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The article explores the question of whether animals, including spiders, pigeons, and octopuses, dream like humans do and what they might dream about. Researchers have observed behaviors in these animals during sleep that resemble human dream states, such as twitching limbs and eye movement. While it is difficult to determine the internal experiences of animals, studies suggest that dreaming and REM sleep may have important functions, such as memory consolidation and learning. Understanding animal dreams could provide insights into the purpose of human dreams and the evolution of dreaming across different species. [Extracted from the article]

This article from New Scientist features four different columns reflecting on various topics. The first column discusses the downfall of two prominent figures in Silicon Valley, Sam Bankman-Fried and Sam Altman, who were both associated with the philanthropic movement known as effective altruism. The second column focuses on the author's disappointment with the UK government's lack of action on environmental issues and the weaponization of the term "woke." The third column explores recent discoveries in human evolution, highlighting the evidence of advanced behaviors and the reconsideration of gender roles in prehistoric societies. The final column discusses the author's experience writing two books about the cosmos and their excitement about delving into the ideas of Black thinkers in relation to freedom dreaming. [Extracted from the article]

The identity of the species that gave rise to all humanity is one of the biggest mysteries in human evolution. Colin Barras joins the hunt [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explains why Homo sapiens is the only species of humans left on Earth. Topics include other types of humans that existed on Earth such as Neanderthals and Homo erectus, the characteristics of Homo sapiens that could give them edge over others such as being dependent on others and feeling compassion, details of archaeological evidence showing the ability of Homo sapiens to network with strangers, and further evidence for increased social interaction when Homo sapiens first emerged.

The article reports on the new discoveries made by scientists like palaeoanthropologist Robert Foley on the origins of humans. Also cited are the discovery of the Jebel Irhoud skull, the 1987 University of California, Berkeley study showing that humans descended from a single woman called mitochondrial Eve, and the skulls discovered by Richard Leakey and his team in 1967.

The origin of language is one of the biggest mysteries of human evolution, but it looks like we've finally cracked it, says David Robson [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the ways in which the physical properties of Earth have influenced humanity as well as the effects of humans on the world. Topics covered include the evolution of mammals, human migration, and the development of cities.

AT THIS point, it is a truism that the story of human evolution is undergoing an overhaul. Discoveries in recent years have forced us to reconsider many crucial points, such [...]

The cover story is presented which discusses the relationship between human evolution from hominids and the human genome, including humans' relations with Denisovans and the crossbreeding between humans and Neanderthals. An overview of the use of human DNA to understand human evolution, including in regard to the DNA of modern Africans, is provided.

The article discusses research on allergies in relation to immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies. Topics include the evolutionary background of allergies, the growing percentage of children affected by respiratory allergies and food allergies, and the notion of allergen immunotherapy. Also noted are the diagnosis of more women than men with allergies and the introduction of children to potentially allergenic foods.

The article examines human phenotypic variation in the African fossil record. Intra-cohort variations in skull, brow, and chin shape in paleolithic and mesolithic hominid remains from Ethiopia, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are described along with the genetic legacy of multiregional human evolution across Africa.

The article discusses research on several aspects of science, including black holes, gravitational waves, consciousness, DNA ancestry, human evolution, eels spawning and the Oort Cloud.

The article discusses human evolution among prehistoric peoples in Europe from 45,000 years ago through 4,500 years ago, including humans' relations with Neanderthals, prehistoric agriculture and farmers and human evolution's impact on Western civilisation. An overview of hunter-gatherers in Europe, including the genetic relationship between modern Europeans and those living prehistoric hunter-gathering societies, is provided. An overview of the Yamnaya people's migration to Europe, including their role as cattle herders, is also provided.

The article looks at human nature, presenting a thought experiment which uses evidence from research on human biological and cultural evolution to imagine what would happen if a group of babies were left alone on an island to grow up outside of any cultural influences. Topics include the life-ways of hunting-gathering societies, theories about the source of human language in the brain, the relation between cultural practices such as tool use and clothing to the specific characteristics of different environments, the likelihood that the imaginary population would divide into tribal groups, and research on people raised with no social contact.

