Ancestry & Evolution
The desire to understand our origins is primal. By examining our DNA over successive generations through the evolutionary process of inherited characteristics of human and animal populations–as well as from those species from which humans share a common ancestry–we can decipher our individual and collective past and develop medical innovations for the future.
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
Here is how agriculture has evolved over the centuries… and how the science of farming continues to change
Crop production evolved independently in several regions of the world. However, historians believe the first instance of agriculture took place ...
‘Sleep is a need, but it’s also a ritual’: Exploring the scientific mystery of snoozing
Why do living things sleep? “Ask researchers this question, and listen as, like clockwork, a sense of awe and frustration ...
8 billion milestone: Here’s the story of how Homo sapiens came to rule the earth
November 15 2022 marks a milestone for our species, as the global population hits 8 billion. Just 70 years ago, ...
Challenging ‘blank slate’ theories: Most evolutionary researchers agree genes play outsized role in shaping human behavior
Research in evolutionary psychology attracts considerable attention, from both enthusiasts and critics. Evolutionary researchers devote substantial effort to correcting misperceptions ...
How Neanderthals thrived hunting prehistoric elephants
Neanderthals may have lived in larger groups than previously believed, hunting massive elephants that were up to three times bigger ...
No extinct species has yet been brought back to life. Not discouraged, Colossal Biosciences adds the Dodo to its list of de-extinction targets
Genetic engineering company Colossal Biosciences said [January 31] that it will try to resurrect the extinct dodo bird, and it’s ...
Have any of Earth’s creatures stopped evolving?
Some of the planet's more bizarre creatures have prompted some observers to suggest that evolution, on occasion, is stopped in ...
GLP Podcast: Smoking, drinking fueled by genetics? Women more empathetic than men; Enthusiasm for HIV vaccine wanes
If you drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes, a growing body of evidence suggests that your genetics may have predisposed you ...
It’s not just humans that get COVID — other animals are susceptible too
Humans aren't the only mammals susceptible to infection by, or testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. There have been instances among quite ...
‘Getting shunned by others could have been deadly’: An evolutionary explanation for ‘cancel culture’
Social media plays a major role in today’s cancel culture. We can think of a public cancellation as a large-scale ...
Humans have the genes to grow a full coat of body hair. This study explains why are we so hairless
Humans appear to have the genes for a full coat of body hair, but evolution has disabled them, scientists at ...
Will evolution phase out redheads from the human gene pool?
Redheads aren’t going extinct. Here’s why. Be it ginger, auburn or strawberry blonde, red hair is here to stay, say ...
Are humans still evolving? 155 new genes identified that suggest we’re still being shaped by our environment
We may have parted ways with our primate cousins millions of years ago, but a new study shows just how ...
Part II: Nature is complex — Rewilding offers promising ecological benefits, but it is not the panacea its proponents contend — and can cause harm
Nature can be unpredictable, often foiling the best of intentions. And rewilding experiments gone awry are only a fraction of ...
Squid and human brains: Despite 500 million years of divergent evolution, their complex brain development remains similar
Squid and human brains develop the same way despite diverging 500 million years ago ...
Part I: Europe’s rewilding movement — A victory for environmentalism or a romantic, scientifically-debatable notion that does not revive ancient ecosystems? Or both?
It’s less than half a mile from the crowded marina to the site of cannibalistic excess — at least, that’s ...
What would happen if the male-determining Y chromosome continues to deteriorate and eventually disappears? The mole vole offers hope
The sex of human and other mammal babies is decided by a male-determining gene on the Y chromosome. But the ...
2022 in genetics: 8 discoveries that are changing our understanding of the world
From big discoveries that moved the field forward to work that improved upon existing findings, here are some of the ...
Do evolution and genetics drive our prejudices?
A research paper suggests that it is more effective to create environments that encourage the emergence of desired behavior through ...
Ants genetically engineered for their antennae to glow green reveal how insects navigate the world of scent
Researchers have made transgenic ants whose antennae glow green under a microscope, revealing how the insects’ brains process alarming smells ...
How searching for food in trees drove ancient human ancestors to evolve to walk upright
When human ancestors evolved to walk upright, they may have done so in trees, suggests new research published [11 January ...
Viewpoint: ‘The Dawn of Everything’ blurs lines between scientific research and political advocacy
In 1885, Thomas Henry Huxley delivered a speech in which he famously declared that science “commits suicide the moment it ...
‘Unevenly distributed’: How generation ages have changed for men and women over 250,000 years and differ among population groups
The generation times of our recent ancestors can tell us about both the biology and social organization of prehistoric humans, ...
Evolution of humor: How laughter may have helped early humans survive and thrive
Until now, several theories have sought to explain what makes something funny enough to make us laugh. These include transgression ...
Video: Humans and other mammals have a lot less hair today than tens of thousands of years ago. Here’s why
For decades scientists have been puzzled and intrigued by a most fascinating question, which is: why do human beings have ...
Can cephalopods reason? Cuttlefish passes cognitive test designed for children
Scientists have discovered something intriguing about cuttlefish after putting them through a “marshmallow test.” The test, which is designed for ...
Third human species? The story of a Denisovan father and a Neanderthal mother
Neanderthals are an extinct subspecies of humans that went extinct 40,000 years ago. Today, only 2% of Eurasians have Neanderthal ...
