Anthropology

More Stories in Anthropology

  1. skull bones from an ancient Indonesian woman
    Anthropology

    Ancient DNA shows the peopling of Southeast Asian islands was surprisingly complex

    Ancient DNA from a hunter-gatherer skeleton points to earlier-than-expected human arrivals on Southeast Asian islands known as Wallacea.

    By Bruce Bower
  2. Archaeology

    A 1,000-year-old grave may have held a powerful nonbinary person

    A medieval grave in Finland, once thought to maybe hold a respected woman warrior, may belong to someone who didn’t have a strictly male or female identity.

    By Bruce Bower
  3. a group of Ayta people in front of huts beside a river
    Genetics

    An Indigenous people in the Philippines have the most Denisovan DNA

    Genetic comparisons crown the Indigenous Ayta Magbukon people as having the most DNA, 5 percent, from the mysterious ancient hominids.

    By Bruce Bower
  4. illustration of two scientists looking at boxes depicting famous psychology experiments
    Psychology

    Psychology has struggled for a century to make sense of the mind

    Research into what makes us tick has been messy and contentious, but has led to intriguing insights.

    By Bruce Bower
  5. skeleton of an ancient shark attack victim at an excavation site
    Anthropology

    A skeleton from Peru vies for the title of oldest known shark attack victim

    The 6,000-year-old remains of a teen with a missing leg and tell-tale bite marks came to light after news of a 3,000-year-old victim in Japan surfaced.

    By Bruce Bower
  6. partially excavated skeleton of oldest known victim of a shark bite
    Anthropology

    A partial skeleton reveals the world’s oldest known shark attack

    An ancient shark bite victim died quickly, before his body was recovered and buried, a new study finds.

    By Bruce Bower
  7. five skulls from different Homo species
    Anthropology

    ‘Dragon Man’ skull may help oust Neandertals as our closest ancient relative

    A Chinese fossil has been classified as a new Homo species that lived more than 146,000 years ago, but not all scientists are convinced.

    By Bruce Bower
  8. jaw and skull bones from the Nesher Ramla site on a white background
    Anthropology

    Israeli fossil finds reveal a new hominid group, Nesher Ramla Homo

    Discoveries reveal a new Stone Age population that had close ties to Homo sapiens at least 120,000 years ago, complicating the human family tree.

    By Bruce Bower
  9. Coxcatlan Cave entrance
    Archaeology

    New clues suggest people reached the Americas around 30,000 years ago

    Ancient rabbit bones from a Mexican rock-shelter point to humans arriving on the continent as much as 10,000 years earlier than often assumed.

    By Bruce Bower