http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/human_evolution/ Findings in human evolution. Read science articles on early humans, human and primate genetics and more. Articles and photos. en-us Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:05:01 EST Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/fossils_ruins/human_evolution/ 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/2009/10/091020203420.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/2009/09/090901172832.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/2009/07/090715131437.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/2009/07/090714103526.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/2009/06/090604124023.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/2009/06/090602083729.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/2009/05/090507185535.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/2009/04/090415075150.htm The Neanderthals inhabited a vast geographical area extending from Europe to western Asia and the Middle East 30,000 to 100,000 years ago. Now, a group of researchers are questioning whether or not the Neanderthals constituted a homogenous group or separate sub-groups (between which slight differences could be observed). A new study may provide some answers. Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090415075150.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/2009/02/090226141102.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/2009/02/090212150822.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/2009/02/090212150826.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/2009/02/090205133740.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 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090203093125.htm New research reveals nut-cracking abilities in our 2.5-million-year-old relatives that enabled them to alter their diet to adapt to changes in food sources in their environment. Computer simulation shows early humans had jaws to eat diet of hard seeds and nuts. Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090203093125.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090126203207.htm Why have some of our genes evolved rapidly? It is widely believed that Darwinian natural selection is responsible, but new research suggests that a separate neutral (nonadaptive) process has made a significant contribution to human evolution. Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090126203207.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090120144508.htm In a an analysis of the size, shape and asymmetry of the cranium of Homo floresiensis, scientists conclude that the fossil, found in Indonesia in 2003 and known as the "Hobbit," is not human. Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090120144508.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090116073211.htm For years researchers have puzzled over whether adaptation plays a major role in human evolution or whether most changes are due to neutral, random selection of genes and traits. Geneticists now have laid this question to rest. Their results show adaptation-the process by which organisms change to better fit their environment-is indeed a large part of human genomic evolution. Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090116073211.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081222122607.htm Malarial parasites found in tree-dwelling African thicket rats share a close evolutionary relationship with Plasmodium falciparum and P. reichenowi. The analysis is based on amplification of entire mitochondrial genomes of malarial parasites that use humans, rodents, birds and lizards as their hosts. Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081222122607.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081221210201.htm Modern humans left Africa over 60,000 years ago in a migration that many believe was responsible for nearly all of the human population that exist outside Africa today. Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081221210201.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081229105039.htm Neanderthal extinction was principally a result of competition with Cro-Magnon populations, rather than the consequences of climate change, according to a new study. Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081229105039.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081219172137.htm Archaeologists have discovered the earliest evidence of our cave-dwelling human ancestors at the Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa. Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081219172137.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217124418.htm Fossilized skeletons resembling a mythical 'hobbit' creature represent an entirely new species in humanity's evolutionary chain, according to researchers. Cutting-edge 3D modeling technology was used to connect the fossilized hominid skeletons of the so-called "hobbit people," or Homo floresiensis to the human evolutionary chain. Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217124418.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081209221750.htm It is widely accepted that early modern humans spread westward across Europe about 42,000 years ago, displacing and absorbing Neandertal populations in the process. But how long did they survive? New research, is shedding light on what were probably the last Neandertals. Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081209221750.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081117103735.htm Early humans roamed the plains long before we evolved our modern inflexible feet. So how did they walk on floppy feet? New research shows how a close relative, the gibbon, manages perfectly well despite their 'floppy' feet. They even use the same energy saving mechanisms when pushing off, despite the foot's different architecture. Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081117103735.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081113181152.htm Discovery of the most intact female pelvis of Homo erectus may cause scientists to reevaluate how early humans evolved to successfully birth larger-brained babies. A reconstruction of the 1.2 million-year-old pelvis discovered in 2001 in the Gona Study Area at Afar, Ethiopia, that has led researchers to speculate early man was better equipped than first thought to produce larger-brained babies. The actual fossils remain in Ethiopia. Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081113181152.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081105191731.htm Researchers have carried out the largest study of differences between human and chimpanzee genomes, identifying regions that have been duplicated or lost during evolution of the two lineages. The study, the first to compare many human and chimpanzee genomes in the same fashion, shows that particular types of genes are more commonly involved in gain or loss. It also provides new evidence for a gene associated with susceptibility to infection by HIV. Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081105191731.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081031102630.htm Archaeologists have dated two explosions of sophisticated stone tool making in southern Africa much more precisely than has previously been possible and provided new information about stone tool innovation of the Middle Stone Age. Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081031102630.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081030123829.htm Researchers have revealed the complete mitochondrial genome of one of the world's most celebrated mummies, known as the Tyrolean Iceman or Ötzi. The sequence represents the oldest complete DNA sequence of modern humans' mitochondria. It is highly unlikely that the Iceman has any modern day relatives, according to researchers. Sat, 01 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081030123829.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908203013.htm Neanderthals had a brain at birth of a similar size to that of modern-day babies. However, after birth, their brain grew more quickly than it does for Homo sapiens and became larger too. Nevertheless, the individual lifespan ran just as slowly as it does for modern human beings. Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908203013.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903172419.htm Molecular and evolutionary biologists have produced the full genome sequence of Trichoplax, one of nature's most primitive multicellular organisms, providing a new insight into the evolution of all higher animals. Mon, 08 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903172419.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825203924.htm New research has struck another blow to the theory that Neanderthals became extinct because they were less intelligent than our ancestors. The research team has shown that early stone tool technologies developed by our species, Homo sapiens, were no more efficient than those used by Neanderthals. Their discovery debunks a textbook belief held by archaeologists for more than 60 years. Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825203924.htm