homo
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Ancient Human Relative Buried Its Dead and Used Symbols Long Before Us
A team of paleoanthropologists has discovered evidence that the extinct human relative Homo naledi not only intentionally buried their dead, but also used symbols, perhaps for mortuary reasons. The evidence — found in the extensive Rising Star cave system in South Africa where the species was first identified 10 years ago — precedes the oldest…
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57,000-Year-Old Cave Engravings Were the Work of Neanderthals, Researchers Say
It’s now consensus that Neanderthals were complex, social cousins of Homo sapiens that disappeared from the Earth around 40,000 years ago. But our lost relatives just became more complex, with the discovery of ancient cave engravings in France that appear to be their handiwork.
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In a First Look at Annalee Newitz’s The Terraformers, a Planetary Invader Proves Uniquely Irritating
Last week, we had an audio excerpt from Gizmodo co-founder Charlie Jane Anders’ new YA fantasy. Today, we’ve got an exclusive cover reveal and excerpt from Gizmodo’s other co-founder, Annalee Newitz — author of acclaimed works of both fiction (The Future of Another Timeline) and non-fiction (Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban…
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Humanity’s Ancestor Could Get a New Name: ‘Homo Bodoensis’
The chronicling of human evolution has proven to be an onerous and complicated task, resulting in all sorts of contradictions and inconsistencies. A group of scientists is seeking to make better sense of this anthropological mess by proposing a new species of ancestral human that calls for the reassigning of certain fossils.