Tag

Anthropology

All articles tagged with #anthropology

science5 days ago•6 min saved

Two-Epoch Evolution Forged Humanity's Right-Hand Bias, New Study Finds

A cross-species meta-analysis of 41 primate species shows human right-handedness likely arose in two stages: first with the shift to bipedalism freeing the hands, then with brain enlargement and cultural factors that strengthened the bias, with Homo sapiens and Neanderthals showing the strongest right-handedness while earlier hominins were weaker; brain size and limb proportions emerge as key predictors. Published in PLOS Biology (2026).

via ScienceAlert|

#anthropology #evolution #handedness

science13 days ago•7 min saved

Why Humans Sleep Less: An Evolutionary Trade-Off Behind the Sleep Paradox

Anthropologist David R. Samson argues that humans biologically need about 9.5 hours of sleep but typically get under seven, because ancestral shifts from tree to ground sleeping favored short, deep, REM-rich bouts that free time for foraging, social learning and tool use. Drawing on chimpanzee nest-building and fieldwork with the Hadza and BaYaka, the book frames nest-building as a cognitive catalyst in primate evolution, while highlighting sleep’s broad importance to health and cognition and noting some gaps in the comparison to other species.

via Nature|

#anthropology #human-evolution #neuroscience

science22 days ago•3 min saved

Early Homo Meat-Eating Was a Mixed Strategy, New Fossil Evidence Shows

A 1.6-million-year-old fossil assemblage from Koobi Fora, Kenya shows early Homo used a mixed strategy to access meat—both scavenging and hunting—transporting the meatiest parts for processing and later breaking bones for marrow, suggesting meat consumption evolved gradually in response to ecological conditions.

via Gizmodo|

#anthropology #archaeology #early-humans

science1 month ago•2 min saved

Neanderthal Babies Were Bigger and Grew Faster Than Modern Humans

A six‑month‑old Neanderthal infant from a cave in northern Israel (about 51,000–56,000 years old) was larger and grew faster than modern human babies; despite thick bones and a large skull suggesting advanced maturity, tooth histology showed a younger age, pointing to accelerated growth and higher energy expenditure in Neanderthals and highlighting differences in development alongside evidence of interbreeding with Homo sapiens.

via Futurism|

#anthropology #human-evolution #infant-growth

science1 month ago•33 min saved

Neanderthal Infants Were Bigger and Grew Faster Than Modern Humans

A study of a six-month-old Neanderthal infant found in a northern Israel cave suggests Neanderthals had larger, faster-growing babies with robust bones and rapid dental development, indicating different growth trajectories and higher energy expenditure compared to modern humans and underscoring the distinct biology of our extinct cousins.

via Yahoo|

#anthropology #growth #infants

science2 months ago•6 min saved

Culture Takes the Lead in Human Evolution

New research argues that culture and technology are now driving human evolution more than genetic changes, with cultural solutions rapidly solving problems and relaxing natural selection; evidence spans lactose tolerance, altered birth practices, and historical disease legacies, suggesting we’re in an evolutionary transition where cultural inheritance outpaces genes; some scientists warn this could require medical or technological interventions to offset potential fitness costs, while raising ethical questions about shaping biology.

via ScienceAlert|

#anthropology #culture #evolutionary-biology

science2 months ago•6 min saved

Digital Face of Little Foot Unearthed from a 3.67-Million-Year Skull

Scientists digitally reconstructed a stable facial model for Little Foot (StW 573) by modeling deformation from 3.67-million-year-old geological crushing and using high-resolution synchrotron X-ray scans, enabling quantitative facial comparisons with other Australopithecus fossils. The results show Little Foot’s facial structure more closely resembles East African specimens than South African ones, suggesting a more dynamic early hominin history than previously thought.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#3d-imaging #anthropology #australopithecus

science2 months ago•19 min saved

Listening for Stone-Age Voices: How Humans Learned to Talk

A BBC feature explains how scientists infer what early humans sounded like by examining fossil skulls, vocal‑tract anatomy and brain development, outlining two main theories of language origins (sudden symbolic thought vs gradual evolution) and tracing a timeline from primate vocal capacity 27 million years ago to Cro-Magnon speech ~30,000 years ago, suggesting Neanderthals could have spoken and that Homo sapiens eventually developed a full language-ready system, ending with a note on today’s thousands of languages and their fragility.

