Humans are vulnerable to a whole host of optical illusions. Since we share a common ancestor with monkeys, similarities between us makes them vulnerable too
8 stone age murder victims found in Spain
430,000 years ago Homo heidelbergensis lived in Spain, but it wasn’t all peachy for them. Analysis of fossils reveals murder was common.
430,000-year-old ambidextrous human found
Researchers studying the brains of an ancient human species have found that one individual favoured their left hand, but used their right hand more.
Facial reconstruction of a 25,000-year-old “Shaman”
In 1949 a shaman was discovered at Dolni Vestonici. 70 years later, technological advancments mean its now possible to do a forensic facial reconstruction.
The origin of religion, according to hunter-gatherers
There’s a lot of variety in hunter-gatherers’ religious beliefs. Can we use all this data to figure out what early religion was like?
Neanderthals lived further north than we thought
Neanderthals lived across Europe, but never seemed to make it further north than Germany. New research suggests we haven’t been looking hard enough.
Could Neanderthals speak? Implications of FOXP2
One of the big pieces of evidence Neanderthals could speak – they have the human version of FOXP2 – is fake news. Is there other evidence they could speak?
Teamwork makes us lazy and slower at learning
Teamwork leads to people taking intellectual shortcuts. This makes them slower to learn and more likely to be reliant on the successful group members.
Humans are really good at using tools with our elbows
Humans can use tools with many body parts, from feet to elbows. This suggests the brain bits behind dexterity aren’t restricted to our hands.
Neanderthal with scoliosis sheds light on healthcare
A 100 year old Neanderthal skeleton was plagued with health conditions like scoliosis. Their continued survival shows Neanderthals cared for their sick.