain of the 1-metre-tall human, known as the hobbit. By examining the skulls of extinct Madagascan hippos, scientists discovered that dwarfed mammals on islands evolved much smaller brains in relation to their body size. Fri, 08 May 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507185535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090506144307.htm Homo floresiensis feet may help settle a hotly debated question among paleontologists: was this population similar to modern humans, or not? A new research analysis demonstrates that although "hobbits" were bipedal, several features of their feet (such as flat feet) were primitive but not pathological. Furthermore, their gait was not efficient, and the population probably found long term running difficult. Wed, 06 May 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090506144307.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090410075110.htm All African Pygmies, inhabiting a large territory extending west-to-east along Central Africa, descend from a unique population who lived around 20,000 years ago, according to a new study. The research concludes that the ancestors of present-day African Pygmies and farmers separated ~60,000 years ago. Sat, 11 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090410075110.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090319142411.htm Runners, listen up: If your body is telling you that your pace feels a little too fast or a little too slow, it may be right. A new study shows that the efficiency of human running varies with speed and that each individual has an optimal pace at which he or she can cover the greatest distance with the least effort. Such efficient locomotion probably provided our ancestors with an advantage for hunting and gathering food. Mon, 30 Mar 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090319142411.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090323212029.htm Scientists have discovered that DNA duplications have given plants an evolutionary advantage. This mechanism enabled plants -- in contrast to the dinosaurs -- to survive the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction of 65 million years ago. With the aid of the latest bioinformatics technologies, the researchers have been able to closely estimate the timing of known DNA duplications in a number of plant species. Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090323212029.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090319224524.htm A retrovirus related to HIV became stably integrated into the genome of several lemurs around 4.2 million years ago, according to new research. The analysis of prosimian immunodeficiency virus offers new insights into the evolution of lentiviruses. Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090319224524.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090317162844.htm The elephant shark, a primitive deep-sea fish that belongs to the oldest living family of jawed vertebrates, can see color much like humans can. This discovery may enhance scientists' understanding of how color vision evolved in early vertebrates over the last 450 million years of evolution. Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090317162844.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090312165202.htm A new dating method has found that "Peking Man" is around 200,000 years older than previously thought, suggesting he somehow adapted to the cold of a mild glacial period. Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090312165202.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090305204321.htm Researchers have discovered that a long-defunct gene was resurrected during the course of human evolution. This is believed to be the first evidence of a doomed gene -- infection-fighting human IRGM -- making a comeback in the human/great ape lineage. Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090305204321.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090225132526.htm Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA analysis of recently unearthed remains identify the missing members of the family of Nicholas II, the last czar of Russia, murdered in 1918. Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090225132526.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226141102.htm Ancient footprints show that some of the earliest humans walked like us and did so on anatomically modern feet 1.5 million years ago. Footprints found at Ileret and Kenya, display anatomically modern features. Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226141102.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090217173043.htm Contrary to the TV sitcom where the wife experiencing strong labor pains screams at her husband to stay away from her, women rarely give birth alone. Assisted birth has likely been around for millennia, possibly dating as far back as 5 million years ago when our ancestors first began walking upright, according to a paleoanthropologist. She says that social assistance during childbirth is just one aspect of our evolutionary heritage that makes us distinctive as humans. Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090217173043.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090219140546.htm Ancestors of the alga Volvox made the transition from the solitary life of a single-celled organism to that of a multicellular colony much earlier than previously thought, according to new research. Studying how algae made the leap provides clues to how organisms such as plants and animals evolved from single-celled ancestors. Mediating conflict between the cooperating cells is the key. Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090219140546.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090211161842.htm Scientists have sequenced over seventy strains of yeast, the greatest number of genomes for any species, bringing into focus the small branches of Darwin's Tree of Life. Sat, 21 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090211161842.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212150822.htm Diet -- and how it has shaped our genome -- occupies much of an evolutionary scientist's time. Scientist hav explored how diet holds keys to understanding who we are, how we live and form societies, and how we evolved from hunter-gatherers to agriculturists, all the way to modern urban dwellers. Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212150822.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090214162756.htm Genetic diseases and genetically mixed populations can help researchers understand human diversity and human origins according to a physical anthropologist. Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090214162756.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212150826.htm That irresistible urge for a cheeseburger has its roots in dramatic environmental changes that occurred some 2 million years ago. Higher quality, nutritionally dense diets became necessary to fuel high-energy demands of humans' exceptionally large brains and for developing the first rudimentary hunting and gathering economy. Today, the imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure is the root cause of obesity in the industrialized world, according to some anthropologists. Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212150826.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212112731.htm Scientists they have completed a first draft version of the Neandertal genome. Mon, 16 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212112731.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212150838.htm Dazzling new scientific techniques are allowing archaeologists to track the movements and menus of extinct hominids through the seasons and years as they ate their way across the African landscape, helping to illuminate the evolution of human diets. Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212150838.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090211101711.htm There are two species of lice that infest humans: pubic lice, Pthirus pubis, and human head and body lice, Pediculus humanus. A new article suggests one explanation for the separation of the two species. Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090211101711.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090211111002.htm Our surnames and genetic information are often strongly connected, according to a new study. The research, published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, may help genealogists create more accurate family trees even when records are missing. It also suggests that the often quoted "one in ten" figure for children born through infidelity is unlikely to be true. Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090211111002.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090205133740.htm A study of the genetic code of more than 1,000 people has found that at least one in 200 human genes can be inactivated in apparently healthy people. The findings suggest that, though these genetic mutations can be harmful, they generally have little effect on the individual and could occasionally even be beneficial in evolutionary terms. The study also found that individuals carry on average 46 of these inactivating mutations. Fri, 06 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090205133740.htm