via BBC|

#anthropology #evolution #homo-sapiens

anthropology2 months ago•49 min saved

Sex-biased interbreeding left a lasting Neanderthal DNA pattern in modern humans

A genetic analysis comparing Neanderthal genomes with African references shows Neanderthals carried far more modern human DNA on their X chromosome than on other chromosomes, while modern humans have very little Neanderthal DNA on their X. The researchers argue that this pattern results from sex-biased interbreeding—likely Neanderthal males with modern human females—rather than widespread genetic incompatibility. Computer simulations using a mating bias reproduce the observed distribution, suggesting social/partner-choice factors shaped inheritance. The team plans to investigate population structure to determine which sex moved between groups and how cultural practices influenced mating in ancient encounters.

via Archaeology News Online Magazine|

#anthropology #dna #interbreeding

science4 months ago•19 min saved

No universal testosterone: culture and ecology reshape our hormonal norms

A study of 104 Shuar men in Amazonian Ecuador finds that Western notions of a single “normal” testosterone pattern don’t apply globally. Morning testosterone levels were lower than in the US and declined across the day, with age and body fat producing different lifespan patterns: lean men show an inverted U with a midlife peak, while higher-fat men peak earlier and then decline. Social factors also matter, as men with partners had lower morning levels. The results challenge universal clinical benchmarks and highlight energy, environment, and lifestyle as drivers of hormonal regulation, though the cross-sectional design limits causal conclusions.

via PsyPost|

#adiposity #aging #anthropology

science4 months ago•3 min saved

Indonesia's ancient hand stencils reveal oldest cave art at 67,800 years

Dating from the Liang Metanduno cave on Sulawesi's Muna Island, hand stencils are about 67,800 years old, making them the oldest known cave art. The technique involved blowing pigment over a pressed hand, and the find suggests early Indonesians created sophisticated art long before similar European examples, with potential links to the ancestors of Aboriginal Australians.

via NBC News|

#anthropology #archaeology #cave-art

science4 months ago•11 min saved

Two-Million-Year-Old Homo habilis Skeleton Reveals Ape-Human Hybrid Traits

Researchers in Kenya reassembled the most complete Homo habilis skeleton yet, uncovering a mix of human-like head and upright posture with ape-like long forearms, suggesting arboreal traits persisted in early Homo and supporting a gradual transition rather than a rapid ape-to-human leap.

via Interesting Engineering|

#anthropology #apes #evolution

science4 months ago•4 min saved

Reconstructed Face of Kennewick Man Sheds Light on America's First Inhabitants

Scientists have unveiled a facial reconstruction of the Kennewick Man, a roughly 8,000-year-old skeleton found in Washington, revealing a strong, resilient man whose bones show multiple injuries and a marine-based diet; the image was created using objective skull-based tissue-depth models and a digital donor, providing new insights into the peopling of the Americas and the daily life of one of North America’s most important ancient skeletons.

via Sky News|

#anthropology #early-americans #face-reconstruction

science4 months ago•5 min saved

Primates' Same-Sex Behavior Points to Deep Evolutionary Social Strategies

A study reviewing 491 primate species found same-sex sexual behavior in 59 species, indicating a deep evolutionary root linked to harsh environments, predation pressure, and complex social hierarchies. The behavior may help manage stress, reinforce bonds, or build alliances, with potential implications for understanding human evolution, while warning against simplistic interpretations that would erase such behavior in humans.

via ScienceAlert|

#anthropology #evolution #note-extra

science10 months ago•3 min saved

Scientists Discover New Human Species Challenging Old Beliefs

Scientists from China and Hawai'i have identified a potential new human species, Homo juluensis, based on fossil similarities, which may include Denisovans, and could help clarify the complex history of human evolution in Asia. The species thrived from 300,000 to 50,000 years ago and shows unique cranial and dental features, although further research is needed for confirmation.

via AOL.com|

#anthropology #fossil-discovery #homo-juluensis