Articles for tag: Ancient DNA, Grotte Mandrin, human evolution, Neanderthal extinction, Neanderthal genetics

Homo sapiens neanderthalensis-Jäger

The Isolated Neanderthals: A Population Cut Off for 50,000 Years

April Joy Jovita

A groundbreaking genetic study has uncovered a Neanderthal population in France that remained completely isolated for 50,000 years. Unlike other Neanderthal groups, which often exchanged genes with neighboring populations, this group remained genetically and culturally separate. The discovery raises new questions about the role of isolation in Neanderthal extinction and challenges long-held assumptions about their ...

Homo erectus (Dubois, 1893) - fossil hominid skull (cast) from Indonesia + Indochinites (black) - tektites from China and Cambodia + Early hominid tools from Africa

The Last Survivors: How Homo Erectus in Java Defied Extinction

April Joy Jovita

New research has revealed that Homo erectus in Java persisted far longer than previously believed, possibly overlapping with early Homo sapiens. Fossil evidence suggests that the species survived in Southeast Asia until at least 108,000 years ago, significantly later than previous estimates. This discovery challenges long-standing evolutionary timelines and raises new questions about interactions between ...

Did Homo Erectus Copy Mainland Hunters? New Fossils Spark Controversial Questions

Jan Otte

Deep under the waters of the Madura Strait, off Java’s coast, archaeologists have made a prehistoric discovery that would turn our knowledge of ancient human migration and survival upside down. Fossilized human remains of Homo erectus, along with bones from elephants, hippos, and even river sharks, tell the picture of a lost world: Sundaland, a ...

Cheddar Man, National History Museum, London

Recent Study Challenges When European Skin Became “Light”

Jan Otte

For centuries, historians and scientists have speculated about the physical appearance of our ancestors. What color were their eyes? Did they have dark or light skin? Were early Europeans blond, brown-haired, or redheaded? Thanks to advancements in genetics, researchers can now analyze ancient DNA to reconstruct these traits, offering us a vivid glimpse into the ...