Articles Brain & behaviour
Most meat in Neanderthal diet came from mammoths
Stable isotope analysis reveals most meat in the Neanderthal diet came from mammoths, similar to the proportions of mammoth contemporary humans consumed.
Articles Evolution of our body
Hominins were walking upright before it was cool
The classic “March of Progress” shows our ancestors used to knuckle-walk before walking upright. How accurate is this order of evolution?
Articles Evolution of our body
Chin up: why did humans evolve unique chins?
We are the only human species to have a chin. What’s up with that? We don’t really know, but we have a bunch of interesting hypotheses. Here we explore 3.
Ancient technology Articles
Why did prehistoric people make cave art?
Humans have been painting caves around the world for tens of thousands of years. But what drove them to make all this cave art in the first place?
Articles Brain & behaviour
Little Foot fossil had a little brain
The Little Foot fossil is extremely well preserved, including a brain cast that still has the brain’s wrinkles, helping us understand its evolution.
Ancient technology Articles
The surprisingly recent origins of a vengeful god
Religion has a deep history in our species. But there’s growing evidence that a moralising god is a lot more recent; emerging within the last 15,000 years.
Ancient technology Articles
How were the first cave paintings made?
40,000 years ago people made the first cave paintings. Scientists are studying how they did it, shedding light on prehistoric life in the process.
Ancient technology Articles
The explosive origins of pottery during the last ice age
The oldest pottery we’ve found are a few fragments from China ~20,000 years old. But the technology has explosive origins deeper in the ice age
Articles Evolution of our body
Nutcracker man accidentally evolved weak teeth
The teeth of Nutcracker man (aka Paranthropus) are riddled with defects. Did evolution undermine the teeth of the species famous for its powerful bite?
Ancient technology Articles
Neanderthal medicine inferior to human healthcare
Neanderthal medicine was a thing and they took care of each other. But just how effective was it? An analysis of their rate of survival suggests “not very”.