91av - Humans / /build/images/ns-logo-scaled.ed2dc11a.png daily 1 /article/2486089-evolution-has-made-humans-both-machiavellian-and-born-socialists/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 09 Jul 2025 17:00:26 +0100 Humanity’s innate treachery is behind social ills ranging from inequality to abuse of power. Lessons from our ancestors can help defeat the enemy within 2486089-evolution-has-made-humans-both-machiavellian-and-born-socialists|2486089 /article/mg26735512-100-provocative-new-book-says-we-must-persuade-people-to-have-more-babies/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 09 Jul 2025 19:00:00 +0100 The population is set to plummet and we don't know how to stop it, warn Dean Spears and Michael Geruso in their new book, After the Spike mg26735512-100-provocative-new-book-says-we-must-persuade-people-to-have-more-babies|2487263 /article/2487356-70000-years-ago-humans-underwent-a-major-shift-thats-why-we-exist/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 08 Jul 2025 19:00:52 +0100 Ancient humans in Africa changed their behaviour in a major way 70,000 years ago, which could explain how their descendants managed to people the rest of the world 2487356-70000-years-ago-humans-underwent-a-major-shift-thats-why-we-exist|2487356 /video/2487152-researchers-re-enact-a-30000-year-old-sea-voyage/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Mon, 07 Jul 2025 15:53:43 +0100 Archaeological evidence shows that 30,000 years ago, Palaeolithic people travelled from the island now known as Taiwan to the southern islands of Japan. This voyage would have included crossing the Kuroshio, one of the world's strongest ocean currents. Yousuke Kaifu at The University Museum of the University of Tokyo wanted to put this journey to … 2487152-researchers-re-enact-a-30000-year-old-sea-voyage|2487152 /article/2487213-hybrid-skull-may-have-been-a-child-of-neanderthal-and-homo-sapiens/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Mon, 07 Jul 2025 10:45:27 +0100 The skull of a 5-year-old girl who lived 140,000 years ago has similarities with modern Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, suggesting her parents might have belonged to different species 2487213-hybrid-skull-may-have-been-a-child-of-neanderthal-and-homo-sapiens|2487213 /article/2486785-prehistoric-spanish-people-transported-2-tonne-stone-by-boat/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Thu, 03 Jul 2025 13:00:10 +0100 An analysis of the provenance of the Matarrubilla stone, a large megalith at Valencina in Spain, indicates that the monument’s builders must have had advanced seafaring technology 2486785-prehistoric-spanish-people-transported-2-tonne-stone-by-boat|2486785 /article/2486691-neanderthals-had-a-fat-factory-where-they-processed-bones-for-grease/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 02 Jul 2025 20:00:40 +0100 An ancient human site in Germany features animal bones that were smashed into small pieces and heated to extract fat 125,000 years ago, showing that Neanderthal culinary skills were surprisingly sophisticated 2486691-neanderthals-had-a-fat-factory-where-they-processed-bones-for-grease|2486691 /article/2486737-an-ancient-egyptians-complete-genome-has-been-read-for-the-first-time/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 02 Jul 2025 17:00:32 +0100 The genome of a man who lived in Egypt over 4500 years ago offers a new window on the ancient society and hints at connections with Mesopotamia 2486737-an-ancient-egyptians-complete-genome-has-been-read-for-the-first-time|2486737 /article/2486546-ancient-dna-reveals-make-up-of-roman-empires-favourite-sauce/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 02 Jul 2025 01:01:00 +0100 Bones found at the site of an ancient fish-processing plant were used to genetically identify the species that went into a fish sauce, often known as garum, eaten throughout the Roman Empire 2486546-ancient-dna-reveals-make-up-of-roman-empires-favourite-sauce|2486546 /article/2486306-a-neanderthal-shaped-skull-may-explain-why-some-people-get-headaches/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 01 Jul 2025 16:00:28 +0100 People with Chiari malformations have a skull shape similar to Neanderthals, suggesting that the condition may be caused by DNA inherited from archaic humans 2486306-a-neanderthal-shaped-skull-may-explain-why-some-people-get-headaches|2486306 /article/2484740-the-remarkable-tale-of-how-humans-nearly-didnt-conquer-the-world/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Mon, 30 Jun 2025 17:00:31 +0100 Over tens of thousands of years, waves of Homo sapiens set out across Europe and Asia, only for their societies and cultures to mysteriously vanish. At last, ancient DNA is revealing why 2484740-the-remarkable-tale-of-how-humans-nearly-didnt-conquer-the-world|2484740 /article/2485925-ancient-mammoth-tusk-boomerang-is-twice-as-old-as-we-thought/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 25 Jun 2025 20:00:31 +0100 A boomerang discovered in a Polish cave was originally dated as 18,000 years old, but it may have been contaminated by preservation materials. A new estimate suggests the mammoth-ivory artefact is 40,000 years old 2485925-ancient-mammoth-tusk-boomerang-is-twice-as-old-as-we-thought|2485925 /article/2484046-ancient-humans-only-evolved-language-once-but-why/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Mon, 23 Jun 2025 15:00:26 +0100 There’s an argument rumbling about why our ancestors evolved language. And surprisingly, one of the possible explanations has nothing to do with communication 2484046-ancient-humans-only-evolved-language-once-but-why|2484046 /article/2484993-our-big-brains-may-have-evolved-because-of-placental-sex-hormones/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Fri, 20 Jun 2025 01:01:58 +0100 Unlike other primates, humans are exposed to high levels of placental sex hormones in utero, which may have shaped our evolutionary brain development 2484993-our-big-brains-may-have-evolved-because-of-placental-sex-hormones|2484993 /article/2484822-we-finally-know-what-the-face-of-a-denisovan-looked-like/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 18 Jun 2025 17:00:00 +0100 A skull from China has been identified as Denisovan using molecular evidence – so ancient humans once known solely from their DNA finally have a face 2484822-we-finally-know-what-the-face-of-a-denisovan-looked-like|2484822 /article/2482158-tutankhamun-was-only-a-d-list-pharaoh-so-why-was-his-tomb-so-opulent/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 10 Jun 2025 17:00:04 +0100 He was a minor king, yet Tutankhamun’s tomb might have been the most richly stocked of all in ancient Egypt. Now research is revealing the surprising reasons why he was given such a lavish send-off 2482158-tutankhamun-was-only-a-d-list-pharaoh-so-why-was-his-tomb-so-opulent|2482158 /article/2483517-ancient-humans-extraordinary-journey-to-south-america/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 10 Jun 2025 19:00:38 +0100 Humans first arrived in South America through a series of extraordinary migrations – and genetic studies now reveal more about how they settled and then split into four distinct groups on the continent 2483517-ancient-humans-extraordinary-journey-to-south-america|2483517 /article/mg26635460-400-new-scientist-recommends-tutankhamun-the-immersive-exhibition/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 04 Jun 2025 19:00:00 +0100 The books, TV, games and more that 91av staff have enjoyed this week mg26635460-400-new-scientist-recommends-tutankhamun-the-immersive-exhibition|2482480 /article/2483185-ancient-humans-evolved-to-be-better-teachers-as-technology-advanced/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Thu, 05 Jun 2025 12:30:56 +0100 As our ancestors developed more advanced tools and cultural practices, they also developed new ways of explaining concepts to others – culminating in the emergence of complex language 2483185-ancient-humans-evolved-to-be-better-teachers-as-technology-advanced|2483185 /article/2483150-dead-sea-scrolls-analysis-may-force-rethink-of-ancient-jewish-history/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 04 Jun 2025 20:00:27 +0100 Thanks to AI and modern carbon dating techniques, we have a new understanding of when the Dead Sea Scrolls were written – which could revise the story of Judea 2483150-dead-sea-scrolls-analysis-may-force-rethink-of-ancient-jewish-history|2483150 /article/2482399-leprosy-was-in-the-americas-long-before-the-arrival-of-europeans/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Thu, 29 May 2025 20:00:20 +0100 The history books say Europeans brought leprosy to the Americas, but analysis of ancient DNA reveals that a form of the disease was present in Argentina and Canada much earlier 2482399-leprosy-was-in-the-americas-long-before-the-arrival-of-europeans|2482399 /article/2482263-before-the-great-wall-chinese-rulers-built-a-shallow-ditch/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Thu, 29 May 2025 01:01:13 +0100 A network of trenches, walls and enclosures built across the steppes of China and Mongolia 800 years ago seems to have been erected to control the flow of people, perhaps for tax reasons 2482263-before-the-great-wall-chinese-rulers-built-a-shallow-ditch|2482263 /article/2481910-were-about-to-unlock-the-secrets-of-ancient-human-brains/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 28 May 2025 20:00:42 +0100 For the first time, we have a method for extracting proteins from preserved soft tissues like brains – which could be a treasure trove of evolutionary information 2481910-were-about-to-unlock-the-secrets-of-ancient-human-brains|2481910 /article/2481442-medieval-woman-was-executed-and-displayed-on-london-riverbank/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 27 May 2025 19:00:01 +0100 A skeleton found in London records a brutal killing about 1200 years ago, thought to be a rare example of a judicial execution of a woman in medieval England 2481442-medieval-woman-was-executed-and-displayed-on-london-riverbank|2481442 /article/2481873-humans-were-crafting-tools-from-whale-bones-20000-years-ago/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 27 May 2025 17:00:27 +0100 More than 60 ancient tools found in France and Spain have been identified as whale bone, and the evidence shows that people made tools from this material a thousand years earlier than previously thought 2481873-humans-were-crafting-tools-from-whale-bones-20000-years-ago|2481873 /article/mg26635440-300-weary-parents-shouldnt-miss-this-science-backed-guide-to-raising-kids/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 21 May 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Most parenting manuals end up gathering dust on my bedside table, but Melinda Wenner Moyer's Hello, Cruel World! isn’t one of them mg26635440-300-weary-parents-shouldnt-miss-this-science-backed-guide-to-raising-kids|2480485 /article/2480743-ancient-maltese-temples-may-have-been-schools-for-celestial-navigation/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 20 May 2025 13:00:28 +0100 The alignment of some megalithic temples in Malta suggests they may have been used to teach sailors how to navigate by the stars 2480743-ancient-maltese-temples-may-have-been-schools-for-celestial-navigation|2480743 /article/2480442-babies-start-showing-empathy-even-before-they-can-speak/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Fri, 16 May 2025 19:00:29 +0100 When adults pretended to be in pain, children as young as 9 months old comforted them, pushing back the earliest age when humans are known to display empathy 2480442-babies-start-showing-empathy-even-before-they-can-speak|2480442 /article/2480292-what-the-complete-ape-genome-is-revealing-about-the-earliest-humans/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Thu, 15 May 2025 12:00:07 +0100 We now have full genome sequences for six species of apes, helping us to pin down our last common ancestor – and potentially changing how we think of the earliest hominins 2480292-what-the-complete-ape-genome-is-revealing-about-the-earliest-humans|2480292 /article/2479668-how-ancient-humans-survived-a-global-climate-disaster-8200-years-ago/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Mon, 12 May 2025 15:00:22 +0100 Plummeting temperatures forced some human populations to adapt to the new conditions thousands of years ago, but the changes they made varied widely 2479668-how-ancient-humans-survived-a-global-climate-disaster-8200-years-ago|2479668 /video/2479256-indiana-jones-vs-lara-croft-ranking-the-best-fictional-archaeologists/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Thu, 08 May 2025 10:00:50 +0100 From Raiders of the Lost Ark to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider , films about archaeologists have long captured the public imagination, offering thrilling quests to uncover the hidden histories of humanity’s ancient past. But how accurately do these cinematic adventures reflect the real work of scientists in the field? Palaeoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi has mixed feelings … 2479256-indiana-jones-vs-lara-croft-ranking-the-best-fictional-archaeologists|2479256 /article/2478889-irelands-iconic-megalithic-tombs-may-have-had-an-unexpected-function/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Mon, 05 May 2025 09:00:56 +0100 Tombs that are scattered across Ireland may have helped bring ancient societies together for feasting and remembering their ancestors 2478889-irelands-iconic-megalithic-tombs-may-have-had-an-unexpected-function|2478889 /article/2478848-tiny-rewards-can-protect-the-grid-from-a-surge-in-electric-vehicles/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Fri, 02 May 2025 18:10:12 +0100 As the number of electric vehicles increases, their increased demand could strain the grid – but small financial incentives convinced drivers to ease that demand by charging during off-peak hours 2478848-tiny-rewards-can-protect-the-grid-from-a-surge-in-electric-vehicles|2478848 /article/2478118-humans-evolved-to-survive-mild-burns-at-the-expense-of-severe-ones/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Mon, 28 Apr 2025 13:29:18 +0100 Early humans had almost no hope of surviving severe burns, so evolution may have prioritised the selection of genes that heal mild ones, which could be affecting modern medicine 2478118-humans-evolved-to-survive-mild-burns-at-the-expense-of-severe-ones|2478118 /article/2477749-ancient-camp-shows-how-humans-adapted-to-extreme-cold-in-europe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Fri, 25 Apr 2025 09:00:41 +0100 An Austrian site occupied by humans from around 24,000 to 20,000 years ago documents a switch towards hunting reindeer for their fur, which may have helped people to endure harsh winters during the last glacial period 2477749-ancient-camp-shows-how-humans-adapted-to-extreme-cold-in-europe|2477749 /article/2477711-first-evidence-of-gladiator-fight-with-lion-seen-in-roman-era-skeleton/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 23 Apr 2025 20:00:30 +0100 A man who lived in Roman-occupied Britain was bitten by a big cat, probably in a gladiator arena, an analysis of his remains has revealed 2477711-first-evidence-of-gladiator-fight-with-lion-seen-in-roman-era-skeleton|2477711 /article/mg26635400-400-an-elegant-account-of-how-one-ancient-language-went-global/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 23 Apr 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Hunting the origin of 40 per cent of the languages spoken today is a huge feat, but Laura Spinney's new book makes an excellent job of it mg26635400-400-an-elegant-account-of-how-one-ancient-language-went-global|2477131 /article/2477096-excavation-in-sudan-shows-roman-empire-wasnt-as-mighty-as-it-claimed/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Thu, 