Anthropology

Humans

Southern Africa may have hosted a hominid transition 2 million years ago

Braincases excavated from the Drimolen caves suggest Homo erectus and Paranthropus robustus may have coexisted in southern Africa.

Anthropology

Lucy’s species heralded the rise of long childhoods in hominids

Australopithecus afarensis had prolonged brain growth before the Homo genus appeared, but it still resulted in brains with chimplike neural structure.

Anthropology

This 300,000-year-old skull may be from an African ‘ghost’ population

The age of the mysterious Broken Hill fossil suggests it came from a hominid that lived around the same time as both Homo sapiens and H. naledi.

Archaeology

Neandertals’ extensive seafood menu rivals that of ancient humans

Finds from a coastal cave in Portugal reveal repeated ocean foraging for this European hominid.

Anthropology

An ancient social safety net in Africa was built on beads

A Stone Age network of communities across southern Africans was established using ostrich shell beads by around 33,000 years ago.

Anthropology

New fossils and artifacts show Homo erectus crafted a diverse toolkit

Ancient hominid made stone tools demanding a range of skills and planning, a study finds.

Anthropology

The ancient hominid species that includes ‘Nutcracker Man’ may have made tools

Newly described hand, arm and shoulder fossils suggest that Paranthropus boisei had powerful arms with hands capable of making simple tools.

Humans

Evolving an arch across the foot’s width helped hominids walk upright

The arch across the foot evolved at least 3.4 million years ago, possibly before the lengthwise arch. Both arches help humans to walk and run.

Archaeology

An ancient skeleton from an underwater Mexican cave sheds light on early Americans

A nearly 10,000-year-old skeleton discovered in a submerged Mexican cave provides more clues to how and when people settled the Americas.

Genetics

Ancient kids’ DNA reveals new insights into how Africa was populated

Four long-dead youngsters from west-central Africa have opened a window on humankind’s far-flung African origins.

Anthropology

Neandertals dove and harvested clamshells for tools near Italy’s shores

The discovery of sharpened shells broadens the reputation of Stone Age human relatives: Neandertals weren’t just one-trick mammoth hunters.

Humans

Homo erectus arrived in Indonesia 300,000 years later than previously thought

The extinct, humanlike hominid likely reached the island of Java by around 1.3 million years ago, a study finds.