News News & Technology Human evolution EARLY humans living in South America carved giant slothbones into decorative ornaments that mayhave been worn as jewellery. Mírian Pacheco at the Federal University of São Carlos inBrazil and her team examined the bones and found repeatedgouges made by early stone tools. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses Paleolithic-era members of a species of hominid, called Denisovans, so-named for the place where a finger bone fragment was discovered by Michael Shunkov from the Russian Academy of Science, the Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains in Siberia. The fragment, which was found in a cave known to have been inhabited by Neanderthals and modern humans, was analyzed by biologist Svante Pääbo at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, who concluded that the bone's mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was from an unknown species. Topics include how the Denisovans fit into the human family tree, the reanalysis of a tooth found in the Denisova cave, and interbreeding between Denisovans and humans.

The article discusses the evolution of language. Topics include research on Bengalese finches by Kazuo Okanoya at the University of Tokyo, Japan, investigating the role singing plays in solidifying the intense bond between pairs of Bengalese finches and their devotion to their offspring, the difference in complexity between the songs of the Bengalese finch and its ancestor, the white-rumped munia, and the link between self-domestication, mating, and singing ability in Bengalese finches. Also discussed is Terrence Deacon at the University of California, who believes humans obtained more control over their utterances via the accumulation of random mutations and Simon Kirby at Scotland's University of Edinburgh, who believes that flexible learning systems create complex languages.

The author discusses evolutionary aspects of human population growth, contrasting global overpopulation with declining fertility rates in wealthier countries. She notes research into possible fitness advantages to smaller family sizes due to higher parental investment in each child or competition for social status related to wealth or education. Other topics include contraceptive access, role of personality type on family size, and genetic, economic, and sex ratio influences on childlessness.

The article discusses theories of evolution that suggest organisms may play a role in guiding the development of their species through changes to phenotype during a lifetime. Topics include the process in which phenotypes can effect natural selection and genes, studies into the subject by researchers including E. J. Slijper, Matthew Wund of the College of New Jersey, and Richard Palmer of the University of Alberta, and the analysis of the theory in regards to the development of human culture.

The article discusses research into the evolution of human-like traits in early primates, such as forward-facing eyes and hands with opposable digits for grasping. Some scientists believed that these traits evolved for insect hunting, but evolutionary biologist Robert Sussman speculated that primates evolved along with angiosperm flowering plants. In this hypothesis, angiosperms produced nectar-filled flowers and fruits for food and were in turn pollinated and dispersed by primates.

The article discusses research into human stupidity, noting that individuals who score high on intelligence metrics such as IQ are capable of irrational decision making. The evolution of human intelligence is explored, including the effects of environment, genetics, and neural circuity. Particular focus is given to the role of intuition in decision making and the susceptibility to cognitive biases such as stereotyping, confirmation bias, and ambiguity resistance. Cognitive scientist Keith Stanovich proposes the use of a rationality quotient (RQ) to determine an individual's vulnerability to cognitive bias. Other topics include the role of emotion in decision making and the effect of rational stupidity in banking employees leading to the 2008 global financial crisis.

An introduction to various reports within a special section of the issue dealing with the topic of death is presented including one on the shifting definition of death, one on how knowing that we will die gave birth to civilisation, and one on whether it makes sense to fear death. A story of a captive chimpanzee, named Pansy, who was allowed to die with her companions so scientists could observe their response to her death is presented. Also presented is how Pansy's death and her companions' response to it is enabling scientists to gain insight about chimpanzees' relationship with death and the point in evolution that human beings developed an understanding of death.

In this article the author explores the evolutionary basis of conflict and how understanding its origins may guide humanity toward peace. He argues that individuals are living in the most peaceful era ever experienced by the human species. Topics include the modification of human nature via cultural shifts, examples of non-human species that engage in collective aggression, the role of rituals in human behavior, and how changes of individuals' perception of others may help promote peace.

The article looks at research into emotion-expressing facial expressions in humans, particularly the debate over whether they are universal and evolutionary or culturally-learned. Topics include the possible biological functions behind the muscle movements of facial expressions, the argument that expressions are a shared and learned body language, and the varying perceptions and labeling of facial expression emotions by people from different cultures.

The article looks at male baldness. It discusses attempts to explain the frequency of baldness in terms of biological evolution as well as the physiology of hair loss. Topics include stem cells and progenitor cells related to hair growth, possible evolutionary advantages conferred by baldness, and advice for bald men throughout history. INSET: HAIR-RAISING REMEDIES.

