Tag

Anthropology

All articles tagged with #anthropology

science2 days ago•50 min saved

Ancient gut microbes traveled with humans from Africa to the Americas, study finds

A new study in Nature reveals that many gut bacteria co-migrated with humans out of Africa and into the Americas tens of thousands of years ago. Researchers compared the microbiomes of the Tsimane people in Bolivia and the Hadza in Tanzania, finding 1,231 shared microbial species. Most of these species are rare or absent in industrialized populations, suggesting a long-term co-evolution that is now being disrupted by modern lifestyles.

via Nature|

#anthropology #genetics #human-evolution

anthropology4 days ago•44 min saved

Ancient DNA Narrows First American Arrival to 21,000 Years Ago

A new genomic review suggests the ancestors of modern Indigenous Americans arrived in the Americas no earlier than 21,000 years ago, aligning with the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. While this contradicts older archaeological claims of 23,000-year-old footprints in New Mexico, researchers note that current DNA samples are limited and may not capture all early lineages.

via Archaeology News Online Magazine|

#ancient-dna #anthropology #archaeology

science7 days ago•129 min saved

Genetic Data Places Indigenous Ancestors' Arrival in Americas at 21,000 Years Ago

A new study suggests the ancestors of today's Indigenous peoples arrived in the Americas no earlier than 21,000 years ago, coinciding with the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. Researchers analyzed genetic data to evaluate three migration models, finding that while humans were definitely present by 13,500 years ago, earlier arrivals remain uncertain due to significant gaps in ancient DNA records.

via Live Science|

#anthropology #archaeology #genetics

academia10 days ago•5 min saved

Anthropologist Joseph Henrich Criticizes AAA for Ideological Bias in Sex and Chagnon Controversies

Harvard anthropologist Joseph Henrich argues that the American Anthropological Association (AAA) has compromised scientific integrity by expelling a panel on biological sex and previously mishandling the Napoleon Chagnon scandal. Henrich contends that the AAA prioritized ideological agendas over factual accuracy, comparing the recent sex-binary dispute to the 2000s Chagnon affair where false accusations were initially endorsed despite contrary evidence. He calls for the AAA to reverse its stance on the sex panel to restore trust in the discipline.

via The Chronicle of Higher Education|

#academia #academic-freedom #american-anthropological-association

academia12 days ago•22 min saved

Harvard Anthropologist's Report Accuses Discipline of Abandoning Objectivity for Political Advocacy

Joseph Henrich, a Harvard biological anthropologist, released a 107-page report asserting that cultural anthropology has suffered a severe decline in scholarly standards due to the prioritization of political advocacy over rigorous, objective research. The report, part of a broader critique of humanities scholarship, claims that the field is in crisis, evidenced by dwindling enrollments, departmental splits, and a suppression of dissenting views. Henrich argues that the American Anthropological Association has driven this shift by embedding moral positions into scholarly discourse, leading to a toxic intellectual climate. While Henrich advocates for a return to replicable methods and open debate, the American Anthropological Association has rejected the findings, labeling the critique a political attack and defending the current state of the discipline.

via The Chronicle of Higher Education|

#academia #academic-freedom #anthropology

anthropology29 days ago•22 min saved

Tiny Denisovan Arm Bone Reveals Big Clues About an Elusive Ancient Lineage

A 4.5 cm Denisovan forearm bone (radius) from Bianfu Cave in China shows a rare mix of Neanderthal-like joint surfaces and modern-human-like bone shape, filling a major anatomical gap in reconstructing the Denisovan arm and, alongside recent leg-bone findings suggesting extreme height, sheds light on what this elusive lineage looked like.

via ZME Science|

#anthropology #bianfu-cave #denisovans

anthropology1 month ago•45 min saved

Hobbits' hips hint at human-like walking, study finds

A micro-CT analysis of the LB 1 pelvis of Homo floresiensis shows its features largely fall within modern human variation, suggesting upright, human-like walking—though slower and not optimized for long-distance travel—and shared traits with Homo erectus; the findings do not settle the hobbit's origins, which remain debated between descent from Homo erectus with island dwarfism or a small-bodied Pleistocene lineage; future ancient DNA or proteins could help resolve ancestry.

via Archaeology News Online Magazine|

#anthropology #bipedalism #homo-floresiensis

anthropology1 month ago•45 min saved

Neanderthal pelvis reshapes the birth-walk debate

A CT-based study of two exceptionally preserved Neanderthal pelves shows childbirth-related pelvic features closely resemble modern humans, while walking-related traits differ, implying the pelvic evolution was driven more by birth and pelvic floor stability than a simple trade-off with locomotion and challenging the long-standing obstetrical dilemma hypothesis.

