Human evolution
Natural Selection | 5 of the best books on evolution
Biologist and author Adam Hart chooses his top books on natural selection, genetics and human evolution.
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.
These 'beatboxing' orangutans may shed light on the evolution of human speech
The apes have been observed producing two different sounds at the same.
Bizarre Minion-like creature with no anus is not our earliest known ancestor after all
The microscopic critters actually belong to a group of animals that includes insects, crabs and roundworms, computer imaging study suggests.
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.
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.
Instant Genius Podcast | 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.
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.
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.
Instant Genius Podcast | 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.
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.
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.
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.
Instant Genius Podcast | 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.
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.
Podcast: Why do humans make music?
Musicologist Michael Spitzer explains how humans evolved to make music and why it makes us want to dance.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Neanderthals could talk like humans, study suggests
Our cousins’ ears were tuned to the frequencies used in human communication.
Are humans animals?
Do humans have animal bodies – and animal minds?
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.
Beyond DNA | 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.