In this article the author of the book "Middle Age: A natural history" discusses middle age and why humans in their fifth and sixth decades are at the pinnacle of evolution. He argues that the time has come for individuals to change the way they think about middle age and discusses what scientific findings have shown about the evolutionary significance of middle age in the success of the human species. INSET: CRISIS, WHAT CRISIS?.

The article discusses the evolutionary role of mental illness. The author suggests that mental illness, such as schizophrenia, autism and bipolar disorder, may be prevalent in modern humans because it enabled early humans to survive. Topics include the prevalence of mental illness and developmental disorders, such as autism, in modern humans, a theory that suggest human tolerance allowed genes associated with mental illness to flourish, and how mental illness enabled greater adaptability. INSET: BEAUTIFUL MINDS?.

The article discusses the use of DNA sequencing in studies of ancient humans. Svante Pääbo at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology used ancient DNA to show that modern humans are the product of interbreeding between hominins like humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans. Two theories of human origin are the Out of Africa model, which says that humans are descendants of an African population, and the multiregional model, which treats groups of hominins as a single evolving species. INSETS: REBUILDING ANCIENT GENOMES;JUST ANOTHER PROMISCUOUS PRIMATE?.

The article discusses the relationship between human beings and animals. The author argues that human beings' relationship with animals has been a driving force in human evolution and that close contact with animals is not confined to individual cultures, geographic regions, or ethnic groups. She further argues that the existence of a universal human trait to be with animals is a deeply embedded and ancient desire. An overview of the evolutionary motivation for caring for an individual from another species, the consequences of human beings evolving from vegetarians to a predatory species, and the role of animals in the exchange of information among early humans, including a brief history on animal domestication, is presented.

The article focuses on research into how the human body has changed over the last several thousand years. It talks about how differences between modern lifestyle and the lifestyle humanity evolved to suit have resulted in common ailments. It mentions researcher Christopher Ruff of John Hopkins University, Maryland, who has taken x-rays fossil leg bones and discovered the average bone strength reduced by 15 percent from 5,000 to 1,000 years ago.

The article discusses the impact of volcanic eruptions on early humans. The focus of the article is the supervolcano Toba on the Indonesian island of Sumatra that erupted 74,000 years ago. According to researchers, archaeological digs in India have provided clarification on the eruption and its effects, such as how it shaped human evolution and migration. Topics include the significance of the event which, according to scientists, happened during a crucial period of human evolution and criticism from some atmospheric scientists who argue that the climate changes that occurred after the volcanic eruption have been overestimated. An in-depth discussion regarding the adaptation by early hominins to the environmental changes caused by Toba's eruption is presented.

The article discusses various issues concerning the human genome, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). It traces the history of the human genome, including its discovery, genetic symbiosis and how its changed human evolution. It explains the role of endogenous retrovirus (ERV) in human genome, natural selection and normal cellular physiology. The article concludes that the human genome evolution resulted from a holobiontic union of vertebrate and virus.

The article presents a discussion about sadness, an emotion that has an evolutionary purpose. A growing number of cautionary voices from the world of mental health research are concerned that the increasing tendency to treat normal sadness as if it were a disease is playing fast and loose with a crucial part of human biology. On the other hand, psychiatrists do not advise embracing sadness because it turns into depression.

The article investigates the issue regarding the existence of vestigial organs which have long been a source of perplexity and irritation for doctors and of fascination for some scientists. According to evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould, the list of vestigial organs should be still considered as a work of progress. In addition, the existence of these organs are evidences that human beings are walking records of their evolutionary past.

The article focuses on the issues concerning the huge gaps in the fossil record or the missing links in the great chain of being in the book of "On the Origin of Species," by Charles Darwin. It states that Darwin was deploring the lack of transitional fossils for those with anatomical features intermediate between two major groups of organisms. However, paleontologists have begun pointing out the evidences for evolution by publicising their discoveries about transitional forms.

The author reflects on terms used in literary criticism that have become major schools of thought, such as marxist, radical feminist, and Foucauldian. He argues that literary critics could better understand human nature if they understood the human mind. He suggests that by applying Darwinian thinking to fictional writings, it could invigorate the study of literature. Also discussed is a brief overview of how the author became a literary Darwinist.

