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Categories: Anthropology: Cultures, Anthropology: Early Humans
Published Unveiling Japan's ancient practice of cranial modification: The case of the Hirota people in Tanegashima



Cranial modification is a form of body alteration where the head is pressed or bound to permanently deform the skull. The practice has been reported across various cultures throughout history. Researchers report that the Hirota people -- who lived on the southern Japanese island of Tanegashima between the 3rd to 7th century CE -- also conducted cranial modification, with indication that both males and females performed the practice.
Published Iceman Ötzi: Dark skin, bald head, Anatolian ancestry



A research team has used advanced sequencing technology to analyze Ötzi's genome to obtain a more accurate picture of the Iceman's appearance and genetic origins.
Published Key role of ice age cycles in early human interbreeding



Recent paleogenomic research revealed that interbreeding was common among early human species. However, little was known about when, where, and how often this hominin interbreeding took place. Using paleoanthropological evidence, genetic data, and supercomputer simulations of past climate, a team of international researchers has found that interglacial climates and corresponding shifts in vegetation created common habitats for Neanderthals and Denisovans, increasing their chances for interbreeding and gene flow in parts of Europe and central Asia.
Published Elephant ancestors´ teeth evolved in response to long term changes in diet and climate in Africa



A new study shows that the cheek teeth of proboscideans (elephants and their ancient relatives) evolved in response to dietary changes due to vegetation changes and climate change in East Africa during the last 26 million years.
Published A climate-orchestrated early human love story



A new study finds that past changes in atmospheric CO2 and corresponding shifts in climate and vegetation played a key role in determining when and where early human species interbred.
Published How a massive North Atlantic cooling event disrupted early human occupation in Europe



A new study finds that around 1.12 million years ago a massive cooling event in the North Atlantic and corresponding shifts in climate, vegetation and food resources disrupted early human occupation of Europe.
Published New research links early Europeans' cultural and genetic development over several thousand years



A new DNA study has nuanced the picture of how different groups intermingled during the European Stone Age, but also how certain groups of people were actually isolated. Researchers produced new genetic data from 56 Central and Eastern European individuals from the Stone Age.
Published New insights into the origin of the Indo-European languages



An international team of linguists and geneticists has achieved a significant breakthrough in our understanding of the origins of Indo-European, a family of languages spoken by nearly half of the world's population.
Published Family trees from the European Neolithic



The Neolithic burial site of Gurgy 'les Noisats' in France revealed two unprecedentedly large family trees which allowed a Franco-German team to explore the social organization of the 6,700-year-old community. Based on multiple lines of evidence, the team describes a close kin group which practiced monogamy and female exogamy, and experienced generally stable times.
Published These bones were made for walking



The genetic changes that made it possible for humans to walk upright have been uncovered in a study that also shows how slight variations in skeletal proportions are linked to arthritis.
Published Butterflies and moths share ancient 'blocks' of DNA



Butterflies and moths share 'blocks' of DNA dating back more than 200 million years, new research shows.
Published Giant stone artefacts found on rare Ice Age site in Kent, UK



Researchers have discovered some of the largest early prehistoric stone tools in Britain.
Published Humans' evolutionary relatives butchered one another 1.45 million years ago



Researchers have identified the oldest decisive evidence of humans' close evolutionary relatives butchering and likely eating one another.
Published Cave excavation pushes back the clock on early human migration to Laos



Fifteen years of archaeological work in the Tam Pa Ling cave in northeastern Laos has yielded a reliable chronology of early human occupation of the site. The team's excavations through the layers of sediments and bones that gradually washed into the cave and were left untouched for tens of thousands of years reveals that humans lived in the area for at least 70,000 years -- and likely even longer.
Published Focus on function helps identify the changes that made us human



Research sheds light on human evolution, and demonstrates an approach for identifying significant differences in how genes are used between closely-related species.
Published Study shows ancient Alaskans were freshwater fishers



A scientific team has discovered the earliest-known evidence of freshwater fishing by ancient people in the Americas. The research offers a glimpse at how early humans used a changing landscape and could offer insight for modern people facing similar changes.
Published First hominin muscle reconstruction shows 3.2 million-year-old 'Lucy' could stand as erect as we can



Digital modelling of legendary fossil's soft tissue suggests Australopithecus afarensis had powerful leg and pelvic muscles suited to tree dwelling, but knee muscles that allowed fully erect walking.
Published Remains at Crenshaw site are local, ancestors of Caddo



Hundreds of human skulls and mandibles recovered from the Crenshaw site in southwest Arkansas are the remains of ancestors of the Caddo Nation and not foreign enemies, according to a new study.
Published New method traces ancestry of hybrid plants and animals



Hybrid plants and animals have complicated genomes. A biologist has discovered a way to reveal their parent species.
Published Lingering effects of Neanderthal DNA found in modern humans



Recent scientific discoveries have shown that Neanderthal genes comprise some 1 to 4% of the genome of present-day humans whose ancestors migrated out of Africa, but the question remained open on how much those genes are still actively influencing human traits -- until now.