Blog articles
Probing the pathogens that afflicted ancient humanity
In the first part of a review of pathogens in human origins, I examine a sampling of infectious diseases in people today and their diverse origins.
Ancient amputations tell remarkable stories of survival and care
A 33,000-year-old case of an amputated leg prompts comparisons to earlier Neandertal instances of amputation.
Top 10 discoveries about ancient people from DNA in 2022
Research on ancient genomes has moved way beyond population mixture into broader questions about how ancient people lived and interacted with their environments.
The Nesher Ramla site: a third way between Neandertals and modern humans?
Fragments representing people who lived just before Skhūl and Qafzeh seem outside the expectations for these “early modern humans” or for Neandertals.
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 show butchery practices 400,000 years ago
In the Gran Dolina cave site, 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.
Understanding numbers as cognitive technology
The Whorf hypothesis says language shapes human thought. A small indigenous group with few number words puts the idea to the test.
