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Humans

Ape family tree suggests human ancestors weren’t particularly violent

An evolutionary analysis of behavioural traits across primate species may shed light on the question of whether humans are violent by nature

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Mt. Fuji and Tokyo skyline

Humans

Utopia: The ancient discoveries that point to the ideal human society

Features

Artistic rendering of Morotopithecus

Life

Early break-up of eastern African forests shaped our ape ancestors

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Canyars_LeatherPunchBoard

Humans

Bone fragment reveals humans wore leather clothes 39,000 years ago

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HHXJTH Chaco Canyon, New Mexico

Humans

The archaeologists recreating the secrets of prehistoric technology

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Tightly-curled hair appears to maximise the shielding effect from the sun while minimising an unwanted insulating effect

Humans

Curly hair may have evolved to protect early humans from the sun

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Paranthropus, early human relative

Humans

Early hominin Paranthropus may have used sophisticated stone tools

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Light micrograph of a section through the spleen of a patient with Gaucher's disease. Small lymphocytes and large macrophage cells (Gaucher?s cells, pink, a type of white blood cell) are present. Gaucher's disease is an inherited metabolic disorder in which a fatty substance called glucocerebroside accumulates in the spleen (in macrophages), lungs, liver and bone marrow, and sometimes the brain. This is due to an absence of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase (GC). The disease appears in childhood, and some forms are fatal in the first few years. Other forms cause enlargement of the affected organs, weak and painful bones and anaemia. Some forms also cause severe nervous system damage. There is no cure, but enzyme replacement therapy using GC can relieve the symptoms. Haematoxylin-eosin saffron (HES) stain. Magnification: x400 at 24x36 mm size.

Health

Genes for Gaucher disease may have protected Jewish people against TB

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Straight-tusked elephant bones hint at routine hunting and butchering by Neanderthals

Humans

Neanderthals hunted enormous elephants that fed 100 people for a month

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2FM22K7 The joy is evident on the face of this young orangutan. BORNEO: THIS BRITISH photographer has spent TWENTY years snapping Borneo?s cutest orangutans.

Life

Living in trees may have given great apes vocal skills for consonants

A comparison of consonant-like sounds in great apes suggests an arboreal lifestyle may have been a step towards complex speech in our ancestors

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Humans

Our ancestors’ prenatal growth sped up after we split from chimps

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Health

Nobel prize awarded for study of human evolution using ancient DNA

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Humans

Human ancestors may have walked on two legs 7 million years ago

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Humans

Losing parts of our voice box may have helped humans evolve to speak

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