Humans, Chimpanzees, Apes and Our Common Ancestors – Evolution, Similarities and Differences
Chimpanzees and humans: how are we different? What might the common ancestor of humans and apes have looked like, living in the Miocene (23-5 million years ago)? Why didn’t all primates evolve into humans? What’s the difference between monkeys and apes? The answers to these and some other questions are in this article.
Residents of Japan’s Jeju Island have evolved to be resistant to hypothermia
A group of women on South Korea’s largest island, Jeju, follow a unique tradition to provide food for themselves: They dive to depths of about 33 feet (10 meters) without using any special equipment. Now, a new study shows that these women carry special genes that South Koreans living on the mainland do not have. These genes may be linked to the women’s ability to withstand cold water and lower their blood pressure while diving.
250 thousand years ago, the ancestors of modern humans painted on the walls of caves and buried their dead
Landmark discovery: Homo naledi buried their dead 250,000 years ago, according to newly updated research. The controversial claim that Homo naledi buried their dead has received new evidence in a 2025 study.
In Ancient Mesopotamia, leadership was honored and adolescents were sacrificed
Previously, researchers believed that the main burials represented young royals with sacrificed attendants. But this interpretation was based on the idea that early Bronze Age societies had developed into large states with a king at the top of the social hierarchy.
New facts in the history of cleanliness: what was before the invention of modern soap
Soap has a fairly simple formula and a long history. But for centuries, water was the primary means of bathing. For example, in the Indus Valley Civilization—a culture that flourished in parts of what is now Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan from 2600 to 1900 BCE—the Great Bath at Mohenjo-Daro is thought to be one of the earliest public steam baths. But steam only lasts so long.
Archaeologists have figured out why ritual tooth extraction was practiced in ancient Taiwan and other parts of Asia
Although dental ablation has been documented among groups around the world, it is most often associated with early Austronesian communities, which included people in Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and Polynesia. The first evidence of the procedure dates back to around 4,800 BCE, during the Neolithic period, and the tradition continued into the early 20th century.
Amazing 55,000-Year-Old Finds Discovered in West Papua
In humanity’s distant past, highly skilled seafarers made daring voyages from Asia to the Pacific islands. It was a global migration that shaped the spread of our species, Homo sapiens, across the planet. These seafarers became the ancestors of the people who live in this region today, from West Papua to Aotearoa (New Zealand). However, archaeologists are still unclear about the exact timing, location and nature of these seaborne migrations. The study found that people lived near West Papua at least 55,000 years ago.
Natural selection in human populations continues today, and scientists are studying the prospects for its influence on human genes
Scientists have discovered that natural selection is happening right now among humans high in the mountains of Nepal. The physiological traits that help Tibetan women survive at high altitude are being selected for within the population, meaning they could become more common. The people of Papua New Guinea, who have been genetically isolated for millennia, carry unique genes that help them fight off infections, and some of these genes come from our extinct human cousins, the Denisovans. Hundreds of human genes have been affected by natural selection over the past 3,000 years.
Six Mass Extinctions in Earth’s History. Are We on the Brink of a Seventh?
Scientists define a mass extinction as the extinction of about three-quarters of all species over a short geological period of time, which is less than 2.8 million years, according to The Conversation. Right now, humans are at the beginning of the last mass extinction, which is moving much faster than any other. Since 1970, vertebrate species populations have declined by an average of 68%, and more than 35,000 species are currently considered threatened with extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). During the 20th century alone, about 543 species of land vertebrates became extinct, according to a research paper in the journal PNAS.
Our ancestors’ numbers dwindled to 1,280 breeding individuals 930,000 years ago
Humanity owes its existence to just 1,280 people who nearly died out, study finds. A new method for estimating ancient populations has revealed a potential way in which humanity could have nearly disappeared. Researchers believe our ancestors dwindled to just 1,280 breeding individuals during the Pleistocene.