Australopithecus afarensis
“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.
Guide to Sahelanthropus, Orrorin and Ardipithecus
These fossil species between 8 million and 4.4 million years old include some of the earliest members of the hominin lineage.
Guide to Australopithecus species
These ancient human relatives include the first species with evidence of upright walking and running like humans. They represent more than a third of our evolutionary history.
The real story of myosin, jaw muscles, and ancient brains
The provocative idea that our genus arose with a deactivated muscle gene turned out to be wrong.
Fossil profile: AL 400-1 mandible and the curving line of human evolution
Australopithecus afarensis was an early member of the hominin lineage, but it was not intermediate between humans and living great apes in all ways.
New footprints from Laetoli shed light on how the science has changed in 40 years
New trails expand our knowledge of body size and behavior of some of the earliest known bipedal hominins.
Presentation on species concepts and the hominin fossil record
On a visit to Charles Darwin's home, I share some perspectives on how paleoanthropologists think about species.