The article discusses species of animals described as "evolutionary throwbacks," or atavisms, in which it appears that evolution has run backwards. These species exhibit physical traits that were present in more primitive species. The idea that evolution cannot run backwards is called Dollo's Law, in honor of paleontologist Louis Dollo. Examples of atavisms in humans, dolphins, and salamanders are described.

The article reports on the archaeological excavations at Dmanisi, in the Republic of Georgia. What began as the excavation of a medieval town has turned into a pivotal site for the understanding of human evolution. So far, palaeoarchaeologists working there have unearthed five ancestral human skulls and other remains: the individuals they represent are now the central characters in a story whose plot is poised to undergo a major twist. The story is known as Out of Africa. It tells of Africa as the centre of evolutionary innovation in human ancestors, and the springboard from which some of these hominins struck out into other continents. INSET: The shifting spotlight.

The article focuses on questions related to the evolution of humans. Some scientists believe that it has stopped, while others believe it's going faster than ever. Recent discoveries show that researches must reject the idea that human evolution stopped dead 50,000 years ago or more. In fact, there is every reason to believe that it is going on right now. One example is the discovery last year by Bruce Lahn of the University of Chicago, Illinois, of two genes involved in brain development that emerged in recent human history and swept quickly through the population.

The article informs that eight months after the Indonesian "hobbit" was announced to the world, the puzzle about who she was just won't go away. The remains unearthed recently at the Liang Bua cave on the Indonesian island of Flores broadly resembled early hominins, members of the "tribe" of closely related species that includes modern humans, but of a kind that had lived in Africa and gone extinct there more than two million years before. On the other hand, they also had much in common with the local equivalent of the yeti, described in folktales but unknown to science. But the most extraordinary thing about them was that despite having a chimp-sized brain, they were found with stone tools of a kind that until now have only ever been found in association with modern humans. INSETS: Nins or nids?;Tall tales of short beings.;Shrink to fit..

This article presents information on the history of human evolution. Only a few tens of thousand years ago human beings were nomadic, egalitarian hunter-gatherers. Then, in the blink of an evolutionary eye, species invented civilisation. Long before ancestors had any trappings of civilisation, they had a taste for material goods. Mass consumerism may be a 20th-century invention, but its roots go back to the dawn of humanity. It is arguably the cornerstone of civilisation. Before ancestors invented writing, before they had laws and cities, before pastoralism and farming, even before the use of metal to make tools, there was trade. Trade in the necessities of life such as food and simple tools is probably at least as old as our species. But what is really surprising is that our taste for objects with no obvious survival value — trinkets, luxury items and "prestige goods" — also goes way back. Once trade gets off the ground, the economic benefits quickly make it irresistible.

Focuses on the skull unearthed in Djurab Desert in Chad. Significance of the picture on the idea of human evolution; Complexity of the evolutionary history based on research on fossils; Contribution of molecular biology in confirming that humans are merely a rather peculiar African ape.

Focuses on the female fossil known as SM3 which is believed to be an ancestor of Homo sapiens. Indication from the fossil's skull structure that she may have been able to talk; Speculation that she is a link between Homo erectus and Homo sapiens; Impact of her discovery on the out-of-Africa theory which says that the human species evolved in Africa and began migrating across the rest of the world displacing all other archaic humans.

Discusses the evolution of mankind. How technology and culture could be accelerating evolution at a fast pace; History of human evolution; Thought that human evolution has come to a stand still; Thought that culture itself shapes genes; Thought that humans will be able to consciously control their own evolution; Discussion of reproduction techniques.

Reports on evidence that ancestors of modern humans may have been using fires for over one million years. Why these findings could change theories of human evolution; Homo erectus' uses for fire, which Jack Harris of Rutgers University in New Jersey studied in Africa; The debate among paleoanthropologists, regarding the evidence and implications of Homo erectus' use of fire.

Explore the ancient heritage of Wiltshire and Dorset. This gentle walking tour visits the monuments of Stonehenge and Avebury, plus the settlement of Old Sarum. Led by accredited guides and [...]

The article reports on a study by Lee Berger and his team at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa which reveals that the curved spinal bones of hominin Australopithecus sediba discovered at a South African cave suggest that they spent a lot of time walking on two legs.

Two newly unveiled human fossil discoveries suggest we still haven't unravelled all the twists and turns in our family tree, find Alison George and Michael Marshall [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New fossil finds tell us we're far from understanding how modern humans evolved [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]