17 Apr 2025 17:00:27 +0100 When Roman Egypt came under attack from the Kushites in what is now Sudan, the Roman forces responded by destroying a Kushite city – or so we thought 2477096-excavation-in-sudan-shows-roman-empire-wasnt-as-mighty-as-it-claimed|2477096 /article/2476675-ancient-computers-gears-may-not-have-been-able-to-turn/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Thu, 17 Apr 2025 09:00:00 +0100 The 2000-year-old Antikythera mechanism may have been a kind of astronomical calculator, but researchers are unsure whether it would have worked without jamming 2476675-ancient-computers-gears-may-not-have-been-able-to-turn|2476675 /article/2476849-iron-age-site-was-a-purple-dye-factory-for-centuries/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 16 Apr 2025 20:00:43 +0100 Beginning around 3000 years ago, Tel Shiqmona in modern-day Israel was a major centre for the production of Tyrian purple, a valuable commodity produced from marine snails 2476849-iron-age-site-was-a-purple-dye-factory-for-centuries|2476849 /article/2476517-drought-may-have-sped-the-demise-of-rapa-nui-sculpture-culture/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 15 Apr 2025 19:00:02 +0100 A decades-long stretch of extremely low precipitation in the 1500s may have spurred cultural changes among the Rapa Nui people that reduced time spent building statues, but not all archaeologists agree 2476517-drought-may-have-sped-the-demise-of-rapa-nui-sculpture-culture|2476517 /article/2476277-bronze-naval-ram-from-roman-battle-recreated-using-ancient-techniques/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Fri, 11 Apr 2025 17:00:33 +0100 Roman ships equipped with bronze rams sank dozens of Carthaginian ships during a major naval battle in 241 BCE – now we know how the rams were made 2476277-bronze-naval-ram-from-roman-battle-recreated-using-ancient-techniques|2476277 /article/2475938-denisovan-fossil-from-taiwan-gives-clue-to-mysterious-ancient-humans/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Thu, 10 Apr 2025 20:00:14 +0100 A fossil jawbone found by fishers in the Taiwan Strait has extended the known range of ancient Denisovan people thousands of kilometres to the east 2475938-denisovan-fossil-from-taiwan-gives-clue-to-mysterious-ancient-humans|2475938 /article/2475846-archaeologists-uncover-settlement-from-golden-age-of-ancient-egypt/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Thu, 10 Apr 2025 13:00:03 +0100 A newly discovered settlement in the north-western Nile delta was built by the Egyptian New Kingdom perhaps 3500 years ago and included a temple dedicated to pharaoh Ramesses II 2475846-archaeologists-uncover-settlement-from-golden-age-of-ancient-egypt|2475846 /article/mg26635383-700-gripping-story-reveals-race-to-crack-worlds-oldest-script-cuneiform/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 09 Apr 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Cuneiform, the oldest identified writing system, defied deciphering – until 1857. What happened then makes a terrific read, in Joshua Hammer's The Mesopotamian Riddle mg26635383-700-gripping-story-reveals-race-to-crack-worlds-oldest-script-cuneiform|2475510 /article/2475454-the-hunt-for-the-birthplace-of-indo-european-languages/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 08 Apr 2025 19:00:14 +0100 It’s incredibly tricky to pin down the origin of the language that led to the words spoken everywhere between Spain and India – and it’ll be even harder to be sure we’ve got it right 2475454-the-hunt-for-the-birthplace-of-indo-european-languages|2475454 /video/2475481-how-mudlarks-are-uncovering-thousands-of-years-of-londons-history/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 08 Apr 2025 18:34:50 +0100 Mudlarking, once a trade of the Victorian poor, has evolved into a modern-day hobby that captivates everyday Londoners and history enthusiasts. What began as a desperate means of survival, scouring the Thames foreshore for anything of value, has become a way to connect with the city’s deep and layered past. In London Museum’s new exhibition, … 2475481-how-mudlarks-are-uncovering-thousands-of-years-of-londons-history|2475481 /article/2473905-unusually-tiny-hominin-deepens-mystery-of-our-paranthropus-cousin/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Mon, 31 Mar 2025 11:40:58 +0100 Paranthropus was an ape-like hominin that survived alongside early humans for more than a million years. A fossilised leg belonging to a strikingly small member of the group raises questions about how it did so 2473905-unusually-tiny-hominin-deepens-mystery-of-our-paranthropus-cousin|2473905 /article/2475019-mammoth-tusk-flakes-may-be-the-oldest-ivory-objects-made-by-humans/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Thu, 03 Apr 2025 19:00:52 +0100 Ancient humans living in what is now Ukraine 400,000 years ago may have practised or taught tool-making techniques using mammoth tusks, a softer material than bone 2475019-mammoth-tusk-flakes-may-be-the-oldest-ivory-objects-made-by-humans|2475019 /article/mg26635373-700-our-drive-for-adventure-and-challenge-has-ancient-origins/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 02 Apr 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Why are some people drawn towards