News Desk

A new study led by the University of Oxford has found evidence that kissing evolved in the common ancestor of humans and other large apes around 21 million years ago, and that Neanderthals likely engaged in kissing too. The findings are published in Evolution and Human Behavior.

According to a new machine-learning analysis, fragmentary carbon traces from the Josefsdal Chert, dating back 3.33 billion years, are the earliest and most confident detection of biotic chemistry on Earth to date. The research has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

A 12,000-year-old clay figurine unearthed in northern Israel, depicting a woman and a goose, is the earliest known human-animal interaction figurine…The study, published in PNAS, combines advanced analytical techniques to reconstruct both the artifact’s composition and its cultural significance.

The “perfectly preserved” nasal cavity of Altamura Man is unique in the entire human fossil record, according to a study published Monday (Nov. 17) in the journal PNAS. These rare and fragile bones can therefore contribute important information to the question of whether Neanderthals’ faces were adapted to cold climates.

The story depicted on the ˁAin Samiya goblet—an 8 cm tall silver vessel from the Intermediate Bronze Age (c. 2650–1950 BCE)—might actually represent a different myth than originally thought, according to a new study.

The crater formed during the Holocene epoch when the last ice age ended roughly 11,700 years ago…The evidence confirming its extraterrestrial origin lies in the details. Within the granite, researchers found numerous quartz fragments exhibiting planar deformation features and microscopic characteristics that serve as geological fingerprints of impact events.

Dogs have been part of human societies across Eurasia for at least 20,000 years, accompanying us through many social and cultural upheavals. The new study by an international team was published in the journal Science.

A previously unknown Indigenous population lived in central Argentina for nearly 8,500 years, a new genetic study finds. The study was published Nov. 5 in the journal Nature.

“Surprisingly, we found that individuals in the Japanese archipelago from the prehistoric Jomon period [from around 16,000 to 3,000 years ago] carried the least Denisovan ancestry among ancient and present-day East Asians,” the researchers wrote in the study, which was published Oct. 20 in the journal Current Biology.

The study contradicts the prevailing idea that each community produced its own pottery using materials available in its immediate surroundings, and reinforces the idea of a complex and hierarchical social and economic system. The study was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

The investigations using radar, ultrasound and ERT prove the existence of two air-filled voids underneath the eastern facade, providing initial evidence to support the hypothesis. The work is published in the journal NDT & E International.

Despite research indicating migration into the area over 12,000 years ago, there is currently little DNA research that describes the lineages associated with the area. To remedy this problem, a group of DNA researchers conducted a genome-wide study on ancient individuals from the region. The new research is published in Nature.

In a new study, researchers take a closer look at this transformative era through the lens of Murayghat, an ancient archaeological site located near the city of Madaba in what is now Jordan. The study was published in Levant: The Journal of the Council for British Research in the Levant.

The ability to make art has often been considered a hallmark of our species. Over a century ago, prehistorians even had trouble believing that modern humans from the Upper Paleolithic (between 45,000 and 12,000 years ago) were capable of artistic flair.

Published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, their findings challenge long-held narratives of societal “collapse,” instead showing that Rapanui communities were resilient to profound climate stress. Columbia Climate School spoke with lead author Redmond Stein about how the team uncovered this history and what it means for understanding the links between climate and culture.

Archaeologists in Peru have found new evidence showing how the oldest known civilization in the Americas adapted and survived a climate catastrophe without resorting to violence.