The Decline of Violence in Homo sapiens
September 3, 2019
Science is finally making real progress on the question of how our species achieved a mostly nonviolent social harmony. … More The Decline of Violence in Homo sapiens
Category: paleoanthropology
The ABCs of Vitamin Deficiency: Why Human Have Such a Needy Diet
September 4, 2018
Humans need a more varied and specific diet than most other animals. The reason why is found in our deep past in Africa. … More The ABCs of Vitamin Deficiency: Why Human Have Such a Needy Diet
Video: An Impromptu Skype Call with Lee Berger and John Hawks from inside the Rising Star Caves as They Excavated More Homo naledi Fossils
September 18, 2017
Perhaps the most famous paleoanthropology team are now live-streaming their fossil excavation efforts from South Africa … More Video: An Impromptu Skype Call with Lee Berger and John Hawks from inside the Rising Star Caves as They Excavated More Homo naledi Fossils
Exclusive Interview with Lee Berger: A Second Cave, Homo naledi Fossils Only 236-355k Years Old
May 9, 2017
Researchers in South Africa have discovered another cave with remains of Homo naledi and the dating of the fossils reveals a big surprise. … More Exclusive Interview with Lee Berger: A Second Cave, Homo naledi Fossils Only 236-355k Years Old
Even Homo habilis Was Right-handed
December 5, 2016
Analysis of 1.8 million year old teeth reveal that this Homo habilis was right-handed. … More Even Homo habilis Was Right-handed
Lee Berger, Tim White, and Homo naledi: A New Fight, the Old Way, and the Future of Paleoanthropology
January 28, 2016
In case you missed it, I wrote a magazine article! Here’s how it happened. I was following the arguments between Tim White and Lee Berger playing out in the press, with White insisting Homo naledi was actually just H. erectus and Berger defending his work, with both trading pointed barbs. However, the words of Ian Tattersall’s latest book were ringing … More Lee Berger, Tim White, and Homo naledi: A New Fight, the Old Way, and the Future of Paleoanthropology
“Virtual Paleontology” Provides Insight into Last Common Ancestor with Neanderthals
January 5, 2016
In order to address the question of what the ancestors of humans and Neanderthals might have looked liked, a research group at the University of Cambridge took a digital approach. … More “Virtual Paleontology” Provides Insight into Last Common Ancestor with Neanderthals
The Story of Life in 25 Fossils: Review of New Book by Donald R. Prothero
October 5, 2015
The Story of Life in 25 Fossils is a joy to read. Biologists, novice and veteran alike, will delight in turning its pages. Prothero brings erudition and expert perspective to the material, but animates it in an entertaining and accessible manner. It reads like a fun conversation with a learned friend. … More The Story of Life in 25 Fossils: Review of New Book by Donald R. Prothero
Discovery of Homo naledi demonstrates need to revise the Homo genus
September 15, 2015
2015 has been a very exciting year for Paleoanthropology. No doubt the pinnacle was the discovery of a brand-new hominin species Homo naledi, a bombastic revelation met with great and appropriate fanfare in the popular press. But H. naledi is not the only revision that is afoot in our understanding of the way that the … More Discovery of Homo naledi demonstrates need to revise the Homo genus
A conversation with Ian Tattersall about his new book: The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack and Other Cautionary Tales from Human Evolution
June 23, 2015
I sat down with Professor Ian Tattersall to discuss his twenty-first (!) book, The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack and Other Cautionary Tales from Human Evolution, released earlier this month from St. Martin’s Press and Palgrave MacMillan. Ian Tattersall in a research lab in the Department of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History This … More A conversation with Ian Tattersall about his new book: The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack and Other Cautionary Tales from Human Evolution
The Human Evolution Blog 