exploration and challenge – even to the point of extreme danger? Alex Hutchinson's bracing new book unpicks the complex reasons mg26635373-700-our-drive-for-adventure-and-challenge-has-ancient-origins|2474487 /article/mg26535360-300-a-controversial-book-about-human-diversity-shows-how-biology-unites-us/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 26 Mar 2025 18:00:00 +0000 From race and IQ to sex and gender, Herman Pontzer's new book Adaptable is an ambitious and enjoyable exploration of how understanding ourselves better can help us bridge divides mg26535360-300-a-controversial-book-about-human-diversity-shows-how-biology-unites-us|2473206 /article/2473095-relics-in-tutankhamuns-tomb-hint-he-invented-elaborate-burial-rites/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Fri, 21 Mar 2025 09:00:59 +0000 Tutankhamun ruled ancient Egypt shortly after a period of religious instability, and objects from his tomb suggest he took advantage to invent new funerary rituals 2473095-relics-in-tutankhamuns-tomb-hint-he-invented-elaborate-burial-rites|2473095 /article/2473159-a-radical-new-idea-for-how-our-ancestors-invented-stone-tools/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Fri, 21 Mar 2025 11:00:38 +0000 Stone tools are considered the first form of technology devised by ancient humans – but they might not have been invented from scratch 2473159-a-radical-new-idea-for-how-our-ancestors-invented-stone-tools|2473159 /article/mg26535351-800-ancient-clay-tablets-offer-vivid-portrait-of-mesopotamian-life/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 19 Mar 2025 18:00:00 +0000 When a vast library of texts amassed by Mesopotamian King Ashurbanipal was burned to the ground about 2700 years ago, the clay tablets were preserved by the heat. Selena Wisnom's new book reveals more mg26535351-800-ancient-clay-tablets-offer-vivid-portrait-of-mesopotamian-life|2472484 /article/2472409-surprising-skeletons-prompt-a-radical-rethink-of-egyptian-pyramids/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 18 Mar 2025 11:00:18 +0000 For years, Egyptologists have assumed pyramid tombs were just for the rich – but the burials at a site called Tombos don’t fit this pattern 2472409-surprising-skeletons-prompt-a-radical-rethink-of-egyptian-pyramids|2472409 /article/2472604-have-we-vastly-underestimated-the-total-number-of-people-on-earth/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 18 Mar 2025 10:00:12 +0000 A new way of estimating rural populations has found that we may be undercounting people who live in these areas, potentially inflating the global population beyond the official count of 8.2 billion – but not everyone agrees 2472604-have-we-vastly-underestimated-the-total-number-of-people-on-earth|2472604 /article/mg26535340-600-the-epic-scientific-quest-to-reveal-what-makes-folktales-so-compelling/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 11 Mar 2025 16:00:00 +0000 Linguists, psychologists and experts in cultural evolution are discovering why we tell stories, how ancient the oldest ones are and why some tales run and run mg26535340-600-the-epic-scientific-quest-to-reveal-what-makes-folktales-so-compelling|2471253 /article/2471940-ancient-humans-lived-in-an-uninhabitable-climate-25000-years-ago/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Thu, 13 Mar 2025 15:00:29 +0000 Bones dating back 25,000 years suggest that humans lived in extremely icy conditions in Tibet, which were previously thought to be uninhabitable 2471940-ancient-humans-lived-in-an-uninhabitable-climate-25000-years-ago|2471940 /article/mg26535340-100-are-we-really-doomed-an-entertaining-guide-to-humanitys-extinction/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 12 Mar 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Few people could write so genially, even humorously, about our existential crisis. Henry Gee can, in his excellent new book The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire mg26535340-100-are-we-really-doomed-an-entertaining-guide-to-humanitys-extinction|2471237 /article/2471861-ancient-face-bones-offer-clues-to-identity-of-early-humans-in-europe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 12 Mar 2025 16:00:51 +0000 Bone fragments from a cave in northern Spain suggest there were multiple hominin species living in western Europe around a million years ago 2471861-ancient-face-bones-offer-clues-to-identity-of-early-humans-in-europe|2471861 /article/2471540-the-biggest-coincidence-in-human-evolution/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 11 Mar 2025 17:00:07 +0000 Farming arose on multiple continents among populations with radically different cultures and environments and with no means of communicating with each other – how did it crop up independently at about the same time? 2471540-the-biggest-coincidence-in-human-evolution|2471540 /article/2470951-ancient-humans-used-bone-tools-a-million-years-earlier-than-we-thought/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 05 Mar 2025 16:00:01 +0000 Hominins may have learned how to make bone tools by adapting the techniques they mastered for stone ones 2470951-ancient-humans-used-bone-tools-a-million-years-earlier-than-we-thought|2470951 /article/2470490-ancient-ancestor-of-the-plague-discovered-in-bronze-age-sheep/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Mon, 