Hi, I'm John Hawks.
I'm a paleoanthropologist, exploring the ancient world of humans and fossil human relatives.
I write about the science of human origins, and how our ancient past can help make sense of today's world.
You can follow my writing here, or subscribe to have articles sent when they are published. Keep checking in for more changes.
A transition to a new platform for my words and video
The look and feel of the site is changing, with a new emphasis on subscriptions and connections.
Research highlight: Taking human origins research into the next decade
Notes on the recent history of paleoanthropology from my Distinguished Lecture for the General Anthropology Division of the American Anthropological Association
What is the ‘braided stream’ analogy for human evolution?
A discussion of the way that reticulation has manifested across human evolution, with reference to an essay by Clive Finlayson.
Finding ancient fire use in the Rising Star cave system
The study of the underground landscape enters a new phase with evidence of charcoal and burned animal bone in deep chambers.
A Neandertal recipe that tasted like the foods of later people
Looking at a fascinating new study that finds mixtures of different plants within ancient morsels of charred foods.
Bison bones from Gran Dolina show butchery practices 400,000 years ago
Ancient people left a bone bed of bison killed in two seasons and butchered at the site with expedient tools.
Research highlight: The frontal sinuses of fossil hominins
A look inside the skulls of hominins reveals the extensive variation in the form of the internal structures known as the frontal sinuses.
Panel: Who or what is Homo naledi?
Lee Berger, Agustin Fuentes, and I had a provocative conversation sharing our different perspectives on work related to the Rising Star cave system.
Numbers are a cognitive technology
Studies of a language without many words for numbers help to illustrate the way that language guides human thinking.
Research highlight: Vertebral wedging in Homo naledi
In a new paper led by Scott Williams, we look at the way that the Homo naledi lower vertebral column compares to humans and other extinct hominins.
What killing methods enabled Neandertals to hunt large prey animals?
A look at sites where ancient people killed many animals at once provides insight into their knowledge of the social behavior of prey animals.
How I build ethics into my introductory course from the first day
The basic foundation of ethical practices includes honoring and respecting those who have made our research and learning possible.
How the new White House policy on public access to federally funded research may affect data
The new policy establishes strong expectations for public access to data from federally funded research programs.
Different transport strategies for different large prey species at Abric Romaní
Interpreting the record of prey exploitation at a rock shelter site over thousands of years provides a window into past economics.
Why anthropologists rejected the aquatic ape theory, and what is left of it today
Human ancestors did not evolve in an aquatic environment. But they did make use of coastal and shoreline resources where they were abundant.
Research highlight: The limbs of Homo naledi
In a new paper, Sarah Traynor, David Green and I show that the sizes of the arm bones of Homo naledi are more or less like today's humans, despite their many morphological adaptations to climbing.
When did humankind's last common ancestor live? A surprisingly short time ago
The lines of genealogy of living people converge quickly into the past. Our last genealogical common ancestor lived within the last few thousand years.
Kabwe: A famous fossil unearthed amid the human costs of mining
Mining led to the skull's discovery, destroyed its context, and left a century-long legacy of lead poisoning.
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