12 July 2023
A handful of “rules” govern how evolution shapes life on Earth, from island gigantism to colours shifting with latitude – and offer clues about how animals and plants might adapt to a warming world
18 April 2023
Researchers are finally getting to grips with how children's brains pick up reading. Now the challenge is to apply this to the classroom to help kids reach their potential in literacy
14 December 2022
The land of Punt, a mysterious place where ancient Egyptians bought gold, incense and other luxury items, has been located using DNA from mummified baboons
3 October 2022
Archaeologists once viewed ancient Nubia as separate from and inferior to Egypt. But research is now showing the Nubians had their own rich culture that powerfully influenced the land of the pharaohs
27 September 2022
Cognitive archaeologist Rebecca Wragg Sykes says we can learn something about the minds of Neanderthals by studying the stuff they left behind, from painted shells to stalagmite circles. We might even find hints about why they went extinct
31 August 2022
The search for the direct ancestor of humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans has been protracted and puzzling. Now, fresh clues are adding a surprising twist to the tale
6 April 2022
A new wave of archaeological investigations is reconstructing intimate details of our ancestors' lives from fossilised footprints. They give us glimpses of everything from parent-child relationships to the thrill of a giant sloth hunt
14 April 2021
A continent's worth of land inhabited by ancient people has been submerged by rising seas over the past 20,000 years. Now we're discovering its secrets
16 December 2020
Watching TV and staring at flickering flames produce similar physiological effects, offering intriguing clues to the enduring power of entertainment – and the origins of sociability
23 September 2020
Do species really exist? Are genes destiny? Do only the fittest survive? Can we shape or stop evolution? New insights into nature are providing surprising answers, and a glorious new picture of life’s complexity
