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John Hawks

I'm a paleoanthropologist exploring the world of ancient humans and our fossil relatives.

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Did scientists miss a fake Neandertal for 25 years?

An investigation claims dozens of cases of misdated bones in Rheinland-Pfalz, including the purported Ochtendung Neandertal.

Skull portion of the Ochtendung supposed Neandertal
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When hominins walked in each others' tracks

A new study by Kevin Hatala and coworkers finds that Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei walked on the same shores within hours of each other.

An array of 15 different hominin footprints showing varied preservation and shapes
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“Lucy”, superstar of evolution, at fifty

Today's science has broadened enormously since the 1970s but the iconic fossil still has an important place in understanding our ancient past.

The skull fragments, ribs, arm bones, pelvis, and femur of the Lucy skeleton are visible in this photo
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A look at the Neanderthal from Altamura

The exceptional skeleton encased in calcite has started to yield insights about early Neanderthals.

A skull and other bones encased with coralloid calcite encrustation
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Late Neandertals: more diverse than most scientists thought

The new “Thorin” genome from Grotte Mandrin represents a previously-unknown Neanderthal deep history.

Fragments of a jaw with teeth visible in an archaeological site
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What do we know about the ancestry of Homo erectus?

A creation interest group takes a quote from me, and I look back at a classic paper.

Nine fossil skulls viewed in lateral view with Australopithecus near the top and Homo erectus at bottom
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Julurens: a new cousin for Denisovans and Neanderthals

A new study suggests that the Middle Pleistocene record in China includes more groups than have previously been recognized.

A fossil child's upper jaw with teeth, in two views on left and two angles of microCT on the right
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The evolutionary mystery of the German cockroach

The species evolved to exploit human-built environments and exists nowhere else. So where did it come from?

A cockroach poised on a rock
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New insights into the biology of Homo luzonensis

Studies of teeth from Callao Cave yield information about the pace of development in this species and its possible connections with Homo erectus.

image of two people within a very large cave with green color on stalactites in the background
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Why did the ancients make gigantic handaxes?

Looking at new research on the distribution and function of curiously large bifacial tools

Two very large handaxes