Nick Longrich
When in our evolutionary history did we become ‘human’?
We now know from evolutionary science that humanity has existed in some form or another for around 2 million years ...
Here is when and how humans attained ‘behavioral modernity’
For 200,000-300,000 years after Homo sapiens first appeared, tools and artefacts remained surprisingly simple, little better than Neanderthal technology, and simpler than ...
Human technological innovation arose in a variety of prehistoric human civilizations
For the first few million years of human evolution, technologies changed slowly. Some three million years ago, our ancestors were ...
Technological innovation is spurring evolutionary changes. Here’s how humanity may look 10,000 years from now
Humanity is the unlikely result of 4 billion years of evolution. From self-replicating molecules in Archean seas, to eyeless fish ...
Hominids have existed on earth for two million years. What makes us human?
The distinction between ourselves and other animals is, arguably, artificial. Animals are more like humans than we might think – ...
High on prehistoric life: When did humans begin experimenting with mind-altering drugs and alcohol?
Humans constantly alter the world. We fire fields, turn forests into farms, and breed plants and animals. But humans don’t ...
Rafting events: How did animals disperse around the world to seed evolution? Here is one possible scenario
Humans evolved in Africa, along with chimpanzees, gorillas and monkeys. But primates themselves appear to have evolved elsewhere – likely ...
Why humanity will likely be around for a long time
Will our species go extinct? The short answer is yes. The fossil record shows everything goes extinct, eventually. Almost all ...
To the victor go the spoils: How Homo sapiens prevailed in battles for survival with Neanderthals
Around 600,000 years ago, humanity split in two. One group stayed in Africa, evolving into us. The other struck out ...
Evolution’s ‘great leap forward’: When did humans cross the intelligence rubicon?
When did something like us first appear on the planet? It turns out there’s remarkably little agreement on this question ...
