Skip to content

phylogeny

Members Public

Secrets within the teeth of the first Homo fossils

New studies of the enamel-dentin junction show that early members of our genus may have been less distinctive than we think

Closeup of three left mandibular molars with cracks and wear
Members Public

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.

Five fossil skulls in three-quarter view looking toward the right
Members Public

An possible ancestor of Homo floresiensis from the Middle Pleistocene of Flores

Gerrit van den Bergh and coworkers describe dental remains and a jaw from Mata Menge, 700,000 years ago.

Images of teeth in multiple views, with arrows pointing into a jaw to show the tooth positions
Members Public

Two anthropologists float some curious notions about Homo naledi

I look at views expressed by Jeffrey Schwartz and Tim White about the anatomy of Homo naledi and its relationships with other hominins.

Members Public

Have Sahelanthropus and Orrorin been written out of existence?

A big argument about the so-called savanna theory comes with a surprising claim about the earliest possible hominin fossils.

Artistic image of a skull of Sahelanthropus enshrouded by fog and clouds