03 Mar 2025 14:00:15 +0000 The DNA of Yersinia pestis bacteria has been found in a Bronze Age sheep, offering a clue to how the plague may have spread through prehistoric farming communities 2470490-ancient-ancestor-of-the-plague-discovered-in-bronze-age-sheep|2470490 /article/mg26535320-500-from-doomy-prophecies-to-epic-dystopias-we-are-suckers-for-end-times/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 26 Feb 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Despite facing real existential threats like climate change, we remain too fascinated by the end of the world, argues a new book mg26535320-500-from-doomy-prophecies-to-epic-dystopias-we-are-suckers-for-end-times|2469483 /article/2469798-a-mans-brain-was-turned-into-glass-by-the-eruption-of-vesuvius/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Thu, 27 Feb 2025 16:00:25 +0000 A cloud of super-heated volcanic ash and gas exploded the brain of one Herculaneum resident and the fragments inside his skull became an extremely rare organic glass 2469798-a-mans-brain-was-turned-into-glass-by-the-eruption-of-vesuvius|2469798 /article/2469891-humans-were-living-in-tropical-forests-surprisingly-early/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 26 Feb 2025 16:00:34 +0000 By far the oldest evidence of humans living in dense forests comes from a site in Ivory Coast, where stone tools and plant remains reveal a human presence stretching back 150,000 years 2469891-humans-were-living-in-tropical-forests-surprisingly-early|2469891 /article/2469676-when-did-people-start-building-houses-with-corners/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 25 Feb 2025 08:00:44 +0000 Around the world, the earliest buildings are typically round while later ones are rectangular – but 12,000-year-old buildings with corners don’t fit the pattern 2469676-when-did-people-start-building-houses-with-corners|2469676 /article/2469565-ancient-hunters-may-have-used-throwing-spears-300000-years-ago/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Mon, 24 Feb 2025 18:00:16 +0000 Preserved wooden spears from hundreds of thousands of years ago seem to have been suitable for throwing, not just close-range attacks 2469565-ancient-hunters-may-have-used-throwing-spears-300000-years-ago|2469565 /article/2469648-22000-year-old-tracks-are-earliest-evidence-of-transport-vehicles/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Mon, 24 Feb 2025 13:18:23 +0000 Tracks and footprints found in New Mexico are by far the earliest evidence of people using primitive vehicles to transport things 2469648-22000-year-old-tracks-are-earliest-evidence-of-transport-vehicles|2469648 /article/mg26535311-400-were-uncovering-a-radically-different-view-of-civilisations-origins/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 19 Feb 2025 16:00:00 +0000 The discovery that farming might not have been the catalyst for civilisation means we must completely rethink the timeline of the first complex societies mg26535311-400-were-uncovering-a-radically-different-view-of-civilisations-origins|2468502 /video/2469258-chris-stringer-is-tracing-human-ancestors-back-a-million-years/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 19 Feb 2025 18:21:49 +0000 The more we discover about our species' family tree, the harder it becomes to pinpoint when exactly Homo sapiens emerged, raising questions over what it really means to be human. "If we look along the sapiens lineage," says Chris Stringer, a palaeoanthropologist at the Natural History Museum in London, "we see there's lots of diversity. … 2469258-chris-stringer-is-tracing-human-ancestors-back-a-million-years|2469258 /article/mg26535311-300-why-its-so-hard-to-tell-when-homo-sapiens-became-a-distinct-species/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 18 Feb 2025 14:00:00 +0000 The more we discover about our species' family tree, the harder it becomes to pinpoint when exactly Homo sapiens emerged, raising questions over what it really means to be human mg26535311-300-why-its-so-hard-to-tell-when-homo-sapiens-became-a-distinct-species|2468501 /article/2468525-pompeiis-streets-show-how-the-city-adapted-to-roman-rule/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Mon, 17 Feb 2025 08:00:50 +0000 Pompeii only came under Roman control around 160 years before its destruction – and its traffic-worn streets show how the locals adjusted their business operations 2468525-pompeiis-streets-show-how-the-city-adapted-to-roman-rule|2468525 /article/2467639-farmers-used-trash-to-grow-crops-in-barren-sand-1000-years-ago/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Fri, 14 Feb 2025 15:00:06 +0000 Crops don't generally thrive in desert-like ground, but 1000 years ago farmers in Israel utilised refuse such as ash and bones to turn sand into fertile land 2467639-farmers-used-trash-to-grow-crops-in-barren-sand-1000-years-ago|2467639 /article/2467926-most-europeans-may-have-had-dark-skin-until-less-than-3000-years-ago/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Thu, 13 Feb 2025 15:39:26 +0000 Ancient DNA from 348 individuals suggests that pale skin became the predominant characteristic of people living in Europe much later than assumed 2467926-most-europeans-may-have-had-dark-skin-until-less-than-3000-years-ago|2467926 /article/mg26535300-200-the-story-of-ancient-mesopotamia-and-the-dawn-of-the-modern-world/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Ancient Mesopotamia comes alive in Moudhy Al-Rashid's must-read, millennia-spanning history, cleverly wrought from tablets written in the world's oldest script mg26535300-200-the-story-of-ancient-mesopotamia-and-the-dawn-of-the-modern-world|2467285 /article/2467513-fossil-proteins-may-soon-reveal-how-were-related-to-australopithecus/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 11 Feb 2025 14:00:25 +0000 Australopithecus came before us, but that doesn't tell us which specific individual species is our ancestor. The fossil record is spotty in places, but the latest finds could give us enough clues to pin down how we are linked 2467513-fossil-proteins-may-soon-reveal-how-were-related-to-australopithecus|2467513 /article/2466972-enigmatic-people-who-took-over-europe-millennia-ago-came-from-ukraine/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 05 Feb 2025 16:00:53 +0000 A huge study of ancient DNA reveals the origins of the Yamna, who spread across Eurasia around 5000 years ago, showing they came from a mixing of populations north of the Black Sea 2466972-enigmatic-people-who-took-over-europe-millennia-ago-came-from-ukraine|2466972 /article/2466940-volcano-scorched-roman-scroll-is-read-for-the-first-time-in-2000-years/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 05 Feb 2025 15:00:12 +0000 A papyrus scroll carbonised by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius two millennia ago is slowly being read once again thanks to X-ray imaging and machine learning 2466940-volcano-scorched-roman-scroll-is-read-for-the-first-time-in-2000-years|2466940 /article/mg26535280-500-how-our-ancestors-invented-clothing-and-transformed-it-into-fashion/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 29 Jan 2025 16:00:00 +0000 Remarkable archaeological finds are telling a new story of how prehistoric humans turned clothing from a necessity into a means of self-expression mg26535280-500-how-our-ancestors-invented-clothing-and-transformed-it-into-fashion|2465647 /article/2464091-celtic-tribes-dna-points-to-female-empowerment-in-pre-roman-britain/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 15 Jan 2025 16:00:08 +0000 Genetic evidence from Iron Age Britain shows that women tended to stay within their ancestral communities, suggesting that social networks revolved around women 2464091-celtic-tribes-dna-points-to-female-empowerment-in-pre-roman-britain|2464091 /article/2464111-ancient-society-may-have-carved-sun-stones-to-end-volcanic-winter/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Thu, 16 Jan 2025 00:01:33 +0000 Neolithic people buried hundreds of stones carved with images of the sun about 4900 years ago and they may have done it because a volcanic eruption covered the sky 2464111-ancient-society-may-have-carved-sun-stones-to-end-volcanic-winter|2464111 /article/2463680-has-a-volcanic-eruption-ever-wiped-out-a-species-of-hominins/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Mon, 13 Jan 2025 21:46:02 +0000 Volcanoes have been proposed as the reason for the extinction of the Neanderthals and the hobbits of Indonesia, but the end of those species may not have come from a single, dramatic event 2463680-has-a-volcanic-eruption-ever-wiped-out-a-species-of-hominins|2463680 /article/2463555-intricate-ancient-tattoos-revealed-by-shining-lasers-on-mummies/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Mon, 13 Jan 2025 20:00:39 +0000 The tattoos of 1200-year-old mummies from Peru can now be seen in exquisite detail, showing fine markings that may have been made with cactus needles or animal bones 2463555-intricate-ancient-tattoos-revealed-by-shining-lasers-on-mummies|2463555 /article/mg26435250-100-ancient-humans-understood-the-future-and-the-past-pretty-much-as-we-do/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 08 Jan 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Sticks found in a cave that date back 12,000 years and other archaeological evidence show how humans have long viewed the future in a similar way to us, says Annalee Newitz mg26435250-100-ancient-humans-understood-the-future-and-the-past-pretty-much-as-we-do|2462417 /article/2462510-climate-change-may-have-killed-ancient-hobbit-hominins/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Fri, 03 Jan 2025 15:00:56 +0000 Homo floresiensis, a metre-tall ancient hominin, lived on the South Pacific island of Flores and hunted dwarf elephants until about 50,000 years ago – and now it seems climate change played a role in the downfall of both species 2462510-climate-change-may-have-killed-ancient-hobbit-hominins|2462510 /article/mg26435240-900-how-dna-in-dirt-is-reshaping-our-understanding-of-stone-age-humans/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 31 Dec 2024 16:00:00 +0000 The surprise discovery that ancient human DNA can survive in sediments and soil is revolutionising the study of Paleolithic minds, behaviours and lifestyles mg26435240-900-how-dna-in-dirt-is-reshaping-our-understanding-of-stone-age-humans|2461842 /article/2461972-people-ate-lots-of-foxes-and-wildcats-10000-years-ago/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 