Human evolution

Human evolution

5 of the best books on evolution

Biologist and author Adam Hart chooses his top books on natural selection, genetics and human evolution.
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The paleo diet is a 'Flintstone fantasy'. A scientist explains why

‘Big farmer’ has changed our digestive capabilities… and that’s just one of the reasons why you can’t eat like a caveman.
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5 of the best books on human evolution

Dr Brenna Hassett shares insight from her new book, Growing Up Human, and recommends five of her favourite books for further reading.
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Lactose tolerance evolved in Europeans thanks to famine and disease

Wide-ranging evolutionary study overturns the long-held idea that the gene for lactose tolerance spread because it allowed dairy-farming humans to consume more milk.
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The evolution of human childhood, with Dr Brenna Hassett

Archaeologist and anthropologist Brenna Hassett joins us on our podcasts, Instant Genius and Instant Genius Extra.
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9 ways your childhood was weird

No, it's not because your mum made you wear horrible shoes. It's because it lasted for many years, which makes us different from other animals.
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Dyslexia isn't a disorder, it's essential to how our species adapt, say researchers

People with dyslexia have brains that are specialised to explore the unknown, and this strength has contributed to the success and survival of our species.
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The origins of religion, with Robin Dunbar

Robin Dunbar, a professor of evolutionary psychology, joins us on our podcasts, Instant Genius and Instant Genius Extra.
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Future of evolution: 10 ways nature is changing to adapt to life among humans

Whether it's COVID, cockroaches or bacteria in your fridge, everything around us evolves no matter what we throw at it.
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Drinking milk enabled Bronze Age nomads to migrate thousands of miles across mainland Europe

The ancient herders drank the milk of cows, sheep, goats, and even horses.
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Move over Neanderthals, ‘Dragon man’ may be humans’ closest relative

Analysis of a fossil found in China in the 1930s could reshape our understanding of human evolution, researchers say.
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The Neanderthals, with Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes

Archaeologist Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes joins us on these episodes of our new podcasts Instant Genius and Instant Genius Extra.
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Neanderthals weren't just smart – they might have taught humans a thing or two

Tom Higham, Professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Oxford and author of The World Before Us, explains the important exchanges, both cultural and genetic, that between us and Neanderthals.
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Podcast: Why do humans make music?

Musicologist Michael Spitzer explains how humans evolved to make music and why it makes us want to dance.
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Women’s skilled manual work was a “crucial” part of ancient farming societies

Analysis of 400 stone objects from graves across Europe showed men and women were equal contributors to their community, researchers said.
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45,000-year-old female skull offers ‘oldest modern human genome’

The fossil skull unearthed in the Czech Republic is thought to be from one of the earliest modern human populations in Eurasia.
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The unlikely evolutionary origin of the human voice

In this extract from This is the Voice, John Colapinto tells the story of how our voices evolved, from the very first creatures to breathe air.
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Lucy and Ardi: The two fossils that changed human history

Kermit Pattison, author of Fossil Men: The Quest for the Oldest Ancestor and the Origins of Humankind, tells the story of two skeletons that changed our understanding of the evolution of humans.
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Neanderthals could talk like humans, study suggests

Our cousins’ ears were tuned to the frequencies used in human communication.
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Are humans animals?

Do humans have animal bodies – and animal minds?
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Science’s cutting-edge: seven ideas you should know about in 2021

From life-saving viruses to spaceship swarms to virtual reality therapy, here's our pick of the scientific research to look out for in the year ahead.
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How proteins let us get up close and personal to our ancient relatives

Palaeoproteomics, a new technology that studies the proteins of ancient remains, is shaking up history. Not only can we now peer further back in time, but the technique is also letting us see our past in a new way.
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