Tripolye 'mega-structures' were ancient community centers
So-called 'mega-structures' in ancient Europe were public buildings that likely served a variety of economic and political purposes, according to a new study.
Read moreAnthropology
First evidence for early baby bottles used to feed animal milk to prehistoric babies
A team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol, has found the first evidence that prehistoric babies were fed animal milk using the equivalent of modern-day baby bottles.
Read moreNew species of crocodile discovered in museum collections
By looking at 90-year-old crocodile skulls in museum collections and double-checking with live specimens at a zoological park in Florida, researchers have just discovered a new species of ten-foot-long croc. The new species, Crocodylus halli, is from the southern part of New Guinea, and until now, scientists had thought it was the same species that lived on the northern part of the island.
Read moreGrand ideas, global reverberations: Grand Canyon at its 6 millionth anniversary
Etched onto the steep walls of Arizona's 6,000-foot-deep, 277-mile-long Grand Canyon are clues that chronicle the sweeping changes the region has experienced during the past two billion years. The canyon's colorful layers narrate tales of ancient environments come and gone, from lofty mountain ranges and tropical seas to a Saharan-scale desert that once stretched across much of western North America.
Read moreLong lost human relative unveiled
Many people are familiar with the existence of Neanderthals, the humanoid species that was a precursor to modern humans, but far less is known Denisovans, a similar group that were contemporaries to the Neanderthals and who died out approximately 50,000 years ago. Researchers have now made a reconstruction of a Denisovan girl based on patterns of methylation (chemical changes) in their ancient DNA.
Read moreDid a common childhood illness take down the neanderthals?
A new study suggests that the extinction of Neanderthals may be tied to persistent, life-long ear infections due to the structure of their Eustachian tubes, which are similar to those of human infants.
Read moreInequality: What we've learned from the 'Robots of the late Neolithic'
Seven thousand years ago, societies across Eurasia began to show signs of lasting divisions between haves and have-nots. Scientists have now charted the precipitous surge of prehistoric inequality and trace its economic origins back to the adoption of ox-drawn plows.
Read moreRare 10 million-year-old fossil unearths new view of human evolution
Near an old mining town in Central Europe, known for its picturesque turquoise-blue quarry water, lay Rudapithecus. For 10 million years, the fossilized ape waited in Rudabánya, Hungary, to add its story to the origins of how humans evolved. What Rudabánya yielded was a pelvis — among the most informative bones of a skeleton, but one that is rarely preserved.
Read moreCarp aquaculture in Neolithic China dating back 8,000 years
Researchers analyzed fish bones excavated from the Early Neolithic Jiahu site in Henan Province, China. By comparing the body-length distributions and species-composition ratios of the bones with findings from East Asian sites with present aquaculture, the researchers provide evidence of managed carp aquaculture at Jiahu dating back to 6200-5700 BC.
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