New clues from 2 million-year-old tooth enamel tell us more about an ancient relative of humans: For nearly a century, scientists have been puzzling over fossils from a strange and robust-looking distant relative of early humans: Paranthropus robustus. It walked upright, and was built for heavy chewing with relatively massive jaws, and huge teeth with …
How dogs and cats are evolving to look alike and why it’s humans’ fault – new research: Africa Studio/Shutterstock Domestication has made cats and dogs more diverse, but also curiously alike – with serious implications for their health and welfare, new research shows. At first glance, Persian cats and pugs don’t seem like they’d have …
Gift-giving was practised by early humans in Africa – how it spread and evolved: For many countries around the world, December is an intense, commercialised period of gift-giving. Not just within families but across all sorts of relationships, such as gifts between buyers and service providers. Gift-giving, the act of presenting someone with a gift …
Climate change: care for humans, other species and the natural environment is the key to a just transition: Communities across the world are facing two worsening crises: a climate crisis and a care crisis. The evidence and urgency on the climate crisis has been expertly illustrated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The …
If an asteroid hit Earth and all the humans died, would the dinosaurs come back? The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast: Warpaint/Shutterstock Many, many years ago dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Six-year-old Aga knows that a meteorite wiped them out… but could another meteorite bring them back? You can read a print version of this story here. …
Stingray sand ‘sculpture’ on South Africa’s coast may be oldest example of humans creating an image of another creature: South Africa’s Cape south coast offers many hints about how our human ancestors lived some 35,000 to 400,000 years ago during the Pleistocene epoch. These clues are captured in the dunes they once traversed, today cemented …
How long did Neanderthals and modern humans co-exist in Europe? Evidence is growing it may have been at least 10,000 years: A human bone fragment from the new excavations at Ranis in Germany. Tim Schüler TLDA. , CC BY-ND The idea that two different human species, Homo sapiens (us) and Neanderthals, co-existed in western Eurasia …
Humans are going back to the Moon to stay, but when that will be is becoming less clear: NASA A 2019 Time magazine cover portrayed four astronauts running towards the Moon. Pictured alongside the headline “The Next Space Race”, one of the astronauts carried an American flag, one carried a Chinese flag and the other …
The curious link between animal hibernation and ageing – and what humans could learn from it: Nicoleta Ionescu/Shutterstock When the cold and dark winter is setting in, some of us envy animals that can hibernate. This long, deep rest is an example of how nature develops clever solution to difficult problems. In this case, how …
Could dinosaurs be the reason humans can’t live for 200 years?: Rattana/Shutterstock All human beings age. It is part of our biology and limits our lifespan to slightly over 120 years. Not all animals experience ageing during their lives. Some animals’ bodies do not gradually degenerate as they get older the way our bodies do. …
First case of swine flu in humans detected in UK – expert Q&A: Dusan Petkovic/Shutterstock A British man has contracted swine flu, the first detected human case recorded in the UK. Here’s what you need to know about the disease. Why is swine flu currently in the news? A new variant of the influenza virus …
Pluto: Netflix’s anime masterpiece explores how robots ‘feel’ when humans exploit them: There have been many TV shows and films inspired by the dual fear and excitement surrounding advances in artificial intelligence (AI). But not many exhibit such masterful craft and profound humanity as the new Netflix anime miniseries, Pluto. Pluto is adapted from a …
Why humans aren’t as egocentric as you might think – new research: fizkes/Shutterstock If you’ve read much about psychology or evolution, it’s easy to get the idea that humans are hardwired to act as if the world revolves around themselves. But my team’s new study joins a growing body of research showing that humans are …
Wild animals that survive limb loss are astonishing – and a sign of the havoc humans are wreaking on nature: Estharix/Shutterstock It might seem astounding that a wild animal could survive a limb amputation and still thrive in the wild but videos from social media and research show this may be more common than people …
Humans got to America 7,000 years earlier than thought, new research confirms: The footprints come from a group of people of different ages. National Park Service When and how humans first settled in the Americas is a subject of considerable controversy. In the 20th century, archaeologists believed that humans reached the North American interior no …
It’s reassuring to think humans are evolution’s ultimate destination – but research shows we may be an accident: The Cambrian explosion, about 530 million years ago, was when most of the major groups of animals first appear in the fossil record. canbedone/Shutterstock Depending upon how you do the counting, there are around 9 million species …
The evolutionary reasons humans love pets – and nine benefits of having one: Evgeniy Goncharov photo/Shutterstock We’ve all read stories about owners’ love for their pets, but you might be taken aback to hear how some people are willing to spend thousands of pounds on vet care for small animals like guinea-pigs and hamsters. A …
Conflict between humans and wildlife in Tanzania is being poorly managed – and climate change is making things worse: Elephants are being forced into confrontations with humans Wikimedia Commons Human-wildlife conflicts are a challenge for authorities in African countries where people live near protected areas. Programmes for communities to participate in wildlife tourism and share …