Anthropology news and discoveries
Fieldwork and research updates
The news search page gathers recent anthropology reporting, excavation announcements, policy updates affecting cultural heritage, and conference summaries. Results are ranked for timeliness and reliability and include links to primary sources and embargoed releases when available.
Latest News
Ancient charcoal sheds new light on how early humans fueled their lives
1+ day, 22+ min ago (420+ words) image: A general view of the excavation of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov Acheulian Site view more Charcoal rarely survives at such early prehistoric sites, making this unusually large assemblage a unique window into the daily practices of early fire users. While…...
CSUN Prof's Research Shows Lack of Genetic Diversity May Have Contributed to" Neanderthals' Disappearance
16+ hour, 37+ min ago (319+ words) Using bone fragments, some no bigger than a finger, California State University, Northridge anthropologist H'l'ne Rougier and an interdisciplinary team of international researchers have discovered that the last Neanderthals in Europe all descended from one lineage." Incorporating new DNA data…...
Discovery debunks long-held beliefs about Mongolian burial rituals
1+ day, 46+ min ago (817+ words) Ancient Mongolian burial mounds that have always been tied to mass feasting show no trace of large on-site horse butchery, new research has found. The missing bones now point away from the graves themselves and toward a ritual system that…...
Ancient DNA reveals pervasive directional selection across West Eurasia
20+ hour, 27+ min ago (1729+ words) Liu, Y. , Mao, X. , Krause, J. & Fu, Q. Insights into human history from the first decade of ancient human genomics. Science 373, 14791484 (2021). Mathieson, I. et al. Genome-wide patterns of selection in 230 ancient Eurasians. Nature 528, 499503 (2015). Irving-Pease, E. K. et al. The selection landscape and genetic legacy of ancient Eurasians....
Widening views of the history of science
1+ day, 7+ hour ago (483+ words) Otago School of Social Sciences honorary Associate Prof Hugh Slotten was one of two international scholars awarded a 2026 Gordon Cain Conference Fellowship with the Science History Institute in Philadelphia. As part of the fellowship, he and York University distinguished research…...
A Hundred Thousand Years Ago, Humans and Neanderthals Built a Shared Culture in This Cave
1+ day, 5+ hour ago (492+ words) Species didn't really matter. Survival and culture did. Humans and Neanderthals not only coexisted and interbred, but actively collaborated and shared their cultures. This stunning finding, based on excavations from Tinshemet Cave, suggests that they were sharing hunting strategies, tool-making tips,…...
'Human evolution didn't slow down; we were just missing the signal': Large DNA study reveals natural selection led to more redheads and less male-pattern baldness
1+ day, 2+ hour ago (387+ words) Over the past 10, 000 years, evolution in West Eurasia has been selecting for light skin, red hair and resistance to HIV and leprosy in humans, according to a new study. Over the past 10, 000 years, natural selection has contributed to the evolution…...
Neanderthal infants were enormous compared with modern humans
1+ day, 8+ hour ago (565+ words) A detailed analysis of the best-preserved Neanderthal infant skeleton ever found suggests that our ancient relatives grew much faster as young children Reconstruction of a family of Neanderthals Neanderthal babies may have physically dwarfed their Homo sapiens'counterparts, according to a…...
Ancient DNA Study: Faster Natural Selection in Humans
1+ day, 9+ hour ago (1176+ words) Combining an unprecedented amount of ancient genomic data with novel computational methods, the new analysis shows instead that directional selection has driven the spread or decline of hundreds of gene variants in West Eurasia since the end of the Ice…...
Japanese Tank Graveyard in Kolonia
1+ day, 10+ hour ago (208+ words) On a random side-road behind the Ace Hardware in Kolonia on the island of Pohnpei sits a nondescript lineup of decaying Japanese light tanks from WWII. They appear to be Type 95 tanks, if that's your thing. There is a chainlink…...