The exhibit offers a close look at the problematic history of palaeoanthropology.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Human ancestors
Displaying 1 - 20 of 30 articles
What could the extinction of Neanderthals tell us about our own species? An archaeologist explains in The Conversation Weekly podcast.
The findings reveal a close association between climatic conditions and early human migrations out of Africa.
Trackway findings support the notion of southern Africa being one region where human cognitive and practical ability developed a very long time ago.
Ammoglyphs – ancient ‘sand art’ – are a relatively new find.
Africa’s large mammal heritage has formed a deep cultural legacy for all of humankind.
If we go far enough back in time, we all share an ancestor. And some of the features found in our bones and bodies today are a testament to that.
Without intervention, the rock may have been destroyed by high tides and storm surges.
Human tracks registered in aeolianites - cemented dune surfaces - are rare at a global level.
Studying the lower back allows researchers to understand how the species’ anatomy was adapted for different kinds of movement.
The fossil material was recovered from the surface of a tight, narrow passage that can only be accessed with difficulty by one person at a time.
Knowing that our North African ancestors were making handaxes helps scientists to understand how our human ancestors spread across the African continent.
It appears that the South African Cape south coast’s dunes and beaches formed a vast canvas of sand on which our ancestors could leave their mark.
These surfaces are of profound scientific, cultural, heritage, environmental, and aesthetic importance. Unfortunately, they are threatened - by graffiti.
A remarkable set of discoveries has confirmed that parts of Stonehenge first stood 140 miles away at Waun Mawn, west Wales.
These ancient surfaces, which often preserve the tracks in remarkable detail, are now amenable to inspection and interpretation.
Before 200,000 years ago, close to the origin of our species, people preferred the use of broad-leaved grasses to build their beds and resting areas using ash layers underneath.
The artefact comes from deposits dated to more than 60,000 years ago. It closely resembles thousands of bone arrowheads used by the indigenous San hunter-gatherers from the 18th to the 20th centuries.
This is a hugely important find. It means that one of our earlier ancestors possibly originated in southern Africa.
The findings suggest that this specimen could climb and move in trees. But it may also have been able to walk on the ground. This echoes previous studies.
Top contributors
-
Research Associate, African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience, Nelson Mandela University
-
Senior Researcher in Vertebrate Palaeontology, University of the Witwatersrand
-
Lecturer, University of Cambridge
-
Chief Curator of Art & Social History, Iziko Museums of South Africa
-
Director, Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University
-
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University
-
Professor, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University
-
Senior Lecturer, University of Leicester
-
Professor of Palaeoanthropology, La Trobe University
-
Associate Professor, Southern Cross University
-
Associate Professor in Earth Sciences, Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong
-
Emeritus Research Professor of African Ecology, University of the Witwatersrand
-
Professor of Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology, UCL
-
Professor of Evolutionary Studies, Professor of African Prehistory, University of Bergen
-
Professor, Department of Archaeology and Human Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town
