Two small changes in human DNA may have played a big role in helping our ancestors walk upright, researchers say.

The Indigenous peoples of the Bolivian highlands are survivors. For thousands of years they have lived at altitudes of more than two miles, where oxygen is about 35 percent lower than at sea level.

From epic poetry to game shows, from Stone Age axes to spaceflight, humans have the most complex cultures of any species on Earth. Since the time of Darwin, scientists have suspected that this culture ...

A new study reveals some of the crucial molecular steps on the path to bipedalism. By Carl Zimmer Charles Darwin unveiled his theory of evolution in 1859, in “On the Origin of Species.” But it took ...

When Homo sapiens and Neanderthals interbred, a genetic variation affecting red blood cells may have hindered reproduction in ...

A reconstruction of the crushed skull labelled Yunxian 2, which has features that are closer to species thought to have existed later in human evolution - BBC A digital reconstruction of a ...

Scientists found that ancient lead exposure shaped early human evolution. The toxin may have played a surprising role in the development of modern cognition and language. An international team of ...

A newly discovered genetic mutation unique to humans may help explain why we are significantly more vulnerable to cancer than our closest evolutionary relatives. Researchers at the University of ...

The human gastrointestinal tract is in a constant state of flux; it hosts a diverse and dynamic community of microbes known as the gut microbiome, and is constantly exposed to things in the ...

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The discovery of chemical signatures of lead in hominid fossils challenges our understanding of ancient environmental ...