Recently, the term “forever chemicals” has come to the forefront of public health concerns. The term usually refers to PFAS, or per- and polyfl

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have come to a close, the Olympic soccer tournaments have been played, and winners awarded their medals (the Canadian women’s

When you think of a medieval burial, what comes to mind? A Viking burial, perhaps, where some are buried with their swords and wealthier Vikings were given

For many people, ingesting gluten can cause gastrointestinal issues due to Celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or other conditions. For those with th

No one really knows what happened to the Neandertals to drive them to extinction, but one theory is that their disappearance is connected to their subsiste

Indigenous nations across the United States have lost 98.9% of their historical land base, and more than 42% of tribes from the historical period through m

The question of tools is central to understanding humans and our evolution—what constitutes a tool? When did we first use them? Do other animals use

The Neandertals have had a big month with new discoveries that are helping us understand their carnivorous diets and their social structure, but one of the

We recently introduced you to the aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis), a nocturnal lemur who consistently tops the charts as one of the world’s we

A major question in paleoanthropology—the field dedicated to studying human evolution—asks how humans migrated. Most research suggests that mod

Chimpanzees and gorillas are both historically known as territorial and violent species. Both species have been known to practice infanticide, kill subordi

The definition of a species is highly contentious. Yes, many of us are taught in biology courses that a species is an animal that can reproduce and produce

If you were to picture a monkey, you might imagine a medium-sized body, brown fur, a long tail, and, of course, an animal swinging through the trees. Most

One of the biggest questions in human evolution asks why humans became habitually bipedal about 7 million years ago. Most of our primate cousins do well wa

In 2015, a new species of human ancestor named Homo naledi was announced. As expected, the find drew international attention as a new branch to the human f

Most of us are familiar with the term “mom brain” in reference to forgetfulness and general brain fog associated with mothers, especially new m

To biologists, Madagascar has been known as a unique experiment in how evolution works in a controlled environment. Lemurs, for example, are the only non-h

It’s been relatively common knowledge that the consumption of certain foods lowers your risk of health complications. A diet that is rich in vegetabl

Whether apes can communicate with each other has been a debate for decades. They cannot speak because they do not have the correct anatomy to do so, bu

In 2003, a new fossil hominin named Homo floresiensis was discovered at the Liang Bua cave site on the island of Flores in Indonesia. This find—consi

Linear enamel hypoplasia, or LEH, occurs when tooth enamel fails to develop correctly during growth. When the enamel stops growing, it leaves behind a band

A common question throughout anthropology is, what makes us human? There are, of course, a million physical and cultural traits that make us human, and one

For many young mammals, stressful events are recorded in teeth and limb bones. When something particularly stressful, such as a period of malnourishment, h

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology have recently found that chimpanzees use a variety of stone tools, depending on what

New parents are often told the five S’s are the secret to newborn sleep: swaddle, side position, shush, swing, and suck. The term, coined by pediatri

If you’ve ever walked through a zoo and heard a long, low call that was answered by another call, you might have heard two gibbons singing to each ot

Spoken language was thought of as a hallmarking characteristic of being human. There is a difference here between language and communication—we know

The Chinese city of Xi’an has a deep, rich history. Remains from Lantian Man, belonging to the species Homo erectus, were discovered in the 20th cent