Search
Human Evolution
Just as human beings diversified so that people in Asia look different from people in Europe, so too did their microbiomes.
Was our distant ancestor a biped or not – i.e., human or not human?
One tiny change might have made a huge difference.
Despite the fact that both species shared a similarly large neocortex, scientists still have many questions about how closely the function of their brains resembled our own.
3mins
Pro-athletes are entertainers. Being healthy means something else.
Many people lived long enough to grow old in the olden days, too.
Thanks to genetics and improving nutrition, denizens of the Western Balkans have surpassed the Dutch in height.
Exercise culture is crazy. But what you need to do is exceedingly simple.
Nietzsche both wished he was as stupid as a cow so he wouldn’t have to contemplate existence, and pitied cows for being so stupid that they couldn’t contemplate existence.
While becoming a monk is an evolutionary dead end for the individual, celibacy reaps benefits for the group as a whole.
Not too hot, not too cold...
More humans are being born with a third arm artery, an example of microevolution happening right before our eyes.
Fossils of Australopithecus in a South African cave are one million years older than previously thought. This challenges the consensus that humans first evolved in East Africa.
More than 90% of human faces are home to mites that live in our skin pores. These friendly guests might be merging with us.
Humans are already so integrated with technology that the dream of transhumanism is a reality. Can we handle what comes next?
According to author and entrepreneur Steven Kotler, at some point this century, we will confront the prospect of immortality.
John Templeton Foundation
The chemistry of cooking over an open flame.
The simulation gave researchers some of the first concrete data linking climate change to human evolution and speciation.
Instead of a mental illness, some research suggests that psychopathy — in moderation — is a reasonable life strategy.
Archaic humans ventured into Eurasia in waves, not always successfully. They may have started their journey in North Africa or West Asia.
Many atheists think of themselves as intellectually gifted individuals, guiding humanity on the path of reason. Scientific data shows otherwise.
John Templeton Foundation
The Human Genome Project put together 92% of our DNA blueprint. Here's what it took to complete the rest.
Mutations that confer malaria resistance occur more frequently in people who live in regions where the disease is endemic.
Scientists find two 30-second techniques that prevent dizziness upon standing.
"I was part of the surgical team that conducted the first pig-to-human heart transplant in a living patient."
Awe is a powerful force, a fact that is both exciting and terrifying.
John Templeton Foundation
Outrage is a useful emotion that helped our ancient ancestors survive. Today, it leaves us feeling angry, tired, powerless, and miserable.
Discussions of human evolution are usually backward looking, as if the greatest triumphs and challenges were in the distant past.