Human evolution: We’ve got the famous ‘march of progress’ image all wrong

According to evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould, a drunkard walk is more representative.

Jordi Paps, The Conversation

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Cristina Guijarro-Clarke, The Conversation

· Mar 07, 2020 · 08:30 pm

Human beings have survived and conquered for centuries not by innovation – but imitation

Homo sapiens means ‘man, the knower’. A more fitting name would be Homo imitans or ‘man, the imitator’.

Connor Wood, The Conversation

· Mar 03, 2020 · 09:30 pm

Early humans in Africa may have interbred with an unidentified ghost species

The story of humankind is a lot more complicated than the original ‘out-of-Africa expansion’ theory.

George Busby, The Conversation

· Feb 14, 2020 · 11:30 pm

Humans can’t quit worrying because we are built that way

Our brains are continually imagining futures that will meet our needs and things that could stand in the way.

James Carmody, The Conversation

· Jan 13, 2020 · 09:30 pm

Your personality is not just who you are but also where you are

A study shows that children from industrialised and affluent regions are more likely to exhibit characteristics like patience.

Dorsa Amir, Aeon

· Dec 25, 2019 · 11:30 pm

A recent fossil discovery has led some researchers to rethink how humans learned to walk

The Danuvius guggenmosi fossils resemble the last shared ancestor of humans and chimpanzees.

Vivien Shaw, The Conversation

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Isabelle Catherine Winder, The Conversation

· Dec 10, 2019 · 11:30 pm

300,000 years ago, nine human species lived on Earth. Did homo sapiens exterminate the others?

A tendency to engage in genocide is arguably an intrinsic, instinctive part of human nature.

Nick Longrich, The Conversation

· Nov 23, 2019 · 07:30 pm

What a study of primates says about tolerance and xenophobia in human beings

It’s true we’re genetically coded towards favouring our own kind, but we’re also uniquely tolerant, thanks to our large brains and high reproductive rates.

Christian Jarrett, Aeon

· Oct 10, 2019 · 11:30 pm

Scientists have managed to reverse the ageing of human cells in a lab

The new research could be the first step to new anti-degenerative drugs.

Lorna Harries, The Conversation

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Matt Whiteman, The Conversation

· Aug 14, 2018 · 09:30 pm

Are humans still evolving? What the case of free-diving Bajau Laut people tells us

New research shows the Bajau Laut people of Southeast Asia may have evolved bigger spleens to store more oxygen-rich blood.

Jan Hoole, The Conversation

· Apr 24, 2018 · 09:30 pm

How eyebrows may have played a crucial role in human survival

The evolutionary advantage of having eyebrows.

Penny Spikins, The Conversation

· Apr 11, 2018 · 01:30 pm

When did we first become ‘human’? Neanderthal cave art discovered in Spain may hold the answer

It could help us better understand both the species that we replaced and the emergence of behavioural complexity in humans.

Chris Standish, The Conversation

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Alistair Pike, The Conversation

· Feb 25, 2018 · 11:30 pm