via Archaeology News Online Magazine|

#anthropology #childbirth #evolution

world1 month ago•4 min saved

Spain's legendary 'wolf boy' dies at 80

Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja, famed as Spain's 'wolf boy' for living for years with wolves after being sold to a goatherd, died at 80; his extraordinary life was documented by an anthropologist, inspired a film, and he later said he was happiest in the mountains rather than in civilization.

via Euronews.com|

#anthropology #marcos-rodriguez-pantoja #spain

world1 month ago•9 min saved

Wolf-Child of Spain: 11 Years in the Mountains That Shaped a Life

Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja, abandoned at seven, spent 11 years living with a goatherd and wolves in the Sierra Morena, learning to survive among wildlife; discovered by the Civil Guard at 19 and reintegrated into society, he struggled with speech and everyday life but later worked as a shepherd and in hospitality. His extraordinary upbringing became the subject of anthropological study and inspired books and films, underscoring how early surroundings shape identity and our enduring need for connection; he died at 80 in 2026.

via My Modern Met|

#anthropology #isolation #marcos-rodriguez-pantoja

science1 month ago•3 min saved

Ancient Apes May Be Recast Into Homo as Taxonomy Gets a Modern Makeover

A new study argues that several extinct primates long treated as separate from Homo—such as Gigantopithecus, Paranthropus, and Australopithecus—share more human-like traits (dental features, tool use) than previously thought, suggesting the traditional Homo/Australopithecus boundary may be outdated and that taxonomy should be revised to reflect shared ancestry rather than a few traits.

via Gizmodo|

#anthropology #genus-homo #gigantopithecus

anthropology2 months ago•8 min saved

Ancient Neanderthal Variant Still Shapes Muscles and Jaws in Modern Humans

A study comparing modern and Neanderthal genomes found a Neanderthal variant of the growth hormone receptor that enhances growth signaling and persists in non-African populations, especially in some South and East Asian groups where about 20% carry it. Carriers tend to be taller and heavier due to increased muscle mass, and exhibit Neanderthal-like jaw traits (shorter mandibular ramus, higher overbite, shorter tooth roots). Effects emerge around puberty, with lab experiments showing faster cell growth and stronger signaling in cells with the Neanderthal receptor. The variant is one of many factors influencing body shape and is not the sole determinant of the modern human physique.

via Sci.News|

#anthropology #genetics #growth-hormone-receptor

anthropology2 months ago•8 min saved

Sugar-Fueled Brain: A Fresh Take on Early Human Evolution

A new Science study argues that dietary sugars—glucose from fruit, honey, and later cooked starches—likely powered the energy demands of the expanding human brain over the last ~4 million years, suggesting carbohydrates played a central role alongside meat in human evolution, with meat remaining part of the picture.

via Sci.News|

#anthropology #brain #carbohydrates

anthropology2 months ago•9 min saved

Modern Humans Harbor DNA from Two Unknown Ghost Hominins

A new computational method called TRACE uncovers traces of two unknown archaic human lineages in modern genomes. One African ghost lineage, diverging ~800,000 years ago and interbreeding with Homo sapiens over 50,000 years ago, contributes about 1% of every person’s DNA. A second, “super-archaic” lineage dating to ~1.8 million years ago mixed with Denisovans in Eurasia, with traces most evident in Oceania. Together, these lineages account for roughly 2% of the modern genome and include segments linked to immunity and metabolism, hinting at adaptive value. The study, published in Science on July 30, 2026, showcases how ancestral recombination graph methods can reveal deep ancestry without ancient DNA.

via Sci.News|

#africa #anthropology #archaichominins

anthropology2 months ago•8 min saved

Spain's 224,000-Year-Old Skull Fragment Highlights Europe's Hominin Mosaic

Archaeologists in Spain recovered RVH-1, a thick parietal bone fragment from Ruidera, dated to up to 224,000 years ago using uranium-series dating and luminescence. The fragment's features resemble archaic Homo forms seen in Ceprano and Caune de l’Arago, indicating diverse Middle Pleistocene populations persisted in Iberia. The researchers classify RVH-1 as Homo sp. rather than a single species, cautioning against drawing broad conclusions from a partial bone and highlighting a non-linear, multi-population view of European human evolution.

via Sci.News|

#anthropology #europe #fossil