People in southern Arabia around 100,000 years ago made tools like those of East Africans. (p. 14)

In the jungles of Belize, near the southern border of Mexico, rise giant stone pyramids. I’ve seen deadly snakes lurk in this area, as well as venomous scorpions, tarantulas the size of a grownup’s hand and swarms of killer bees. Despite these dangers, volunteers such as myself come here to help archaeologists at the site uncover clues to a longstanding mystery. The question that we hope to answer: What caused the collapse of the ancient empire that created these monuments? The ancient Maya civilization was an empire the size of Texas and arguably the most advanced civilization in the A...

Homo sapiens fossils from Italy and England point to an early arrival and a longer time living alongside Neandertals.

Northern Europeans retained a taste for aquatic foods after farmers arrived 6,000 years ago.

The discovery of tools for making a substance possibly used in body decoration suggests humans could invent and plan by 100,000 years ago. (p. 16)

Homo erectus may have made both advanced and simple tools 1.76 million years ago. (p. 12)

A mammoth engraved on a fossil may date from at least 13,000 year ago. (p. 14)

Females in two ancient hominid species may have left their home groups to find mates. (p. 8)