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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.

Abstract image showing lines connected into a large network on a parchment background
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Return of the “amazing” Boskops

Bringing some scientific reality to an excerpt from a book that tries to revive the myth of an ancient, large-brained race of humans.

Photo of the Boskop skull fragments next to a drawing of a reconstruction
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Notes on Ashley Montagu, recent human evolution, and human equality

The anthropologist argued that humans have stopped evolving, but that isn't the way we understand human evolution today.

Poster reading "Every human has rights"
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How research into the causes of health disparities matters to cancer

Science writer Jennifer Couzin has an important profile [https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.315.5812.592] of cancer researcher Olufunmilayo Olopade. I say it's important because the profile really presents a nuanced view of the relationship of biology, race, and health outcomes: > It's

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A case study of race and medicine: the BiDil trial

I review news coverage of a drug marketed to African-American cardiology patients, and think about the impact of ancestry on health.