01 Jan 2025 13:00:30 +0000 Foxes and cats weren’t just caught for their pelts, hint cut marks and burns on bones found at a site in Israel 2461972-people-ate-lots-of-foxes-and-wildcats-10000-years-ago|2461972 /article/2461621-ancient-checked-dress-may-be-europes-oldest-two-colour-garment/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Mon, 30 Dec 2024 12:00:18 +0000 Textile fragments found in a 2800-year-old grave in the Netherlands were once part of a woven dress with a red and blue checked pattern, molecular analysis has revealed 2461621-ancient-checked-dress-may-be-europes-oldest-two-colour-garment|2461621 /article/2461755-engaging-new-podcast-asks-what-the-big-things-are-that-make-us-human/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Fri, 20 Dec 2024 11:00:36 +0000 Blazing the Trail, a new podcast from the Australian Museum, delves into topics from how language evolved to the implications of harnessing fire 2461755-engaging-new-podcast-asks-what-the-big-things-are-that-make-us-human|2461755 /article/2461558-stonehenge-may-have-been-built-to-unify-people-of-ancient-britain/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Fri, 20 Dec 2024 00:01:24 +0000 Recent findings show that Stonehenge’s stones came from all over Britain – and this offers clues to the monument’s purpose, say archaeologists 2461558-stonehenge-may-have-been-built-to-unify-people-of-ancient-britain|2461558 /article/mg26234904-200-who-were-the-enigmatic-sea-peoples-blamed-for-the-bronze-age-collapse/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 08 May 2024 19:00:00 +0100 Around 3000 years ago, several empires and kingdoms in the Mediterranean collapsed, with a group of sea-faring warriors implicated as the culprit. But new evidence shows that many of our ideas about this turbulent time need completely rethinking mg26234904-200-who-were-the-enigmatic-sea-peoples-blamed-for-the-bronze-age-collapse|2430137 /article/2461156-ancient-hominin-lucy-was-a-lousy-runner-simulations-show/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:00:09 +0000 Researchers have tried to work out how fast Australopithecus afarensis could run by creating a 3D digital robot of the ancient hominin 2461156-ancient-hominin-lucy-was-a-lousy-runner-simulations-show|2461156 /article/mg26134821-700-how-neuroscience-can-help-you-make-tough-decisions-with-no-regrets/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 12 Mar 2024 16:00:00 +0000 Most people are too risk-averse when it comes to life's biggest choices. Learning how to overcome the cognitive biases at play can help you make better decisions - with no looking back mg26134821-700-how-neuroscience-can-help-you-make-tough-decisions-with-no-regrets|2421553 /article/2460619-butchered-bones-tell-of-shocking-massacre-in-prehistoric-britain/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Mon, 16 Dec 2024 00:01:21 +0000 At least 37 men, women and children were brutally murdered in the largest massacre known in Bronze Age Britain, possibly in a performance of ritualistic violence 2460619-butchered-bones-tell-of-shocking-massacre-in-prehistoric-britain|2460619 /article/mg26134780-500-our-human-ancestors-often-ate-each-other-and-for-surprising-reasons/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 14 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0000 Fossil evidence shows that humans have been practising cannibalism for a million years. Now, archaeologists are discovering that some of the time they did it to honour their dead mg26134780-500-our-human-ancestors-often-ate-each-other-and-for-surprising-reasons|2416749 /article/2460489-ancient-genomes-reveal-when-modern-humans-and-neanderthals-interbred/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Thu, 12 Dec 2024 19:00:11 +0000 The oldest genomes ever recovered from modern humans have helped pin down when and how the momentous mingling of two hominins played out 2460489-ancient-genomes-reveal-when-modern-humans-and-neanderthals-interbred|2460489 /article/mg26435212-500-survival-of-the-wittiest-could-wordplay-have-boosted-human-evolution/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 11 Dec 2024 18:00:00 +0000 Evidence for the origins of complex language can be found in creative two-word insults such as busy-body and kill-joy mg26435212-500-survival-of-the-wittiest-could-wordplay-have-boosted-human-evolution|2459274 /article/mg26435211-000-could-hibernation-technology-allow-humans-to-skip-winters/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Wed, 11 Dec 2024 18:00:00 +0000 Our Future Chronicles column explores an imagined history of inventions and developments yet to come. This time we fast forward to the 2050s, when people gain the ability to hibernate and use it for far more than escaping the winter blues mg26435211-000-could-hibernation-technology-allow-humans-to-skip-winters|2459249 /article/2459645-game-changing-archaeology-from-the-past-5-years-and-whats-to-come/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=humans Tue, 10 Dec 2024 14:00:47 +0000 Leading archaeologists share the biggest recent advances in our understanding of human evolution, and their hopes for the exciting finds the next five years may have in store 2459645-game-changing-archaeology-from-the-past-5-years-and-whats-to-come|2459645